MiniPinball. iPad cabinet for pinball arcade.

[Luckydogg420]

So here's the next project. I hope to squeeze this in before our house closing date. If it runs into October then it might take a bit to complete.

This is just for fun, I thought it would be cool to have a tiny virtual cabinet to play on. I'm starting with an icade core to get the Bluetooth circuit board. The buttons are going to be from a pinball machine, I plan to make a plum bob into a tilt switch with all directions that the pinball arcade supports. So for now I think that's left, right, and diagonal up to the left and right. I think the end product will be cool. I'll put the menu buttons on the front. Pc speakers in the backbox. Lights, ect... I plan to plug it in to the wall, but batteries are still an option.

I know there are lots of smart people on this forum, so I'd love input before I start cutting wood. This morning I had some time to sketch up an idea, and get an idea of size



I'm planning to do more detailed drawings of key areas, like button placement, but for now this will do

 

[Luckydogg420]

I'd really like to find an actual lockdown bar to cut down to size. Anyone have any ideas for that?

 

[hurricane]

A great idea. Please post how it turns out. Cool!

 

[Luckydogg420]

I started by gutting an icade core. You need a security bit to remove the back side or the icade.


Going off my rough sketches I started with the backbox. There going to be lights and a graphic behind the plexiglass and I'm going to mount some small speakers in the speaker panel.

 

[Luckydogg420]

Dry run of the assembled box. I also have the ball shooter almost complete.

 

[bstock]

This will be a cool looking unit. It will definitely catch peoples eye!

 

[MnHotRod]

Seen this yet?

http://pinballarcadefans.com/showthread ... -(iPinCade)
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ ... t-for-ipad

 

[Luckydogg420]

Ya, I've seen that one. It was totally my inspiration. ...just sometimes ya feel like you could do a better job. I'd really like to be able to actually nudge the cabinet and have the iPad nudge in game; instead of pushing a button to nudge. I think I can do a nicer job on the lockdown bar, and I wasn't happy with his backbox design. For a product to sell, his is a great toy. I don't plan to start a new business from this, I just like creating new things.

 

[Luckydogg420]

I filled the backbox with a speaker bar for a laptop that runs off of USB power. I found it at one of the local surplus stores for $15. Then i mounted a board with 4 light sockets for the translight. I also put a light socket in the top of the backbox, with a colour changing led as a cheesy beacon. I might make a topper in the future so this could be a light for it. All of this runs off of a battery pack. 4 x AA batteries.


The ball shooter rod is just the joystick from the icade, I had a spring laying around, added a couple washers and bobs your uncle. This presses against a microswitch that is in the "normally closed" position. So when you pull the plunger it tells the game to launch the ball. For games that have a plunger instead of a button, you have to pull this one back just like in game. It's not true analogue control, but mimics it nicely

The two flipper buttons are...flipper buttons, with leaf switches. Below them are arcade buttons (from icade) and are used as "special" buttons, there used for magna save, ect.

The front three are (green) start, (yellow)in menu table scroll, and (red) pause/exit.


Next was the wiring of the buttons. The icade is almost wired the same as a ipac board (one wire for each button, ground daisy chained together) the only difference is that the joystick microswitches each have there own ground. There's a new power switch for it. Before it would wake-up on a button press and auto off after 5 min.

 

[Luckydogg420]

The side rails are going to be 3/4" aluminum, (currently 1"). The lockdown bar was bought used online ($20) and cut in the middle, then JB welded back together. Since it won't be removable I'm not worried that it will break.


The legs are the same 1" aluminum. It's 12" off the ground, so you can sit and play, or place it on a coffee table and stand


I don't know what I want the graphic to be yet, but I had to hinge the backbox on the back to access the plexiglass on the front. The iPad slides in the back.


The next thing is working out the nudge system. It will probably be a plumb bob and leaf switches.

 

[spiroagnew]

Looks pretty cool. Hell of a conversation piece if you sat it next to your full sized machines. Nice work.

 

[Luckydogg420]

Thanks. It will look way better with the right graphics. There's still a lot to clean it up and give it an authentic look. I need something for the DMD area too. I have a raspberry pi, thought that could be reall cool. I just wish I had the skill to program an actual display for the backglass. Most likely ill just add a sticker to save cost.

In daylight


Next to my 3 year old


Everyone wants a shot of the playfield... (Sorry no shooter lane shot)


And finally (for now) a shot next to a full sized machine

 

[Luckydogg420]

Ok this is starting to get good. I've got a working tilt sensor and its pretty good. I took a pinball tilt plumb bob and mounted that in a semi circle of 3 leaf switches. This was just a proof of concept mock up. I used alligator clips to connect the icade's microswitches, so that I could test it out, the iPad is not in the cabinet while testing but the switches were not double tapping and I was able the shake the machine in each of the 3 ways, making the game respond properly.

 

[REVOLUTION]

this is awesome work man..

 

[DRANO]

Neat!

I'm convinced pinheads could rule the earth if we wanted to