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Pinball, pt 2: Cabinet, Playfield Experiments
Some ugly Spring Break artwork wouldn't do, so I spray-painted the cabinet black:
![](img/IMG_20140712_102121.jpg)
The same went for the head:
![](img/IMG_20140715_125737.jpg)
I've never understood pinball machines that couldn't think of a use for more buttons, so I put a second set in:
![](img/IMG_20140709_211949.jpg)
![](img/IMG_20140709_212308.jpg)
I picked up a sheet of 0.5" MDF at Home Depot, and lightly drew out my layout
![](img/IMG_20140715_211707.jpg)
![](img/IMG_20140719_212013.jpg)
I also used leftover scraps from cutting it to the right size to experiment with mounting components
![](img/IMG_20140630_170821.jpg)
Using a small router and an 1/8" bit, I found that, as long as you go slowly, it can produce workable light insert holes
![](img/IMG_20140715_152206.jpg)
Since I couldn't find any launchers, I made one myself by welding a scoop to a piece of 0.5" iron stock and attaching some plastic to the front to guide it
![](img/IMG_20140630_170534.jpg)
When you power the coil, it pulls the iron stock in, and the plastic guides it through
![](img/IMG_20140701_142117.jpg)
Pinball, pt 1: Parts
After two trips to the Allentown PinFest, I've managed to get together pretty much all the components I'll need for the build.
I got two boxes of assorted used parts for $20, and a ruined, half populated Spiderman playfield for $30, yielding an assortment of playfield parts:
![](img/IMG_20140709_211527.jpg)
![](img/IMG_20140709_211653.jpg)
![](img/IMG_20140709_211756.jpg)
I also bought a head from a mysterious 4 player EM for $20:
![](img/IMG_20140709_212842.jpg)
![](img/IMG_20140709_212958.jpg)
![](img/IMG_20140709_213107.jpg)
I really wasn't looking forward to the thought of trying to assemble a cabinet from scratch that would work with regular parts, but luckily I found this slightly beaten Spring Break cabinet for $15
![](img/IMG_20140709_212633.jpg)
(the legs were separate, another $20)
![](img/IMG_20140709_212732.jpg)
It even came with a working power supply, so I didn't need to worry about finding a 25-50V power supply. I was able to find a combination of taps that put out 28VDC after recification. Most non-EM pinball aficionados seem to think that 50V+ is the way to go, but honestly the flippers seem just as strong on my 25V games as my 50V.
Pinball, pt 3: Electronics
I put in an order to Digikey for $70 (!) of electronics, including some high power MOSFETs for the solenoid drivers:
![](img/IMG_20140710_162918.jpg)
, some serial LED drivers, some serial input multiplexers,
, some parts for making molex connectors,
![](img/IMG_20140712_185015.jpg)
, three CPU boards (basically cheaper, more powerful, lower level Arduinos),
![](img/IMG_20140716_171104.jpg)
...and a ton of stuff for audio output, including this surface mount op-amp, which turned out to be *really tiny*
![](img/IMG_20140716_172255.jpg)
I made some nice compact solenoid driver boards
![](img/IMG_20140712_155355.jpg)
Looking at schematics for actual machines they've got all kinds of weird stuff, however just a MOSFET, two resistors, and a line to the CPU were enough to fire the solenoids just fine. I wish I had some way to turn them off in case the CPU locks up while one is turned on, but I don't know what that would be, and as far as I can tell 'professional' machines don't do it either.