75 replies to this topic

[Sneetch]

So I have been inspired by many awesome builds and the great contributions to continue to advance all pinball experience in a digital realm.   I decided to build an arcade machine first as I thought it would be easier to tackle, yet the Vpin was my original dream.    So, with the arcade cab done, now is the time!!
 
I originally considered building a cab and picked up the ultimate builders kit for hardware first.   I then chose to buy the cab from VirtuaPin and it is amazing.  If I had to do it over again, I would order the fully trimmed cabinet, with the finished speaker panel, apron, playfield glass, backbox glass with the ultrawide backbox and Flipper Fidelity Speakers as one order.   They do great work and definitely simplifies the build process.
 
The Playfield and Backglass is a LG and Samsung.   The LG is just a good price and great screen and the Samsung I got was a floor display and got it for half off as it didn't come with a stand.  For the DMD I chose after a TON of research, an IPS screen (B156HAN01.2) for a laptop, the display angles are great!  85 degree viewing from any direction, I am extremely pleased.    I strongly pondered a Vishay DMD, yet couldn't justify it being the most expensive screen in the cab.   No regrets with the IPS screen I got. 
 
Be aware if buying a recommended panel, mine or another on the forum, check with the seller what panel they have in stock as they will send an equivalent panel that would work with a laptop.  Often times the 'equivalent' angle, gamut, brightness, etc specs pales in comparison to specific model others got and love.
 
I also jumped on Zeb's last PacLED64 bundle deal (Woot!) and ecstatic with all the toys I can now add on to the cab.

Current progress video:
https://youtu.be/kDAtVd3ZEv8
 
Here is the build list:
Software
PinballX

• The frontend for selecting tables.  It is a great solution that is continually being improved!

Visual Pinball
      This is the main reason I am here as all the folks who make this possible are amazing.  

• VPX
  • The latest release that table authors keep showing off all the cool new functionality
• VP99
  • Most of my tables are using this emulator and some really amazing tables are available
• VP PhysMod5
  • Want the playability of v99 with an extra physics engine to make the ball response more realistic?  You have found it.
• VP 915
  • I only have 2 tables that use this version, but they are great tables, so they are in my table list

Pinball FX2

• Zen Studios did right for cab owners, it can now support 3 screen setups and while it focuses on arcade vs realistic pinball, it really is a fun experience.  I have almost all the tables available and buy them when they are 50-75% off on steam or even better a humblebundle deal.

Direct Output Framework

• This is where the magic for forcefeedback and external toys (lights, fans, shaker etc) happens for Visual Pinball tables.   If you are building a cab, this should be on your short list!

PBXRecorder

• Tired of searching online for media (Videos, images, wheel art) for your tables?  This amazing program makes that super simple and makes PinballX shine!

ScreenResCheck

• For the ease of setting up multiple screens in a visual way.  This comes bundled with PBXRecorder but is much more useful for ensuring your cab screens are setup correctly

PinballX table ROM sound files

• Ok, not really software, but needed just the same.  Some really nice normalized audio files for PinballX as you scroll thru the tables you have installed.   Is there a table audio file missing?  gStAv has been great to work with you to get them included.

SetDMD

• I used to use this for more of its features, but now only use it for the quick update to the DMDs so that they can be colorized for each table.   This really makes each table DMD have its own style other than the standard Orange DMD.

B2S.server

• For animated backglass screens with Visual Pinball and to allow DOF to communicate with the hardware

Windows 7 64-bit

• Cuz you need an Operating System, and this one works very nicely with all the above.

 
Displays
LG 42LF5600 42" Full HD LED TV
Samsung UN32F5000 32 Class 5000 Series 1080p LED TV
AU OPTRONICS B156HAN01.2 LAPTOP LCD SCREEN 15.6" Full-HD and HDMI VGA DVI Audio Controller board
 
Virtuapin Components
Ultimate Cab-Builder's Kit (Widebody)
    - Upgraded to Williams/Bally Coin Door
WPC-style Widebody Virtual Pinball Cabinet - Satin Finish
    - Backbox upgraded to Ultrawide
    - Apron
WPC DMD Speaker Panel - 5.25" - Unfinished
    - upgraded to Ultrawide
Flipper Fidelity 5.25" Coaxial Speaker and Subwoofer Set
0.100 Acrylic Speaker Panel Facing - 5.25"
    - upgraded to Ultrawide
2x Williams/Bally speaker panel latch bracket
7" x 7" piece of black, plastic speaker mesh
2x 120mm Chrome Grill
 
Zebsboards Components
PacLED64 Output Kit

• The pacled output kit (with a ultimarc pacled64 board) is the main board that can drive all the rgb lights and strobes, shaker, knocker, solenoid/contactor, wiper motor. This is the main board that dof communicates thru.

Opto Flipper Board

• The Opto flipper board is for having flipper feedback via solenoid/contactor for every button press. This does not use DOF to run so you get a clack of the flippers in pinballx, pinball fx2, pinball arcade, everything really, should you want that

Digital Plunger w/Ball Shooter

• For the authentic experience for those tables that have plungers

16 port booster board

• The booster board provides additional options for toys and varied voltage outputs. I have my fan, red and blue beacons on the booster board

Shaker Motor and Wiper Motor

• Lots of tables use these, the shaker motor really can move the cab around, I have mine turned down quite a bit.  And the wiper motor whirs when gates, ramps, the ringmaster and more move

24" Lightbar 5 Cree LEDs with 2 Strobes

• Sits angled at the top of the play field for more engaging experience.   I used to watch vids saying I didnt need that distraction, but have to say my opinion clearly changed once they were here since it came as part of the bundle deal Zeb offered

Resistor Board

• The current limiting resister board is for the rgb lights on the lightbar. Those buggers are bright!

Replay Knocker

• Get a match score at end of game or earn a replay?  TH-WACK!  goes the knocker.  One of my favorite toys

2" Illuminated Launch Button

• For those games that don't use the Plunger

3x 1" Illuminated Buttons

• Only using 2 on my cab, but one is 'Start' and the other 'Buy Extra Ball'

RGB LED Light Strip

• For under the cab and behind the backbox (have yet to install these)

 
Ultimarc Components
PacLED64 Controller

• Used on Zeb's PacLED board

IPac2 (2015 version)

• For button mapping to keyboard commands.   If buying a plunger and nudge controller kit, this is likely not necessary for your build.  I had it laying around already so used it

 
GroovyGameGear Components 
All buttons using True-Leaf Pro switches and Helio9 High Output RGB w/24" Color Coded Wires
2x Electric ICE 2 Concave Lightable Horizontal Pushbutton

• Right and Left Flipper

2x Electric ICE 2 Convex Lightable Horizontal Pushbutton

• Right and Left MagnaSave

 
Extra Toys
Attwood Quiet Blower (White, 4-Inch)

• Sits in center top of backbox facing the player and everyone that has felt it, thought it added nicely to the experience

Wolo (3210-R) Emergency 1 Rotating Emergency Warning Light - Red Lens, Magnet Mount
Wolo (3210-B) Emergency 1 Rotating Emergency Warning Light - Blue Lens, Magnet Mount

• I love the teardrop shape and fits perfectly on the right and left side of the backbox

2x Lot of 5 Fuji SC-5-1/G Contactor 10HP 600V 20A 24V DC 3P SC20AG Type B206489

• These are nice effects to the cab for all but the flippers.  These have a louder secondary sound 'Thump-THUMP' which is not what I expect when I press the flipper, so use them for all other feedback options.

4x White 22 LED Strobe Light

• STROBES are great for either blinding the player (should you opt for that) or adding a dramatic effect to the table being played

Extra Components
12V Red LED Lamp Momentary 19mm Stainless Steel Pushbutton Switch

• The virtuapin cabinet has a 3rd button hole smaller than the other 2 above it, so this is what I am using in the smallest hole.   It is the 'Exit' button

Rerii 2 Meter/ 6ft Dual USB Extension Panel Flush Mount Cable

• Mounted to the bottom of the cabinet so I can plug in my keyboard, Hard Drive, etc when needed

CyberPower Systems 11 Oultet Smart Strip and 8 Foot Cord

• This is what turns on all devices when I turn on the PC.   The PC power button is mounted under the cab as expected for the power button on a pinball machine.

EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 80+ GOLD, 850W Power Supply

• This is driving all the toys and Zebs PacLED board

Lepai Lp-168ha 2.1 2 X 40 - Watt Amplifier and 1x68w Sub Output with US Power Adapter

• Drives the main audio of the system

100x 1N4007 Diode 1A 1000V Rectifier Diodes

• Needed for the contactors and solenoids to prevent electrical issues

2x Standard Motor Products SS581T Starter Solenoid

• Using these as the right and left flipper feedback, they give a nice 'Snap' sound when activated.

Amico 100 Pcs 20mm x 20mm x 4mm Self Adhesive Cable Tie Mount Base Holders Black

• These work great for routing your wires and keeping things tidy

6x Rolls Audiopipe 18 Gauge GA AWG 100 Feet Primary Remote Power Wire

• This is a must!  lol

Deluxe PCB Standoffs - 4pack

• For mounting boards in the cabinet

Techflex F6N0.25BK Flexo F6 General Purpose 1/4" Braided Cable Sleeve, 100', Black (left over from arcade build)
100pcs Red Insulated Female&Male Bullet Butt Connector wire Crimp Terminals

Hook-Up Wire Rack with 5 x 100ft Spools of 22AWG Wire (left over from arcade build)
Crimp Terminal Female Spade Connector + Case 4.8mm Brass Plated Tin Pack of 200 (left over from arcade build)
 
 

Computer (NEW 2015)
i5 4690k
8GB DDR3-1600 RAM
ASRock Extreme3 motherboard
NetGear WNDA3100 N600 USB 2.0 Dual Band Wireless Adapter - Refurbished
I am reusing from the old machine:
       Razer Star Wars The Old Republic Gaming Keyboard
       EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti Superclocked 2GB GDDR5 PCIe x16 3.0 Video Card
       Crucial m4 256GB SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
        Corsair TX 750W Power Supply        Midtower case (don't recall, bought it in 2003, its a case)

Edited by Sneetch, 12 May 2016 - 01:56 PM.

[Nemo]

Sweet spec's on those screens, this is going to be a great pin. Oh, and please also share your Arcade cab, we love them too 

[Sneetch]

Thanks Nemo!   Here is a pic of my arcade cab I 'finished' on April 11th, 2015.  I created the graphics of the control panel and the theme in hyperspin so that it all tied into the cab's existing artwork of Silver Strike Bowling.
 
It has installed

• 8 RGB buttons per player that are all programmed to light up as expected per title/system. 
• Ultrastik 360 Joysticks
• Spintrak Spinner
• RGB lit 3" Trackball
• 4 lit pinball buttons (2 per side: Flipper/Nudge)
• 29" CRT for the main monitor
• 11" LCD for the dynamic Marquee so it will show the correct marquee per title/system
• Windows 7
• i5 Intel PC
• SSD Boot
• 5 TB HDD for Hyperspin
• Ultimarc Ipac2 and PacLED64 control boards

 
I have yet to add two Aimtrack light guns with solenoid kickback complete with arcade holsters. but haven't felt the need to bust those out yet as I am now per-occupied with my VPin. 

 IMG_1117 - Copy.JPG   189.75KB   81 downloads  image.jpg   110.97KB   59 downloads

Edited by Sneetch, 25 July 2015 - 02:43 PM.

[Sneetch]

Here is a couple of pics of current state of my build.   Cardboard boxes with cool stuff in it and monitors propped up/laying on a portable workbench.   It's not pretty, but it is a great test platform.  My DMD is currently a 19" Dell monitor I had laying around.   The cab will be using the 15.6" panel I discussed earlier. 

 

I also created a series of overlay images in PinballX so that I could easily tell what emulator is being used per table. 

 

 IMG_1233 - Copy.JPG   121.21KB   71 downloads  IMG_1215 - Copy.JPG   96.1KB   59 downloads  IMG_1214 - Copy.JPG   228.82KB   61 downloads

 

Things I still need to acquire:

• Artwork for the cab
  • May use something Stuzza has already created/shared as he has done some really incredible work or create something myself
  • Either way, I think it will be Star Wars based for many reasons.  #1 reason, it has to be my 'most watched' movie of all time.  Just the original, as that is what started it all.
• I still need to find some good speakers for the backglass and a subwoofer.   Have been pondering the Flipper Fidelity's yet not sure what to do.   Looking for good clean thumping sound of course.   
  • Also not sure if the Leipai amp will do those or other drivers justice.   I mean it is nice for what it is.... but....   Anyone have suggestions on what to consider as alternative, or let me know why the Leipai is a great choice?
• Additional Contactors or Solenoids to fill out the force feedback feature

Toy Wishlist for when I need to take the cab to an '11':

• Red and Blue rotating beacons
• Blower Fan
• Addressable RGB LED strips

Edited by Sneetch, 24 July 2015 - 03:45 AM.

[Nemo]

Ohh man that arcade cab is gorgeous, nice job ! Nâh, those lepai's aren't all that bad, but i would prefer something with

a little more "ease of use" for instance a good 2.1 set with a hefty sub, the external volume control is real handy !   

[Sneetch]

Thanks Nemo, I love the cab and my wife for allowing me to have it in the front room of the house on the first floor.  Now I just need to get the pinball cab done to sit next to it. 

 

Yeah, I have been looking at 2.1 PC speaker setups yet cannot find one of those that I think I would like that would be about the same cost as the Flipper Fidelity/Leipai setup.   So... Guess I will be going for the Flipper Fidelity's and plan on adding some buttons for volume to the bottom of the cab for easy access.

 

Now the decision is go for the 4" or the 5.25" Flipper Fidelity drivers.... Anyone have an opinion?

[freneticamnesic]

I am putting 5" in my cab and they are pretty big... 4" is the standard size but if you've got the room why not go big? If you build to standard dimensions and use a 16:9 backbox monitor, you've got plenty of room for 5.25"

[dboyrecords]

+1 on having a subwoofer inside the cab. Looking good...

[arngrim]

great cab
another user with force feedback and pacled is a great choice, we will soon reach 1000 users in the configtool

[Sneetch]

Hmm... you know what freneticamnesic your right.   5" it is, the space is there.  With an 8" woofer.   

 

Thanks dboyrecords and arngrim for the compliments.     And almost 1000 users is awesome!  I am looking forward to being one of them!!

[Sneetch]

So I have been going back and forth on build vs buy a cabinet. (Sourcing an empty widebody cabinet on Craigslist has been futile, although a super widebody space invaders cab is available in my area, unfortunately it is too wide for my tastes/needs)

Time is not something I have a lot of and a big factor in my decision matrix is the learning curve of woodworking skills required (or lack there of in my case) and acquisition of necessary tools and accessories to complete the job right.

While money also doesn't grow on trees at my house, it does seem from my current perspective. I could get to my end state quicker, with less error and only a slight Increase in overall cost by buying a flat pack or prebuilt cab from one of the established vendors.

Of course that said, if I bought one, I would miss out on having more tools around the house and the experience and satisfaction to say I built that from scratch....

So what is the better approach?

Or do I change my paradigm, buy a cab and think of it this way, 'I am outsourcing to receive the best components from those skilled at their trade' and to apply my skill set to those areas which I can provide the best end result? As at the end of the day, I want a killer virtual pin to sit next to my arcade and provide many hours of enjoyment by all who play them.






Sent from my iPad.

[Carny_Priest]

Heh, there's no right answer for this kind of question.

Me, I had somebody build my cab, complete and working. I'm just modding what's there. I'm glad that I did. I don't have much free time. As slow as I have been (2+ years and counting) if I we're building from scratch I would not have had anything to play, I'm sure. But that's me.

[Sneetch]

I placed an order yesterday for a widebody flat pack with an ultrawidebackbox and speaker panel from virtuapin. Paul was really helpful working thru the options.

I also ordered some tools (various clamps, brad nailer) for assembly. So I guess I took the middle road, and chose the best of both!

In the meantime I finally got the high score on my install of Attack from Mars. Nothing worth writing home about so decided to tell you. Lol

[blashyrk]

That's cheating hehe no just kidding, I also wanted to buy a kit from virtuapin, but shipping to Norway killed that option. Congrats with your kit, looking forward to seeing your build.

[Sneetch]

LOL, yeah, cheating is ok for this purpose.     

 

So I am now working on my artwork for the cab while waiting for my flatpack to arrive.  I considered using one of Stuzza's excellent offerings, yet kept thinking about Gamester's artwork which is also totally awesome.   So again, I believe I chose the best of both worlds.

 

I started with Stuzza's photoshop file and only kept a few elements.   I really appreciate the great cab outlines to better visualize the final version.  I also kept (for now) the backbox yellow border.

 

The rest I have done using Gamester's cab for inspiration. I am still working on the design and making it personal to my cab, yet here is what I have so far. 

 

 Star Wars TFA - Left-Front Artwork_150dpi_Sneetch.jpg   107.71KB   36 downloads

 

Thoughts?  Suggestions to improve?  

 

And in case it isn't self evident, a HUGE 'Thank You!' to Stuzza and Gamester!

Edited by Sneetch, 16 August 2015 - 09:28 AM.

[freneticamnesic]

ANH poster art with The Force Awakens?

 

Wait til we get high res TFA art, don't mix like that!

[Sneetch]

Lol. Clearly I have gotten a little relaxed with the canon and overall story arc. I have been working on this late at night and didn't even think about the faux pas. My thought with the title was the fact the cabinet will be using DOF to bring tactile feedback to virtual pinball.

I will ponder changing the subtitle.

I am looking for something different than 'unleashed' as it has already been done. Finding something that 'fits to star wars theme' and speaks to the force feedback and the possibility of virtually limitless tables... That would be perfect.

Suggestions are welcomed.

[Sneetch]

So I played around with quite a few options and for tonight settled on this draft to chew on for a bit.   What do you think?

 

 Star-Wars-TNER---Cab-Left_1920_Sneetch.jpg   116.02KB   38 downloads

[Sneetch]

Edited comment about time to receive virtuapin cab. Want to support the community and appreciate Noah's fast response to my post.

Edited by Sneetch, 30 September 2015 - 12:05 AM.

[Noah Fentz]

Hi Sneetch,

It certainly was genuine, and will be shipping this week. When you asked us to switch gears from flatpack to assembled, we didn't unpack the flatpack, we ripped and assembled an entirely new cab. This took a bit longer than expected, as we are backed up a bit.

We did the best we could to accommodate, and your custom backbox did add a bit of time to fulfill.

Expect tracking Friday.

Thank you.