WW2 Themed Pinball - All new P-ROC ambitious Homebrew

A tease: the playfield after three revisions:

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The playfield has the following so far:

1. Drops: (1) 5 set; (1) 4 set; (1) 3 set; (1) 2 set; (1) 3 inline
2. Pops: (2)
3. Ramps: (1) Elevated; (1) Jump
4. Interactive toys: (4) .. Plane, Tank, Barracks, Building
5. Flippers: (3) 3 inch; (3) 2 inch
6. Spinner: (1)
7. Stand up Targets: (10+)
8. Kick-out holes: (2)
9. Mini playfields: (3) .. Town Square, Building Roof, Mine field (so far)
10. Scoop (1)
11. Skill shot(1)
12. VUK(1)

*****

A little background - I've been collecting, fixing and playing pinball for about seven years. It all started when my wife 'strongly encouraged' me to get a pinball machine to round out our game room. I also have two boys which both help fix and play them.

So after reading other builds I thought we have the elements to make this work:

1. A wife supporting the build!
2. One son who is studying mechanical engineering and knows Inventor software quite well
3. We have a 3D printer
4. My dad passed on his electrical engineering and woodworking skills to me
5. I also resin cast and vacu-form as part of another hobby
6. Both sons have great ideas about the build
7. Plenty of parts at my finger tips
8. I do programming for my day job

Here is some insight into what we love in a layout:

1. Drop targets and more drop targets
2. Mini playfields
3. Interactive pinball toys
4. A layout where you can virtually see all the action
5. Flipper 'setup' lanes
6. Multi-ball options

The goal is to get this done by June 2018. We actually started in June 2017 so a one year build

It is a widebody. Using P-ROC. Programming in C#/.net. Experimenting with a Rasperry PI and windows IOR but it sure boots slow. Got the whiteboard laid out and we are flipping!

Bunch of updates very soon.

Mike V

It will be DMD. I will also have a 12" tv screen in the middle of the backbox. It is the PI3 I have tried. I like it because of its small footprint and low power intake. Using VS2017 I can compile for IoT or windows 10 so I can decide later what to do.

Mike V

Thanks! Seeing your Spaceballs progress at SFGE has helped inspire me ..

Mike V

That's the goal! Maybe they can setup a Homebrew isle just for these machines. We must of had 4+ Homebrew there last time

A couple of other names have surfaced since the survey ( no way to update that):

DMD Day
Their Finest Hour

Mike V

Yeah .. that is a concern. Those are 2 inch flippers on 24 volts so it hopefully won't be to punishing. This weekend I will have all the but one flipper wired so I'll be able to test it.

Mike V

TOYS:

The Tank: this is a partially 3D printed part and then a tank top from a model is added on top. Has a one way gate in the back and a switch inside to know the ball passed through. To creatively make this move we re-rigged a EM stepper to click 9 positions (about 100 degree turn) back and forth. This will allow easier programming and guarantee each position will be exact as it goes back and forth. It will only allow the ball into the mini-playfield if you get it directly under the tank (though the picture doesn't quite show it that way). The tank will also guard the mult-ball stack below it and a target above it.

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The Barracks/Guardtower: it is kind of a half hollow plastic ball with a platform stuck in the middle. The ball loops up and then falls through one of the three holes. Depending on how it enters will determine the hole it goes through. At some point we will have lights to show the hole that was hit

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The Main ramp: it is a altered T3 center ramp that will 'fall' when you blow it up. The top end will lower about a ball height to allow the ball to enter the plane. Then it will be raised back up

The Plane: A hollowed out and modified vintage model plane. It will accept a ball from the ramp 'fall'. Then allow it out the rear for multi-ball. Rigged a spinner dead in front of it to give you the sense of a propeller!

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The Building: not sure of what type it will be yet (ghetto, POW camp, etc). First did a lego model to get the dimension/windows/openings right. This will have six open window/doors which you will launch 1/4 inch captive balls in a crude cluster bomb explosion. You would need to 'clear' rooms and then be allowed onto the roof. There will be plastic 'walls' to keep the balls 'captive'.

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The Sub: this will light up in the box below the playfield. It will move to the left and then out of frame and back again. Four star roll over switches would need to be hit in order to sink it (the box would just go black)

The ? mark: I envision some kind of boat here. Maybe an amphibious lander that you load or a battle ship you sink .. need input here!

The Smart post: not really a toy per say but it is unique in its action. This remembers its state so you won't need to lock a coil on but in turn has the force of the coil to be able to get some good use out of it. Activate the coil and the post goes up and is locked in placed by the housing. Activate coil again and the post retracts. It will be the 'block' for ball releases and passage into the building. We are going to use this to raise and lower the ramp I hope

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Pop bumper Cap: Had my son research landmines and craft a pop bumper top to use. Here is what he came up with!

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Mike V.

Good catch! I did notice this during our testing that they would come back to the flippers and drain down the middle. We have since moved the targets back a little and rotated them counter-clockwise. They seem to be ok now with the ball heading towards the inlanes now.

Mike V

The OBJECTIVES: I'm trying not to reward based on 'death'. I know that this sounds odd in a war based pinball. My thoughts hear are:

1: Reclaim stolen treasure/art
2: Clear land mine fields
3: Use the bombe code machine (three switches and six inserts) to crack a 'code' to gain complete control of the tank
4: Free POWs
5: Resupply armies with food and weapons
6: Rescue wounded soldiers

The MINI Playfields:

1: Upper left. This will be the land mine clearing section. Enter using the small ramp. The better angle the ball enters the better the pop 'takes over' and keeps it up there. Also a 4 bank drop here. Has a drain to setup the third flipper

2: The 'town square': enter here with a skill shoot or getting tank lined up and shooting the ball in. Clear building windows/doors and drop the drops. Once complete there you will be allowed to enter the roof

3: the roof: enter here from town square. You 'simply' need to shot the ball to the exit hole to lock for part of multiball setup

4: the boat: I envision a boat where the question mark is. You would get the ball on the boat and then 'fill' the boat with supplies

The CONSTRUCTION:

I just finished a restoration of a MOGW (Early 80s Gottlieb) using two machines to make one. That gave me a wide body cabinet and playfield to start me going.

In order to make this a 'modern' performing cabinet I had to change the front leg mounts and change the depth/pitch of the playfield. I placed it on a homemade dolly to lower the whole thing to work on it.

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We gutted the entire playfield and cabinet. Added modern type switch/filter/main fuse assembly. Painted cabinet interior army green. Shrunk coin door opening to accept modern coin door. Depth of interior cabinet cut in the rear to accept upper playfield. Sanded art off the playfield. Also redid the lower section of the playfield to have the inlane/outlane setup the way we wanted. Covered the rest with paper and sketched out our first pass from the paper renderings we worked up

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Update 1 (Let's get going):

Added 'soon to be functioning' lower flippers and upper left flipper. Made a 'flat' tank module and built up the playfield posts, lanes and rubbers. Added a 3D printed 'pop bumper' type piece for testing. Lower pop bumper we decided to replace with a target section as shown on the first 3D rendering. That area will change again.

Ramps are altered versions of ramps from:

Big Guns
T3
Laser Wars

Flipper assemblies at the bottom are from a Laser Wars as well at 50 volts. Upper flipper assembly is from an early 80s Williams machine at 24 volts. Flippers in the town square playfield have no assembly attached to them yet.

Upper left mini playfield is a quick test version to see how the ball will land after being launched from the top jump ramp.

Mike V

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Update 2: Power

Let's get power going. Had a custom transformer/power supply combo built. Its an 8 amp with taps for 50v,25v,12v,6.3v and 5v of course. First action was to light the light from the 6.3v. Using the on/off switch. Success! Next was to install fuses and monitor amps/volts with those tiny readers.

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I used a thick gauge wire from the plug input to the transformer. Overkill I'm sure. Wire for all the rest of the coils will be 18 guage. The 50/25 volt will run the flippers and other coils so I wanted to monitor load on those. The 12/6.3/5 volts I'll just monitor voltage.

Update 3: Filling up the playfield

I fitted the tank unit in place. Hooked it to the second set of flipper buttons. Also hooked up the town square flippers plus filled in cluster bomb balls. Both pop bumpers are in place as well as the kick out hole under the ramp. The underside is getting challenging fitting in everything. Still have a bunch of drop targets to go but left space.

Was able to run some tests. Next post will show what changes were needed.

Mike V

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We are using Inventor software for the layout and C# .Net for controlling the machine

Mike V

From what I can tell the comic book and first year of the TV show is set in the 40s. The new movie my have it set in the teens but I haven't seen it yet.

Mike V

Update 4: Revision 4

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It's amazing how much actual testing reveals. Putting stuff in the lower portion of the playfield needs to be carefully thought out. The targets on the right lower section were causing a lot of fast returns to the outlanes and back to the flippers. This was wisely pointed out by a Pinsider earlier in the thread. The ramp entry also causes havoc when you hit the ramp wall ends. The rubber I had on one side was doing a great job absorbing the hit when it was angled forward. Also found some places the ball was getting stuck

Improvements/Additions:

1. Will add a second rubber stopper on the other ramp wall. Testing out a new rubbery filament in the 3D printer to make that happen.
2. Placed the targets in a slightly different spot and angle them to have the ball go to the upper portion of the playfield after being hit
3. Put a captive ball on the corner to absorb hard impacts
4. Added a 'wallless' ramp on the left side to enter the new boat/dock setup. If the ball missed to the right I'll have a deflector to force the ball back to the playfield. It can't miss on the left side because it would hit the sling first. Still working on the details to slow the ball once it enters the boat
5. One of the biggest 'getting stuck' locations was north of the tank depending on tank position. I added a blocking post where needed and curved the tank 'wall' to allow the ball to exit from that spot.
6. The upper playfield jump also had some issues with the ball coming in to high at times and hitting the top of the one way gate. Built a nice overhang to angle the ball back down to the playfield

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Thanks all. Will be putting this in high gear to get it playable for SFGE here in Atlanta

Updates very soon!

Mike V

Since I want to have something playable by SFGE I decided to use the 'test' playfield. I pulled off the paper and had a ball filling in all the inserts and holes I don't need

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Mike V

With the paper off I got started on one drop bank, both slings and adjustments to the kick out hole. Also cut up some plastics from Big Guns and used them on the mini playfield. Shined up some mid 60s metal flippers to use as well

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Mike V.

Because of the odd depth of the playfield in this altered 80s cab the apron needed to be mounted high. Will of course paint this at some point. Might even cut into it to put some playfield action up here in the future.

Located a pair of very long flipper return rails and altered them to fit perfectly. These rails make for smooth transition to the flippers .. a must!

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Mike V

I used homemade dowels to fill the majority and then finished them off with Wood version of
Bondo

Mike V

Yep. Here are some more pics. Heading to SFGE on Friday with it

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Mike V

That means a lot coming from you. I appreciate it. Getting good feedback all around.

Thanks

Mike V

Using C# .net winforms scratch written software. I have a keyboard emulator in there now to register the switches.

Mike V

So here it is at SFGE. It got some positive feedback. It actually was up longer than one of my other 'real' machines I brought. Over 200 plays. Of course when it was busy it was more available than some of the other machines.

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Mike V

Let's catch up a bit. In order to get this playable I actually setup the whole thing to run on basic switch/solenoid EM technology with scoring switches wired to a keyboard emulator. Other switches ran the drops and tank. The last pictures show a cool gizmo I got from a EM Gridiron game that I used for state (4 positions and then repeat) That would make Ball 1,2,3,Gameover. The game over was simply a switch that cut the outhole solenoid switch off. The start switch simply set it back to ball one.

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Mike V

You may ask why I didn't have the P-ROC in there. Well that is the next step but there is a learning curve with this thing and I decided to make sure I make the show deadline with technology I knew I could get to work.

So now on with the learning curve. In order to advance to the next level we need to get this to work. Over the next weeks we'll take small steps to have my C# code talk to the P-ROC.

Stay tuned .. this going to the next level.

Mike V

It has been on hold. Though stay tuned I plan on taking this further in the coming months

Mike V