I'll play, I could definitely use a laugh around here.

Here is my wife and I at Disney last year.

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I figured I would share what I'm doing this evening on Spaceballs.

I'm trying to work out the mech for the crazy multiball I want to do, tied into the evacuation of Spaceball one. I really want to go over the top with the number of balls, so I needed a way to store and transport ~25 balls.

I went browsing for how something like an automated paintball loader worked, and came away the a dual auger driven track design.

The goal is to be fed from the main playfield drain, and have a long enough auger system and track to store the balls and bring them to the spot on the playfield where they get released. I also needed to be able to print it into sections that can be joined together, because of the size limitations of my printer. The repeatable sections of track will also eventually have switches mounted in them spaced appropriately with the auger to sense pinballs driven over them.

Here are some pictures of how the prototyping has stepped through several versions already.

The first test I did to check the sizing on my auger and track housing

The second working test was to check the loading slot and the gear drive for the augers. This is the loader section and an end section.

A better look at the gear drive, these actually mesh really well

A better look at the endcap. There actually doesnt need to be a peg in the end of the newer design.

The endcap and loader sections snapped together, it worked great

This is the next size test, with a better auger design and a slightly better track housing

The first parts for the new test are just coming off the printer. This test incorporates the stepper motor mount, so it adds the third gear to the parts.

They won't all come rushing at you at once, that would be ludicrous speed. I was thinking a ball a second or something as long as the mode is going on.

That may change drastically when I actually try to do it, but half the fun is experimenting with weird ideas.

I've never seen how the hyperball one works, but it definitely played a role in the idea. Another Pinsider, Kneissl, came up with the suggestion based on how he thought it worked in hyperball.

When I was googling patents for paintball loaders I based mine off this one I found.

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I admire your dedication to it. Holy cow.

What games are you getting?

That's a good point, I hadn't considered that when I asked.

Congrats!!!

My 4th weekend has officially begun. Time to set some high scores so my dad will have something to aim for when he arrives tomorrow.

Our fireworks are not even one of the boxes you bought, but I'm looking forward to it!

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My cousin and his family were here for our 4th cookout today and none of them had ever played a pinball machine before.

I left my cousin alone for a bit to play. He comes running to find me, he had set a high score on Striker Extreme and didn't even know how to enter his initials.

The scores are pretty tough on that machine right now too. BadBrick has set some high ones that I hadn't been able to hit yet. Amazing.

Love the shorts.