286 replies to this topic

[zany]

Awesome Kris!
I think i was the one that first posted the idea with those solenoids....but you took it abit further, with the bells!
I've tried the one i have inside the cab....and they sound really good, and not plastic as you said!
Keep on experimenting, and post your results!

[maestro300]

Yes thanks Zany for the link on those solenoids!   I have yet to purchase them but now that I hear it-- thinking I'll go this route now!   I was told these may not handle use as flippers (may overheat for long holds)    Any truth to this-- has anybody tested this?

[zany]

I did a short test right now......hold it for 1 minute....and it didn't even get warm....not even sure it did change temperature at all.
1 minute is pretty long, so i don't think this will be a overheating issue. Ok, i haven'used it for a few hours of playing and then hold it though. 

[zany]

I did a new test....3 minutes, and then it got abit warm...you could still touch it though. It also takes some time for them to cool down.

[antropus]

Thanks guys and yes, thank you Zany for bringing this idea to surface!!! What a great find, man.

Those are super sweet (and cheap to replace, if you are patient to wait about 2 weeks if you order from china ).

 

Those are the little bells I got. They are easy to take apart. You can use any long screw and the coil that comes with it to keep it suspended, so the bell rings pretty good:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161298024020

 

Here's the listing for the kit of four solenoids I got: http://www.ebay.com/itm/350897896277

 

-Kris

Edited by antropus, 23 July 2014 - 04:55 PM.

[zany]

Kris...this is also what this community is about....to share good finds and solutions....but you're very welcome, and i'm also happy did qo for it. 

Again...with those bells, they sounds really awesome as bumper solenoids...maybe something else instead of the bells for ie. slingshots and flippers!

True....since they are so cheap....you just buy a couple of spare ones, just in case!

 

[antropus]

Definitely. Yes, since I got the back of the base hollowed, I will experiment filling it with different materials to add sound variation between the flippers and slingshots. As slingshots they kinda sound good as is, but the flippers could get a little fuller sound. Maybe a nice slice of thick rubber will do the trick. I'll try that next!

Edited by antropus, 23 July 2014 - 05:28 PM.

[maestro300]

Antropus-   How did you do the wiring for your solenoids.   LEDWiz - Relay Board - Diode - Solenoid?    I thought there was a non-relay board way to do this.   Thanks!

[maestro300]

Also a general question-- Lets say I run 8 solenoids...  Can each solenoid also activate with other functions (ie pop bumper and a kickout hole)   That way I dont need two solenoids to perform each function?

[antropus]

Maestro, the wiring was all done through Zebulon's booster board, since I already had it working with the old contactors. I only had to reduce the voltage from 24v to around 16v for the solenoids (it should be 12v, but I'm pushing them to see how long they will last. So far so good ).

About using a single solenoid to reproduce different events, I'm pretty sure you can do this by editing your DOF/tables scripts. Not a specialist on that, but as far as I can tell it should be straight forward if you have sometime to learn.

 

-Kris

[maestro300]

It looks like Zeb's booster runs $120.   If I just use a 8 channel relay board $15 or 16 channel $35-- would this pretty much be the same thing?    I realize I now have mechanical parts instead of solid state but looking to save cash if there isn't a real difference.

[zany]

For flipper sounds...maybe find somthing similar to the bell, but in plastic. I'll try differen materials aswell as soon i get my cab in a playable state, with tv and stuff mounted.

[antropus]

"maybe find somthing similar to the bell, but in plastic". Yeah, like a contactor!!!!!!

[zany]

Hahaha...true!
But achive that sound in a cheaper way!

[antropus]

Sure thing. I was just goofing around
But I think my main problem with the flippers is that they are LOUD and very DRY sounding now, because of the hollow back. I think filling that hollow area with some material will definitely improve and differentiate the sound. Excited to try over the weekend... if both of my kids decided to take a long nap.

[maestro300]

What power supply did you use for those 12v solenoids?   Will a 600 watt PC power supply work (which is also running my computer)?   My only concern is the current draw of those solenoids (Any idea how many milliamps they draw?)   I cant imagine it would be even draw 1 amp.     

[zany]

Antropus.....it would be awesome to see more videos of the solenoids, and with the various sounds that you get!

[jkimbrell]

Very awesome indeed!!!  Excellent job

[blashyrk]

I got the same solenoids, and they draw up to 700mA each.

[antropus]

After trying a similar approach as with the bells I quickly realized that the dry metallic sound is produced internally, as the shaft snaps. My solution was to use a heat-shrink tube and then cut it down, leaving only a little ring at the end, just enough to convert the metallic sound to a more plasticky sound. You can try different lengths. The smaller you get, louder and more metallic it gets, but if you leave too long, then overtime it might start breaking apart. I'll keep testing to see if it will last. So far so good.

On the video: left = original, right = heat-shrink moded (more realistic, plasticky):

Attached Files

•  image.jpg   72.73KB   8 downloads
•  image.jpg   77.62KB   7 downloads