3d printed ramp

Getting a 3d printer (especially once you've dialed it in) can be quite liberating.  No longer are you fumbling around for "how the hell am I going to fabricate that?!", so long as you have solid modeling skills.  So for grins, I decided to model up a simple straight test ramp.  Basically a v-shape, cut out the bottom to save material and build time (since the ball only contacts in the middle), not to mention create an opening so it doesn't block the playfield so much.  Add 2 bosses on each side so I can connect multiple ramps together (my build plate is only 6"x9"), and realistically there's no limit to what I can build.  Did a test print last night, and it worked NICE!  I mean it's smooth, smooth like the monorail ramp on simpsons pinball party (just as I expected).

I just used some self tapping screws I had lying around (had to drill clearance holes on one side), but it's a pretty solid structure.  If I were doing real ramps, I'd probably use brass inserts and machine screws so it can be taken apart over and over (and probably an even better joint).

So now I can basically model my waterfall ramp just how I want it, make a cut every 6", add bosses, and print each section then join them all together.  I will get exactly the ramp I want without complicated metal fabrication.  Each ramp section costs me 84 cents to print!

3d printed parts made, plywood cut, assemble time

So I finished printing my parts, I cut my plywood with basic tools (a 1/2" spade bit and a basic jigsaw).

 

My intention is to make starting a playfield (lower end) quick and easy.  I don't have a coil mounted to the bottom of the trough yet (soon), but from a geometry and structure standpoint it worked out fairly well.  A few things:
1. Holes need more clearnace than you think.  For whatever reason 3d printers suck at making holes, they are always smaller (shrinkage?).  And since by default slicers fill the inside with a grid instead of solid material you want to make sure your holes are sized appropriately
2. Try to make as few pieces as possible that will still fit in your printer.  I MAY be able to make the trough as one piece to simplify alignment.
3. Always make sure you have mounting holes for everything.  In my rush, I neglected to add mounting holes for the shooter lane part.

Considering I printed everything without support and the fastest speed, it turned out pretty well.  I think if I ran parts at medium speed, I'd get better quality.

To see a quick video, click below:
https://youtu.be/61cx1U71XZU

3d print design progressing

So I've added walls, an updated shooter lane, a wall to prevent the ball from popping out of the shooter lane (but allow a plunger to go through).  I've also split the trough into 2 pieces.  The entry ramp goes up to the surface so the ball doesn't drop and wear out the edge of the playfield.  This dumps into a main trough.  I've got everything 3d printed but the 2 left walls (which I just finished modeling).  If you're curious why some walls are split up, it's because my 3d printer platform is 6" x 9" (as most are unless you have a TAZ printer which is only marginally larger).  I'm going to cut plywood tomorrow, and only 10" of height because I have a scrap piece of wood I don't mind using to test out proof of concept.  I also need to buy some 1/4" x 1" balsa strips for the side rails.  I know typically 1/2" is used, but I think using #6 wood screws that 1/4" should still work for walls and conserve space.

don't like it? 3D print it!

So I'm really not liking how the flow is going with my current layout, plus I feel like it needs that a hook that makes it different enough.. not (oh look, stock parts on the lower half).

So here's my new plan.. and it's based on the fact that cutting playfield geometry on a playfield sucks so I'm trying to eliminate as much of it as possible when I start fresh.  That includes cutting the groove of the shooter lane, the complicated  cutout of the old single ball trough I have.  I also don't want to restrict myself to the geometry based on off the shelf parts.  That being the ball trough and the stock williams or SEGA lane guides.

1. Ball trough - I'd like to 3d print this.  This allows me to control the ball path.  The trough itself costs me about $4 to print (once I design a scoop to direct the ball into the shooter lane), but of course I also have to add switches, and a vuk coil.  It will still be far more cost effective than off the shelf, and based on the initial sample I printed, I don't see any issues of it breaking or wearing (at least not on the low plays a homebrew pin will get).  If it does break, I can always reprint it.
2. Inlanes - outlanes - You'll notice I have 2 inlanes and an outlane on each side.  That's accomplished by making the shooter lane also the right outlane.  If someone should plunge light and drain, I'm certain I can include script that says "if player scores nothing, give the ball back".  You'll also notice the lanes look strange.  In order to optimize enough space for this many lanes, typically Stern has to go back to wireforms (those U-shaped things that shove right into holes on the playfield).  This takes precison, and even when you have precision it's a pain to stick those in or take out when you need to shop out a playfield.  My design mounts from the top using the 3 posts from the slings.  I 3d printed a single piece (which in itself isn't terrible, but the walls are slightly flimsy).  On the real version I intend to use PETG sheet on the top, and the walls will be bent pieces of aluminum that will secure using screws.  I'm expecting this to be plenty stiff, especially if I anchor the cottom corner.
3. Apron - Though you can't really see it now, I'm going to be borrowing the design from Bally Spectrum.  It technically has no apron, it simply has walls, and then a piece of plastic shaped like an apron that mounts to bosses.  I like this for 2 reasons:
  A. It means you can have the apron off, and still function because all the walls still remain
  B. The top just being a cover (which is clear), I can print whatever decoration on the inisde

So the left outlane now becomes a direct path to the lower playfield, and it comes back up a hole next to the ball trough.  I'm going to start cutting this new lower half soon.

Fresh Start

Been thinking about this project a lot.  Lots of ideas going on, just need to get them down on paper.  No I'm not throwing out the baby with the bathwater (lots of concepts will carry over), but I might be cutting a new playfield.  More to come soon...

long time no blog

I haven't given up, I promise.  Lot going in my life lately.  Did a ton of work on the house because we were getting it appraised to refinance.  Things I should have done long ago all stacked up, but I got most of them done and the appraisal is over with.  Combine that with staying busy with mods.. Not only am I helping work on mods for Mezel Mods, I'm getting contracted directly by Sparky (who has a big backlog for his stuff, but I'm not going to say no to easy money).  Heck, just last week I had a guy from the next town over contract me to model up a mounting bracket for a tanneau cover for his pickup (apparently the part doesn't exist anymore).  Couple hours of modeling and a quick print and I'm $40 richer.   He found me because I made an account on makexyz.com (local 3d printer vendor list).  None of this is going to make me rich, but it's sure nice to have a side job to fund things.  I also have a backlog of LCD mods, of which I cannot really work on until they start shipping raspberry pi zeros (should be anyday now).  They had to move their factory to another facility to keep up with demand since the pi3 is also selling really well (and has slightly higher margins).

Anyway, now that I'm catching up on things I'd like to get back into this.  I've tried to sell my treadmill to make more space, but I refuse to sell it for the $100 people are offering on craigslist (I originally paid $1200 and it's barely used), so that may be staying.  However, since the house is clean and purged of useless stuff, I may be putting a rocking chair that's taking up space down here upstairs in the library.  It belongs to my wife, but it used to belong to her grandmother.

After hearing the interview with Mission pinball (boom go podcast), I really want to try this framework out.  I've watched videos in the past (getting demolition man up and running in a couple hours), but hearing in depth talk of it makes it more clear what it does and what it doesn't do.  Hugh shipped me the latest rev2 boards about 3-4 weeks ago, and I hate to see it just sitting there.  I still need to tweak my layout a little but I have some ideas.  Also I came up with a way to make quick wireform ramps using 3d printed brackets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2ocsm5AkkU

Expo review

Since I'm still working on my layout (and don't want to show a partial update), I'll go ahead and talk about Expo a little.

So there's 2 parts of Chicago Expo.  There's the Expo that's at the Westin in Wheeling, and then there's the extended party at Terry's at pinball life on friday from noon-6.  So being that I live literally 4 miles from Pinball Life, I often find myself there buying parts (or lately, buying 3d prints from Scott Danesi for some LCD mods I've been doing for some small side income).  So this was the 2nd year in a row that I brought a pinball to a show, both being Pinexplosion.  I've heard nothing but bad stories about what a hassle it was bringing a game to expo, or hassle getting wristband refunds from Pacak.  Terry: I drive 4 miles down the road, drop off my pin on a friday weeks before the show at my convenience (not driving 20 miles on a Wednesday night).  First year was nice, I brought elivra, it sold so I didn't have to drag it back.  This year I brought Freddy, nobody was interested (at least not at the price I was asking), so it's coming back.  I'm putting off picking it up because upstairs is packed with 3 pins in the front room (AMH, my newly picked up space station, and the blue october project).  My goal is to wait until October 30th, bring freddy home and stick that and space station in the garage so trick or treaters can play it during the day on Halloween as they come by.  I've seen other people on pinside do it, and being in Chicago it's not normally warm enough to do that.  Well this year seems like it's going to be a mild winter in the midwest (high temps in the low 60s), so even if I have to put a heater out there, the pins will be on.  I'm going to have to get a step stool so the small kids can reach the buttons and see the playfield.  I haven't had time to decorate this year, but hopefully I can at least get some purple or red lighting backlighting the pins, and hide some of the garage with cotton spiderwebs.  Like many others, I don't want to see pinball die, and if I can create an impression on a kid to want to play them later in life, I've done my job.

Pinexplosion was even more packed this year, not surprising since there is no price of admission, there's free food and beer/soda, and 50 pins on freeplay (plus deals on parts).  Expo, well.. I mean, freeplay area.. yea that was pretty bare this year.  I know Expo isn't mean as a show about playing pinballs, but seeing how there really wasn't any announcements this year (Stern game of thrones was announced early, Hobbit still isn't shipping, Lawlor's title isn't announced until next Spring, Spooky is still 3 weeks from revealing rob zombie), Pinball circus is still in development.  So unless you're interested in going to seminars, what does Expo really offer for $25/day?  One thing I like seeing lately at Expo are the homebrew projects.  I come to find that there's actually 2 Buffy the vampire slayer machines (rethemed swords of fury with new software).  At first I was sort of upset that two of this great game were sacrificed for this project, but after playing them I can appreciate it.  I mean the code is great (sound cues where to shoot), great graphics, the upper left playfield is transparent so you can see underneath.  Nightmare before christmas had great flow, though talking to the owner he did say he had ball detection issues not from hardware but some bug in the latest mission pinball framework (that was being worked on up until the moment of the show).  I actually saw Ben heck and Charlie walk over to this machine and talk to the owner for about 10-15 minutes early saturday morning.  He had the playfield lifted up, and it was as if Ben was just curious how a hobbyist chose to wire it up (lights, boards, etc), and generally what the latest FAST hardware looked like.  Peanuts pinball (which Aaron is working on) had a half populated playfield (with art) which is impressive considering about the only thing done on it the week before was flippers and a ball trough (he did a livestream).  For a while he had the playfield lifted up.  During the stream you could see that he just had the playfield out sitting on some sort of frame he welded up.  At the show you realize this is not a temporary frame, but rather a frame that stays with the playfield, and it rests on rails in the bottom.

This is actually quite genius in a couple ways:
1. It gives you a nice platform for the playfield to sit on, sort of a built in rotisserie (both for building it, and future servicing).
2. In reality, it doesn't need the hooks to attach to the lockdown bar, it could just rest at the bottom if you had something to lock it in place.  Then the only thing you'd really have to lock is the glass in place.

The other crazy part about these 3 projects (muppets was barely started) is that the father of Aaron built all these cabinets.. like not kit form, but actually built them from bare plywood.  I realize there are companies like churchill that do this everyday, but it's more amazing for a home builder to do it with minimal tools.

So one thing I'm starting to realize, gottliebs have really good flow (and some pretty neat innovations).  Freddy plays pretty good, and not a single entry ramp (which is odd for 1994).  Waterworld also has entry no ramps (but it does have return ramps, including one that pivots), and has a neat boat that spins 180 degrees to enable ball lock, and also dumps the balls after they've all been locked.  It also has this nice flowing side loopback on the right.  Nothing innovative there (games like skateball had it), but nice that they implemented it.  You look at "lights camera action", and they implemented a somewhat large chunk of playfield that spins and completely changes that layout in that section (almost increasing the playfield size in a way).  That's the sort of flow I'm aiming for, the ramps are just icing on the top (and need to be lastly implimented).  The main gameplay is on the main playfield.