29 replies to this topic

[elmera]

I can now officially say I've fully completed my pincab!

 

Besides receiving my playfield glass and getting it installed, I also finished the two following items:

 

Put a rocker switch on my primary power strips cable, which extends outside the cabinet so I have an easy way to turn power on/off.   The PC's front panel (where its power button is located) is also accessible on the bottom of the cab:

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Last was adding the rear access panels to both the cabinet and backbox:

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And finally, here's some photos of the finished product.  Unfortunately the lighting in my basement isn't great, so they don't do the custom Stuzza artwork justice.  

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This has been a very enjoyable project and strongly encourage anyone thinking about building their own pincab to do it.  I won't lie and say its easy.  Its takes some work.  But it is fun, challenging, and certainly fulfilling with a great sense of accomplishment when completed!

 

A few special thanks I wanted to give to those that helped make this project possible  (sorry if I don't know the names of some of the individuals invovled with some of the listings below).

⦁ Michael Roberts (MJR) Pinscape Build Guide.  This was my primary source of truth when choosing how to go about building my custom cabinet and how to configure the Pinscape software used to control my setup.  Anytime I was stuck I always went to this guide to help determine what options I had and how I should approach them. 

⦁ Arnoz boards for making easy to understand PCB boards interfacing with the KL25Z and Teensy controllers to control all my LEDS and toys .  Good documentation and provided great support when I had questions.

⦁ vpforums.org and vpuniverse.com for hosting most of the content used in my cabinet and also providing the message boards I used for asking questions and looking for answers.  Great community they've built with lots of great resources.

⦁ Stuzza, who I found here on vpforums in the very popular "Cabinet Artwork I have created" topic.  I can't tell you how happy I am with the artwork I comissioned him to make and how great and accomodating he was to work with. 

⦁ virtuapin.net for providing everything you need to build your own virtual pinball cabinet.  I used their cab builders kit and purchased some other misc items from there.

⦁ pinballlife.com.  This is where I got most of the authentic pinball machine hardware, such as my shaker motor, shooter, and misc buttons.  

⦁ And finally, obviously this would not be possible without all the great members in the community who put in their own time to develop the virtual pinball software, create the tables, artwork, and content, and also provide guidance and tutorials on how to put all the pieces together.  For all your dedication and hard work giving to the community, I am very much appreciated!

 

Anyway, that basically wraps up my build log.  If anyone ever has questions about my build, please don't hesitate to ask.  Happy to help wherever I can.  

Edited by elmera, 19 July 2022 - 06:07 PM.

[AXEL314]

You did an amazing, it looks fantastic!

[Jewer76]

Absolutely fantastic build - loved to read through it all.

 

I too am in the process of building a pincab and I am also using Arnoz boards. Good to hear it was both fun and doable

[stevefortin32]

So, I'm getting ready to start my own build, been reading up and looking at examples.. im a TOTAL noob... so I go to this thread because it says rookie starting a new build.  first couple posts im like alright this looks legit simple enough..... nahhhhhhh you go all out pro on me haha, its beautiful .. minus the lewis hamilton wrap / id go with seb and max .. but nice job man! May I ask what your final tally was budget wise? 

[NickbUK]

I am also setting out on my Vp journey. My biggest issue is the cabinet, I do not have the tools or skill to build my own like you, so i am looking into the flat pack route. However, here in the UK i am struggling to find a supplier of full size cabinets. I have seen the ones at VirtuPin but the shipping costs will be high as i have no doubt they are very heavy. Does anyone know of a supplier in the UK?

 

A great read by the way and a cool looking machine.

 

I am also reading through MJR's guide aand it is fantastic, it must have taken him agers to put together!!

[linojon]

ooo i like the idea of shopping for a "gaming monitor" vs TV

Edited by linojon, 30 November 2022 - 05:00 PM.

[elmera]

So, I'm getting ready to start my own build, been reading up and looking at examples.. im a TOTAL noob... so I go to this thread because it says rookie starting a new build.  first couple posts im like alright this looks legit simple enough..... nahhhhhhh you go all out pro on me haha, its beautiful .. minus the lewis hamilton wrap / id go with seb and max .. but nice job man! May I ask what your final tally was budget wise? 

 

Thanks for the comments.  Sorry on the delay, I haven't checked in on this post in a while.  In the end I probably spent a little over $6000 USD all-in.  That said, you could significantly reduce that cost.  I purchased monitors for all the screens, a pretty beefy gaming computer (back when GPU prices were pretty high), and I put a decent amount into customization.   You could certainly cut that price down a lot.  

[elmera]

I am also setting out on my Vp journey. My biggest issue is the cabinet, I do not have the tools or skill to build my own like you, so i am looking into the flat pack route. However, here in the UK i am struggling to find a supplier of full size cabinets. I have seen the ones at VirtuPin but the shipping costs will be high as i have no doubt they are very heavy. Does anyone know of a supplier in the UK?

 

A great read by the way and a cool looking machine.

 

I am also reading through MJR's guide aand it is fantastic, it must have taken him agers to put together!!

 

Sorry for the delayed response.  I relied on MJR's guide heavily.  I can safely say I'd likely not have been able to do the build without it.  Sorry, I can't speak to any suppliers in the UK.  I know of one in Australia, but you'll likely have to pay steep shipping.

 

Honestly, building the cabinet was probably the easiest part of the build.  Yes, I did go more "all out" on my build because I like to do woodworking as a hobby and have the tools to do it.  The cabinet in MJR's guide is pretty elaborate and basically replicates what a manufacture would do, but you don't need to get that fancy for home use.  If you're fine with something more basic you really only need a circular saw and drill.  Probably a jigsaw too if you plan to put in a coin door, but that's really about it and is not as difficult as it may look. Just use a straightedge with a circular saw to make your main cuts and use the drill to cut your holes.  When it comes to the cabinet build, the only portion I really referenced from MJR's guide was the front panel with the coin door and button cutout locations.  I also made sure the main cabinet box dimensions were the same as Williams widebody because I planned to buy the builders kit from VirtuaPin.  Everything else, including the backbox, I really just built custom based on pictures and going off the of the size of the monitors I planned to use.  

 

Yes, its a challenging project, but very achievable for anyone, and also very rewarding when complete.  Building yourself will also allow you to troubleshoot much easier!    Good luck!

ooo i like the idea of shopping for a "gaming monitor" vs TV

 

Too me this is worth the investment -- at least for the playfield.  

Edited by elmera, 22 January 2023 - 11:00 PM.

[CJR SJC]

Very nice work! I think you also posted a video on You Tube or else someone built a cab just like yours! I was curious about the support of your playfield. Doesn't look like you went for the tilt up design most use. How did you do it and what is required to remove the playfield?

[elmera]

Very nice work! I think you also posted a video on You Tube or else someone built a cab just like yours! I was curious about the support of your playfield. Doesn't look like you went for the tilt up design most use. How did you do it and what is required to remove the playfield?

 

Thanks for the feedback CJR SJC.  Not sure if it was my cabinet on Youtube you saw since I haven't posted a video, unless it was a friend of mine that did. 

 

You are correct that my monitor is not flush with the glass.  It lays a little more flat.  Its really personal preference, but I think it has a more realistic look and feel of a real playfield.  It also provides more room for the LED matrix on the backboard, and some air circulation over the screen -- which can get warm.

 

I originally wanted a pivoting playfield, but in the end opted to just have it rest on two cross braces.  In the photo below you can see several cross braces, but the ones pointed at by yellow arrows (and have felt on them) sit a little higher and are the two the monitor lays on.  The monitor is still at an angle, so gravity pulls it against the wood posts circled in green.  I sized those so the monitor fits between them and the backboard just perfect.  

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The side blades took a bunch of thought and fine tuning, but I made them to not only sandwich the monitor very snug, but also hold it down as well.  Each blade is anchored by two screws into the cabinet sides as you can see in the photo below.  Because the monitor is so snug and doesn't budge, in order to remove it I take out the glass and then remove one of the blades by unscrewing it.  From there I can just pop the monitor out by putting my hand in the coin door and pushing it up.  Takes 2min tops.  

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That all said, I recently got into VR Pinball, so don't really use the playfield anymore anyway.