sketch --> model - part 1

Ok so here's my first idea to think outside the box for pinball components.  I don't know this is completely revolutionary (baby steps?).  Most rollover switches are technically cherry switches, but they're the type that have the lever arms.  Lever armed cherry switches are typically more ($3), whereas you can buy pushbutton cherry switches for 25-50 cents all day long.  Sure I have a few more components, but I don't imagine those wearing out.  I have some concern about a panhead screw rubbing against the switch, maybe I should do a flathead screw.  Few nice things about this design:
1. eliminates costly lever switches
2. eliminates slotted holes for dirt to collect on top of the playfield because it acts like an insert (almost completely shuts off the top from the bottom) there's only the clearance of the post and the insert, which is fluted.
3. You don't have a bunch of fragile metal wires sticking out of the playfield.  It's a nice solid plastic piece that also looks nice (like a doorbell).

Anyway, click on the first photo then press the right arrow to sequence through to see how the ball pushes down on the switch

sketching ideas

Got bored at a very long meeting at work today, so I did what anyone would do, doodle constructively.  This has nothing to do with the theme, these are ideas how to accomplish the same thing differently (perhaps better).  It's a skattered mess, but I'll eventually get some of this modeled up so it makes more sense.

Update 1.22.14

Here's a quick update.  I've decided that I need to start thinking about how the upper playfield is actually going to mount.  Solidworks lets you assemble by surfaces, I need real hardware in the real thing.  I'm going to route out a pocket on the back wall (which is supported by giant braces behind), then the upper playfield will rest in that pocket.  Then in the back I'll have a couple 4" standoffs helping support the cantilever.

I'm adding a loop around which will hide under the backbox (like iron man or EATPM).  The loop will only be entered from the left (right will have a one way ball gate).  If you don't aim well, the ball will end up draining down the left waterslide ramp.

There will be an auger elevator which you enter from the back, and it ejects towards the front when it reaches the top.  I will eventually add a crank and a hand (or mini mannequin) to tie into the song (ever carry the weight of another).  I was going to source an auger, or possibly build one (sections of arched sheet metal), but I remembered making a silent windchime in woodshop in high school which is very similar shape.  You basically stack a bunch of sticks, but stagger them so it creates a spiral.  They are held in place by running a threaded rod down the middle and squeezing the pieces with nuts on either end.

Update 1.19.14

Ok so I scrounged some time today to do some updates.  Once again as I'm half asleep I start thinking about goals (having a purpose for everything on the playfield).  Even though under playfields were accessible by hitting a few targets and aiming for a tunnel in the early 80's, I want to be better than that.  So I've decided to turn the lower playfield into a "last chance" like wizard of oz, which ties great with the song (which is about being at the end of your rope and wanting to commit suicide).  So here's how it's going to go, everytime you drain a ball, it feeds into a subway which pops the ball into the lower playfield.  I figure it's at that point where you need to hit so many targets in so much time (each drain the time gets less, when the time ends the flippers die).  If you drain it on the lower playfield, it drains into another subway, into a VUK, and that brings it back up to the ball trough.

I've also eliminated most of the shooter lane, arcing it early which will bring it over to some targets (like congo or lethal weapon, or T2).  This opens up the playfield space for more stuff.  Now to get to the balcony, you have to hit a target to lower an elevator, and then you can knock the ball into the elevator which brings it up to the upper playfield.  I've also added a jumprope ball gate on the left ramp.

I've got some more ideas, I just haven't had time today to model them all, but the layout is starting to take shape.

quick update

Not sure how much time I'm going to have to work on this (at least during the week).  Project at work is falling behind and I have a feeling I'm going to be swamped for at least a week or two.

Anyway, I moved the record player back out and made sure a ball won't get stuck by tilting it down, and adding a post behind it so there's something to bounce off of.

To get to the lower playfield, I intend on having some sort of entrance to aim for, which guides the ball into a subway, which brings the ball to the top.  At ball drain, there will be a VUK to pop it back up into the playfield.  Speaking of subways, I may do something I don't think anyone has done, completely eliminate the ball shooting lane to free up playfield space (even though I haven't even filled it up yet).  I can use this same VUK to launch the ball into play, just need to have a subway bring the ball up to this point.

Latest update

I’m starting to realize just how empty my playfield looks.  Sure by early solid state standards it’s probably pretty good, but by today’s standards it looks empty.

Upper playfield – I intend to fill the back with some sort of target system (ideally drop targets), but the concept is to have the back wall “My never” song which will be a photo of heaven, and you’re banging on the front gates trying to get in.

Bottom Playfield – I figured I would simply have targets towards the back, maybe split them up with a loop around.  I might even throw a pop bumper centered towards the back.  With such a short playfield that should play some havoc.

Main playfield – Beyond a spinning record and a waterfall ramp it’s still pretty barren.  Speaking of the record, I have a change in the design.  Rather than rehash the same old design (posts on a carosal), I'm going in a new direction.  One thing I hate on a playfield is staticness.  When things are moving around, or moving because you did something (hence why drop targets are more fun than standing target).  Hobbyists like to call them bash toys, so I’m going to make just that.  The record will now be motorized, but then I’m going to add an arm like it’s a real record player.  When the ball hits it, the arm will swing back and activate a switch, which will cue a record scratching noise, and then change the song playing on the main playfield.

I need to figure out what I want under the playfield, there’s lots of un-used space there.  I also want to build some sort of 3d landscape on the right.  I need to just print out a 2d layout and start sketching over it to get some ideas.

The VUK on the left waterslide ramp seems to have no point other than to play a sound and perhaps collect some points (and return the ball to the flippers), but there's no reason to put it there in the first place.  For now, I'm going to connect the upper playfield to this ramp (sort of a black knight meets whitewater), but now I need some way of getting back up to the upper playfield other than ball launch (maybe this is where the VUK comes in).  Also the waterslide ramp will have gates which have jump ropes on them.  I've also added the state of texas on the right sling since that is where the band hails from.

Misc features: Apron is going to be a concert platform (wood flooring), then some speakers pointed towards playfield.  I need to hide the 3 flipper buttons now that the playfield is dropping 2-3 inches. Oh yea, I’ve also decided I’m not going to switch flippers with relays.  In a public environment I might worry about someone hitting 6 flippers at once, I think most people that will play it will get it (plus half the fun is figuring out which button to hit, why should I make it easy?)

Going over full discography with the wife for blue october

So while doing errands yesterday, my wife asked me what I was thinking about.  I answered honestly and said I was thinking about her pinball design.  She's amazed I'm putting this much effort in lately.  She's wondering just how many songs I can incorporate into the design.  Beyond the 3 songs for the 3 playfields, the waterslide ramp song, I'm going to try to add soundbites to targets if I can.  Also thought about incorporating a couple songs by using GI (lights turn off - plays "things we do at night", lights come back on, plays "light you up").

Another thing I can do besides trying to tie in actions / sounds is incorporate a lot of the songs as playfield artwork:
Scar
Black orchid
Clumsy cardhouse
Worry list

This actually helps me with the playfield art because beyond putting band members on, I wasn't really sure what else to do with it

Am I anal?

Why yes, yes I am.  So I took my usual friday trip to pinball life in huntley.  I'm sure I've mentioned this before, I'm spoiled living only 5 miles from there.  I was motivated to go because I won the T2 LED mod on the spooky pinball podcast.  Do I have a T2?  No, but you never know, I might get one someday.  Terry had my parts ready, I pet his dog who probably thinks I'm family at this point, and $100 later I was on my way.  I bought 2 williams flipper assemblies with the standard solenoid size, about 50 clear posts (10% discount on top of the already deep discount for picking up in person), and a couple lane guides.  Also needed a new skirt for my pop bumper on black knight so I picked up 4 because they're so cheap it's good to have extras (can't beat 33 cents a piece).

I chose data east lane guides because I like the clear, and the posts could come in handy if I decide to mount plastic art over the top, and they have nice steep angles for blasting the ball across the flippers.  Also at $6 a pop how can I say no to that, surely cheaper than trying to get custom ones lasercut out of aluminum.
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3202

Now although I could probably plop the lane guides onto the playfield and eyeball it, I like to measure thrice and cut once so I went ahead and modeled it up so  I could put it in my assembly.  Hey, you never know, I might do another pinball layout and if I do the grunt work up front it will make it easier in the future.  I'm also trying to go clear on as many items as I can since I won't have inserts.  Yes I will have GI (that's not hard to do, add 6V to a bunch of sockets), but you never know I might want to add LED lighting to posts and anything else that's clear.

Funny how components start forcing you to move and adjust things.  I had to back the waterfall ramp a good 2 inches, move the flippers down an inch, and change the text to 2 lines to get it fit properly.  I thought about continuing the playfield art to plastics over the inlane guides but I can only imagine the alignment nightmare that would be.

Goonies pinball

So I gotta talk about this guy (he may be reading this).  You can follow his blog here:
gooniespinball.com

I gotta say I admire someone jumping in who seems to not really have skills (look who’s talking mister refuses to code his own pinball rules).  Based on his first video, it seems he can't do board work (not sure about mechanical).  He can't code, he can't photoshop, it's going to be one heck of a learning curve.  I just hope his passion continues to drive him along because the reward will be worth it in the end.

I guess the reason I bring this up is that sometimes I get so intimidated with my project, and really the only thing lacking is a full understanding of electronics and code (working on both of those this year).  If this guy is not only taking on a project with everything to learn, but is blogging about it (and announcing it on pinside so he's sort of out in the public), there's no reason I can't finish mine.  That's part of the reason why I haven't really announced my project (if you happen to stumble here, fine).  But I don't want to show the general pinball community anything until I've at least got a partial whitewood done.  It's probably the same reason why that ghostbusters guy waited until he was finished, he didn't want the pressure of everyone telling him to hurry up and finish it.

Blue october update

I realized I haven't yet posted a picture of the playfield layout I have so far from solidworks.  I haven't done a ton of work on it (I think I might want to do a mockup with foam before I get too far), but this is what it looks like:

I had concerns with having the left ramp bringing the ball all the way to the right lane.  Even though I think the waterfall ramp will give the ball plenty of speed, I don't want balls getting stuck.  Plus I had the ephiphany that the ramp can become a lowercase "b" to spell out the band's name (very much like Data East's GNR).

Other features:
The shooter lane will be very much like black knight, which brings it to an upper playfield (18th floor balcony).  I want a lower 3rd playfield that will represent "into the ocean".  I have a few other ideas for tying in songs, but this is what I have so far.

On a positive note, I received some boards from another DIY guy who is working on some custom pinball hardware which will drive all the extra flippers and VUK's that my 1978 Stern memory lane can't possibly support.  Follow his blog here:
http://openpinballproject.wordpress.com