975 replies to this topic

[patpat]

If mjr isn't up for shipping to Australia let me know... I'm assuming you're talking about the expansion boards and not a KL25Z. Only looking to sell all 3 boards in the set though, cost to you would be my cost plus shipping, so $16CDN for the 3 boards plus shipping which may be around $10 to send it the cheapest way.

Cheers mate, I am just after the main expansion board. I'll wait till mjr's reply and fit not I might take you up on they offer!

[mjr]

Are you taking orders of the main board? If so what the total cost to send it to Australia?

 

I do still have some of the boards from the first order on hand, but I'm only shipping them within the US...

 

If mjr isn't up for shipping to Australia let me know... 

 

...so hopefully you can arrange something with Roar.  Alternatively, given that you're in Australia, shipping from a factory in China might not be as expensive as shipping from North America.  You might want to take a look at the fabricator I used - elecrow.com - to see what it would cost to have a set made and shipped.  They do a minimum order of 5 boards, so you'd have extra boards, but maybe there's someone else nearby who can go in on an order with you.

[patpat]

Are you taking orders of the main board? If so what the total cost to send it to Australia?

 
I do still have some of the boards from the first order on hand, but I'm only shipping them within the US...
 

If mjr isn't up for shipping to Australia let me know... 

 
...so hopefully you can arrange something with Roar.  Alternatively, given that you're in Australia, shipping from a factory in China might not be as expensive as shipping from North America.  You might want to take a look at the fabricator I used - elecrow.com - to see what it would cost to have a set made and shipped.  They do a minimum order of 5 boards, so you'd have extra boards, but maybe there's someone else nearby who can go in on an order with you.

MJR, thanks for the reply!
I just remembered that I have a relative that's in the San Diago, California. Will it be possible to send it to him then he can forward it to me? If so what's the cost for just the main board how do we go about it? Cheers mate
MJR, thanks for the reply!
I just remembered that I have a relative that's in the San Diago, California. Will it be possible to send it to him then he can forward it to me? If so what's the cost for just the main board how do we go about it? Cheers mate

[BlackAngel21]

If mjr isn't up for shipping to Australia let me know... I'm assuming you're talking about the expansion boards and not a KL25Z. Only looking to sell all 3 boards in the set though, cost to you would be my cost plus shipping, so $16CDN for the 3 boards plus shipping which may be around $10 to send it the cheapest way.

Do you have any quantity of the expansion boards left? I talked mjr about buying some boards but seeing I'm located here in Canada he suggested I contact you.

I would be interested in some boards if you could ship them to me. I'm located just outside Barrie Ontario. Tried to send PM but it said I couldn't??

Thanks

[roar]

 

If mjr isn't up for shipping to Australia let me know... I'm assuming you're talking about the expansion boards and not a KL25Z. Only looking to sell all 3 boards in the set though, cost to you would be my cost plus shipping, so $16CDN for the 3 boards plus shipping which may be around $10 to send it the cheapest way.

Do you have any quantity of the expansion boards left? I talked mjr about buying some boards but seeing I'm located here in Canada he suggested I contact you.

I would be interested in some boards if you could ship them to me. I'm located just outside Barrie Ontario. Tried to send PM but it said I couldn't??

Thanks

 

 

I was in Barrie 2 weeks ago, could have dropped them off I must have filled up my PM inbox, I'll clear some space and drop you a note.

[firebrand007]

Hi MJR,

 

On some tables I keep having the issue that the ball bounces upward a bit, when the table is launched (eg: Cactus Canyon Continued, Theatre of Magic VPX...). When I pull the plunger it stops bouncing and I can launch the ball without further issues.

I think maybe it's because my plunger isn't perfectly calibrated (potentiometer + pinscape), but ever since first calibration a few months ago I've been unable to access the calibration page in the configuration tool.

 

Clicking the "plunger" button keeps popping a browser windows with the following URL :

http://ps/PlungerCon...467008-33024E45

 

Here's a screenshot from "joystick viewer" in case it helps.

 

thanks in advance for your suggestions to troubleshoot !

 

[mjr]

I think maybe it's because my plunger isn't perfectly calibrated (potentiometer + pinscape), but ever since first calibration a few months ago I've been unable to access the calibration page in the configuration tool.

 

Clicking the "plunger" button keeps popping a browser windows with the following URL :

http://ps/PlungerCon...467008-33024E45

 

It looks like calibration is what's needed - when it's calibrated properly, the green bar should be aligned with the pink arrow when the plunger is sitting at the rest position.

 

I'm not sure why you can't get to the calibration dialog.  I just double-checked on my setup and the calibration dialog is working fine, so it's apparently not just broken across the board in the tool.

 

Some things to look at:

 

- You might try deleting the tool and installing a fresh copy - maybe one of its files got corrupted or deleted accidentally.

 

- What version of IE do you have installed?

Edited by mjr, 14 September 2016 - 04:42 PM.

[firebrand007]

Hey, thanks for the suggestions. I have IE11 as recommended. I downloaded the config tool on another drive's folder but faced the same issue. Then I noticed that I could see for a very brief time a window popup when I clicked on calibrate, and also got issues when trying to save my config (named the file but it saved before I could finish and afterwards I couldn't save again, it was like it automatically saved over the previous save). I thought it could be related to some button being recognized as always pressed and deactivated the pilots of pinscape in the windows control panel / peripherals. Bingo ! I was then able to properly calibrate (which fixed my plunger issue) and save my config , agrée which I reactivated the pilots.

Do you have an idea on what could be happening regarding the 'always pressed button' and how I could troubleshoot it ?
Thanks again !

[BigBoss]

Hey if anyone is having that DOF crash but isn't using the pinscape for ledwiz functions you can solve the problem very easily by just disabling the pinscape ledwiz id entirely. Just load the config software and change the ledwiz ID to "pinscape" right by custom.  Now it can create 2 USB devices one for keyboard and one for joystick and neither will have an ledwiz device ID so it won't cause DOF2 to crash.

[mjr]

I've finally managed to create the "Grand Unified" version of DOF that incorporates all of my latest Pinscape updates plus the last official updates from SwissLizard.

 

http://mjrnet.org/pi...ll-updates.html

 

In addition, that page has an LEDWIZ.DLL replacement that should solve any crashing problems you're having with non-DOF software that uses the LedWiz, such as LedBlinky or Future Pinball.

[hlr53]

So, you're gonna finish all the other docs this weekend? You know, in your spare time?

[Agwood]

 

Are you taking orders of the main board? If so what the total cost to send it to Australia?

 

I do still have some of the boards from the first order on hand, but I'm only shipping them within the US...

 

If mjr isn't up for shipping to Australia let me know... 

 

...so hopefully you can arrange something with Roar.  Alternatively, given that you're in Australia, shipping from a factory in China might not be as expensive as shipping from North America.  You might want to take a look at the fabricator I used - elecrow.com - to see what it would cost to have a set made and shipped.  They do a minimum order of 5 boards, so you'd have extra boards, but maybe there's someone else nearby who can go in on an order with you.

 

 

Hi MJR,

 

Would you consider shipping one of those main expansion boards to an APO address? I would of course accept all liability for the shipment.

 

To be clear this expansion board will allow me to run solenoids and RGB leds like a LEDWiz and say for example sainsmart 8 port USB? I am still trying to wrap my head around how DOF all works and I have already received all the parts needed for a simple Pinscape setup with the plunger just don't quite get the whole DOF setup with it for just a few (5) RGB lights on top of the backbox and solenoids (8).

 

I will be flying from Tokyo to the states tomorrow morning so I may not be able to answer right away but I am interested and ready if you are able. 

[mjr]

Hi MJR,

Would you consider shipping one of those main expansion boards to an APO address? I would of course accept all liability for the shipment.

 

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that APO addresses still need the customs paperwork, which is the main thing I've been trying to avoid.  You might check with Roar - he's been very open to international shipping and might still have some boards he'd like to part with to recoup his investment.

 

 

To be clear this expansion board will allow me to run solenoids and RGB leds like a LEDWiz and say for example sainsmart 8 port USB? I am still trying to wrap my head around how DOF all works and I have already received all the parts needed for a simple Pinscape setup with the plunger just don't quite get the whole DOF setup with it for just a few (5) RGB lights on top of the backbox and solenoids (8).

 

Yes, it would handle all of that.   You probably want a main board plus a power board.

 

The main board has outputs for 15 RGB LED channels, which translates to the usual set of 5 flashers (since each flasher takes 3 channels, one each for R-G-B).  These have enough power capacity to handle the typical 3W "star" LEDs.  It also has a 16th equivalent channel that you can use for the strobe, plus a 4A timer-protected channel for a knocker coil.  You don't have to use those, but they're there if you want them.  Finally, it has 16 low-power channels designed for flipper button LEDs - enough for 4 separate RGB channels (two flipper buttons and two Magna Save buttons) plus 4 leftovers that could be used for button lamps or the like.

 

The power board gives you 32 additional outputs that can do about 4A each, so they'll handle just about anything, including solenoids, coils, contactors, motors, and any other lights you might want (such as the lamps inside the Start and Launch Ball buttons).  So you could attach your 8 solenoids to 8 of these outputs and have 24 more left over for any future additions you think of later.  

 

I know DOF is pretty intimidating because there are so many pieces involved, but it's usually not as hard as it looks.  The DOF manual has installation instructions that make it fairly straightforward.  The really nice part is the online DOF Config Tool will automatically configure all of the individual table settings for you, using its giant database of tables, so the solenoids and flashers will all fire appropriately to each table once you have everything installed.

[trapperjohn]

I am currently building my first cabinet and use a Pinscape for all I/O. Now I'm starting to bring some solenoids to life but I'm not sure about the wiring example in the Pinscape documentation.

 

The 470 Ohm resistors are used as voltage dividers to create 6V from the 12V supply as input for the MOSFET gate, right? Is there a limitation on resistor size or may I also use 1k resistors as a replacement?

 

I have 24V solenoids (and a 24V power supply), therefore I use an IRLZ 34N MOSFET which can handle up to 16V gate input. Can I simply replace the BUK 9575 or do I have to align other stuff, too?

 

Thanks,

Florian

Edited by trapperjohn, 03 November 2016 - 07:16 AM.

[mjr]

I am currently building my first cabinet and use a Pinscape for all I/O. Now I'm starting to bring some solenoids to life but I'm not sure about the wiring example in the Pinscape documentation.

 

The 470 Ohm resistors are used as voltage dividers to create 6V from the 12V supply as input for the MOSFET gate, right? Is there a limitation on resistor size or may I also use 1k resistors as a replacement?

 

I have 24V solenoids (and a 24V power supply), therefore I use an IRLZ 34N MOSFET which can handle up to 16V gate input. Can I simply replace the BUK 9575 or do I have to align other stuff, too?

 

You're right about the purpose of the resistors, and I think changing to 1K would work equally well.

 

The IRLZ34N also looks like a good substitute.  But I'd keep the +12V supply to the gate anyway, as shown in the schematic, if it's convenient for you.  It's okay for the gate to be at +12V and the +V for the load to be +24V - they can be different power supplies and different voltages as long as the grounds are connected together.  The IRLZ34N data sheet I'm looking at says that Vgs-max is 13V (these might vary a bit, so maybe your devices are 16V), so if you supply the gate drive with +24V, the resistors will divide that to +12V, which is pretty close to that 13V limit. 

[trapperjohn]

Okay, thanks! This is the datasheet I'm referring to
https://m.reichelt.d...FIRLZ34N-IR.pdf

I tried it yesterday and it seems to work nicely - good job you've done there!

[trapperjohn]

I am thinking about adding a cheap Chinese coin acceptor as an input (one like these: https://www.aliexpre...6768277.html ).

 

They put a 12V pulse on their output when a valid coin is detected - what would be the best way to use this as an input for the Pinscape controller? I'd guess, it should involve an opto-coupler to avoid having 12V near the FRDM-KL25Z... ?

 

Are there already some wiring examples for a "high power" input pulse like this? 

 

edit: Is it okay to just use one of these PC817 (or compatible) opto-couplers  - just add a resistor on the anode to limit the current to about 20mA (forward voltage should be 1.2V, i.e. resistor should be around 540 ohm)? The other side of the opto-coupler is connected to GND and KL25Z input port - is there another resistor necessary on this side?

Edited by trapperjohn, 17 November 2016 - 11:34 AM.

[mjr]

I am thinking about adding a cheap Chinese coin acceptor as an input (one like these: https://www.aliexpre...6768277.html ).

 

They put a 12V pulse on their output when a valid coin is detected - what would be the best way to use this as an input for the Pinscape controller? I'd guess, it should involve an opto-coupler to avoid having 12V near the FRDM-KL25Z... ?

 

Are there already some wiring examples for a "high power" input pulse like this? 

 

edit: Is it okay to just use one of these PC817 (or compatible) opto-couplers  - just add a resistor on the anode to limit the current to about 20mA (forward voltage should be 1.2V, i.e. resistor should be around 540 ohm)? The other side of the opto-coupler is connected to GND and KL25Z input port - is there another resistor necessary on this side?

 

 

That should work.  No resistor would be needed on the KL25Z side; just wire it directly to GND and the input port as you propose.

 

I should point out that the "real" coin mechs - the standard type used in most pinballs - are only about $10 new on pinballlife.com and elsewhere.  

 

http://www.pinballli...p=product&id=15

 

So if you're using a standard coin door, you'll actually save money by buying the real thing.  You'd save the hassle with the extra electronics as well, since the standard units use a simple mechanical micro-switch that you can wire directly to the KL25Z.  But I'm guessing you want to skip the coin door, since the aliexpress unit looks like it wouldn't fit that.  If you want to consider a mid-range option that would be more realistic, the Data East style coin door is $68 on pinballlife:

 

http://www.pinballli...=product&id=628

 

That plus two coin acceptors would be $88, so it's a bit more expensive than the aliexpress unit ($20 for the coin acceptor plus maybe $5 for the additional electronics), but more authentic looking.

[trapperjohn]

The Data East door is nice - but I'd have to import it to Germany ... it would become around 100 Eur afterwards. And my (planned) cabinet is about 0.7* the size of an original cab, hence the door is a bit too big in my opinion.

I can get the Chinese version for about 17 Eur without import fees - so I guess I'll try it ;-)

[mjr]

The Data East door is nice - but I'd have to import it to Germany ... it would become around 100 Eur afterwards. And my (planned) cabinet is about 0.7* the size of an original cab, hence the door is a bit too big in my opinion.

 

That makes sense - I agree that a regular coin door wouldn't work for a mini cab.  It sounds like the stand-alone coin acceptor you found is a good way to handle it.  One other suggestion comes to mind, though: I've seen some smaller coin doors designed for video game units.  I'm not sure if any of those would be the right size for your cab, but it could be worth looking to see what's available, if you wanted something a little closer to the standard appearance.