285 replies to this topic

[BorgDog]

if @mjr doesn't have any left there is someone over on the other universe site that had a bunch done up and was selling them last time I checked.

[scottacus]

MJR usually has some in stock and sells them at cost.  Also take a look at his other boards like the power and chime boards, they are all equally awesome.  MJR's eye for detail and designs are unbeatable.

[mjr]

I was wondering if anyone has an expansion PC Board (populated or not). 

 

I just refreshed my supply, so I have all three boards (main, power, chime) available.  Unpopulated, I'm afraid.  PM me and let me know what you need.

 

 

Last, I am creating a 3D printed part that will hold the sliding potentiometer which I got from Jameco Electronics.  To give back to the community I will upload the STL files so others can print their own.  

 

That's great!  I'd be happy to include a link or host a copy on my site if you'd like.

[bigfoot53]

Good Evening everyone,


I just finished building my first main board and have a question . From other pics posted here it looks like I have reversed the white 12/5 volt connector  is that a big issue or do I just need to reverse the pins on the other end ? also on that topic is the pinout  5v+ then the 2 black negative's then the 12v+  ? and is this power to come from the second isolated power supply ?

Thanks

Bruce

Edited by bigfoot53, 27 April 2018 - 12:12 AM.

[roar]

Hi mjr,

 

I just tied to send you a pm but your inbox is full! I wanted to let you know I sent my last set of boards to Montreal a couple of weeks ago so a Canadian source for boards has officially dried up! Thank you for sending all those folks my way. I've actually sold my VP and will be stepping away from the hobby for a while, thanks for everything you do and for the endless support you provide you are truly an amazing person and contributor to this community!

 

-roar

[mjr]

I wanted to let you know I sent my last set of boards to Montreal a couple of weeks ago so a Canadian source for boards has officially dried up! Thank you for sending all those folks my way. I've actually sold my VP and will be stepping away from the hobby for a while, thanks for everything you do and for the endless support you provide you are truly an amazing person and contributor to this community!

 

Thanks for letting me know - I'll stop sending people your way when I get inquiries from north of the border.    Sorry to hear that you're leaving virtual pinball for now, but have fun with whatever's next!

 

 

I just finished building my first main board and have a question . From other pics posted here it looks like I have reversed the white 12/5 volt connector  is that a big issue or do I just need to reverse the pins on the other end ? 

 

I'm guessing you're talking about JP10, the one labeled "2ND PSU"?  And by reversed, you mean you rotated it 180 degrees?  If so, right, just reverse the 12V and 5V wires on the plug you connect there and it should be fine.  The plug itself is just passive wires, so all that matters is that you have 5V connected to the 5V side on the board, and 12V connected to the 12V side.  If you have any doubt about it when you get the cable put together and want to double-check, post some closeups showing how you plan to connect it and I can take a look. 

 

 

and is this power to come from the second isolated power supply ?

 

Right, exactly.

 

 

Also how do i post pictures ?

 

This site doesn't make it very easy - I guess they haven't updated their server software in a while because it's very Web 1.0.  (Which, I suppose, is perfectly fitting for a site about an antiquarian hobby like pinball.)  Anyway, the trick is that link at the top labeled "VPF Image Host".  Click that and it'll pop up a window where you can upload JPEG and PNG files.  Select a file and click Upload in the popup window.  Don't close the window yet!  Now you have to copy the text from the "BBCode for forums" box and paste that into your message.  Now you can close the window.

Edited by mjr, 26 April 2018 - 05:21 PM.

[bigfoot53]

Thanks for the info

I updated the post above with the picture... I did some testing today and connected the flippers to the expansion board and seems to be working so far Hopefully get some more testing done over the weekend,  is it possible to drive / connect outputs for lighting buttons without any of the extra power hooked up?

I'm also designed a plunger housing for a slide potentiometer once testing is completely tested i should be able to produce working kits if anyone is interested  

Thanks

Bruce

[JLPicard001]

Are any blank boards still available mjr?

[mjr]

Are any blank boards still available mjr?

 

I have some on hand - I just replied to your PM.

Edited by mjr, 26 May 2018 - 06:46 PM.

[Blacktower]

Does anyone have any blank boards in the UK or EU? I might be willing to take a few to pass on if it helps.

[opcode]

mjr,

 

I tried to send you a PM but it said you couldn't receive any more messages (?). Do you still have blank pinscape expansion boards available?

[mjr]

I tried to send you a PM but it said you couldn't receive any more messages (?). Do you still have blank pinscape expansion boards available?

 

I do - just replied to your PM.

[mwnation]

I just got myself a old bally EM cab. I have looked at this for over 6 years now and am finally pulling the trigger on building my rig. I think what your doing for the community is great and i thank you for making it open source. I would like both the power board and the main board if you still have some. I am very interested to try this out. Let me know what you need from me.

[MikePinball]

I just recently discovered Virtual Pinball. I wished I knew about it earlier. I am a software engineer and I have made SMD-based microcontroller PCBs (think Arduino but different).

 

I like the work you have done here but of course I would like to see some improvements/changes. For example:

1. Add 10 pin sockets for "end run" wiring of left and right flippers and RGB lights. I'm not quite sold on clear buttons yet.
2. Add on-board fuses for high current outputs. But as I understand it, they are really only needed for motors and not for solenoids or contactors.
3. Add plugs and sockets for all headers. I like the pluggable terminal blocks. See Mouser part numbers 651-1844278 (socket for PCB) and 651-1840421 (plug with screw terminals)

 

These terminal blocks can be found cheaper on eBay and Amazon. The advantages of these blocks are:

1. Allows board to be easily unplugged and removed
2. Terminal blocks may have higher current ratings
3. Removes the need for cutouts on the main board as they are accessed from the side

I went ahead and modified the Eagle board to accept 3.5mm pluggable terminal blocks and made the following changes:

1. Renamed N$68 trace to 3.3V
2. Add 3.5mm pluggable terminal blocks for high current outputs
3. Made GND3 for high current outputs into a polgyon
4. 5V input power header is now in exactly same position as main board (12V socket still to fix).
5. Moved around components etc to do layout
6. Preliminary layout using autorouter (ugh) with some manual fixups - routing will need to be done properly before using the board

Here are the files for download. The Eagle3D picture gives some idea of the final layout.

 

 

Mike

 

(Edited 10/30/19 @11:22pm) with better pictures and explanation of socket and plug)

Edited by MikePinball, 31 October 2018 - 04:22 AM.

[mjr]

I went ahead and modified the Eagle board to accept 3.5mm pluggable terminal blocks and made the following changes:

 

Great that you were able to use the boards as a starting point.

 

 

These terminal blocks can be found cheaper on eBay and Amazon. The advantages of these blocks are:

1. Allows board to be easily unplugged and removed
2. Terminal blocks may have higher current ratings
3. Removes the need for cutouts on the main board as they are accessed from the side

 

I know a lot of people prefer the screw terminals because you don't have to mess with mating connectors.  And power is definitely an advantage over the .1" pins.  But I have to say, I feel exactly the opposite way about "makes plugging and unplugging easier".  My early experiences with the LedWiz really put me off screw terminals.  The LedWiz uses terminal blocks just like the ones you're looking at.  I had some problems early on with the LedWiz hardware that made me take it out and put it back in a couple of times, and fussing with 32 screw terminals and 32 loose wires was just a giant pain each time.  I'm much happier with something I can plug and unplug in one shot.

 

That said, I'm not a huge fan of the .1" headers, and I really should spend some time trying to identify a higher tech option - something with positive locking, keying, and a higher power limit.  There are about 10,000,000,000 connector systems on Mouser so there has to be a good one in there somewhere, but there are about 10,000,000,000 options so it's a bit of work to find the right thing.

[STV]

Screwing and unscrewing is a PIA

[MikePinball]

You may be missing one important point. Using four 8 pin blocks mean you can unplug 4 and you are done. This is the best of both worlds. You only need to screw in the wires once (twice if you make a mistake). Whats more they are also keyed and have a positive lock. Everything you asked for

 

I went back and edited the original post with some better pictures that I hope explains how they work.

 

Mike

Edited by MikePinball, 31 October 2018 - 04:24 AM.

[MikePinball]

There are all kinds of connectors (and not just from Mouser - I found Digikey has an even bigger selection of parts).

 

Hopefully you are familiar with things like shrouded headers (replacement for JP2/JP3 on MOSFET board):

 

 

And of course many friction headers are also keyed to prevent reverse insertion. Good plans and notes help too.

 

Mike

[mjr]

You may be missing one important point. Using four 8 pin blocks mean you can unplug 4 and you are done. This is the best of both worlds. You only need to screw in the wires once (twice if you make a mistake). Whats more they are also keyed and have a positive lock. Everything you asked for

 

Ah, I see - that does look like a good match for what I've been after!

 

I think my ideal would be a slight variation of that with crimp or IDC termination on the plug end, but a lot of people would probably prefer screw terminals there for the easier initial setup.

There are all kinds of connectors (and not just from Mouser - I found Digikey has an even bigger selection of parts).

 

Indeed, which is the whole problem I was getting at - too many options to sift through if you don't already know what you're looking for.

[MikePinball]

I found the following circuit on the Internet. Do you think it would work to monitor the state of the output? I would probably change the 40K to 10K and leave your 47R instead of using 100R. At 12V the 1K resistor would have about 10 mA on the LED.

Mike