42 replies to this topic

[hlr53]

Very, very cool. November availability sounds aggressive: prototype, debug, programming, etc.. Good luck!

 

I was waiting for someone to do an arduino or PI alternative [since MJR is a slacker (I jest, I jest, I built my cab with Pinscape and PinballY)] 

 

I'm thinking of doing a VR stubby cab that I can plug a gaming laptop into.

 

---Harry 

[thainglo]

Your board looks great!  I have been using a Pico as input-only on my mini cabinet build.  Just finished polishing up the code a bit more today.  It supports the buttons, either a slider pot or VL6180x plunger and an MPU6050 accelerometer for nudging.  I'm not a software engineer, so coding anything takes me about 10x longer than anyone with talent!  Coded mine through Arduino IDE - pretty much the limit of my knowledge.  I'd like to link it into DOF to turn on the appropriate lights for the buttons, but that is beyond my skillset.

 

The Pico platform is great, can't wait to see your final product!  My small setup works fine on this first build, but on the full-size cabinet I'm planning now, will want something with more features. 

Looking forward to hearing more!

[rickh]

Your board looks great!  I have been using a Pico as input-only on my mini cabinet build.  Just finished polishing up the code a bit more today.  It supports the buttons, either a slider pot or VL6180x plunger and an MPU6050 accelerometer for nudging.  I'm not a software engineer, so coding anything takes me about 10x longer than anyone with talent!  Coded mine through Arduino IDE - pretty much the limit of my knowledge.  I'd like to link it into DOF to turn on the appropriate lights for the buttons, but that is beyond my skillset.

 

The Pico platform is great, can't wait to see your final product!  My small setup works fine on this first build, but on the full-size cabinet I'm planning now, will want something with more features. 

Looking forward to hearing more!

Thanks for the kudos.  As Steve Jobs once said, "Hardware is only the ante".  As such, the easiest part is completed and remaining software will be the challenging part for me.  Having a user configurable system will be the most challenging part for me, as this places me into uncharted waters.  Libraries for a USB game pad interface, LED PWM chip and accelerometer already exist.  One of the greatest resources I have is time.  I recently retired, so this project is now a full time job, along with my open source PnP project and beer making.    

[digitalarts]

...and hopefully sometimes tasting this homebrew beer 🍻

Karl
(living in Bavaria, Special in "Hallertau" the world biggest hop planting area)

[lololol]

Hello.

 

always the same, no stock or the price on aliexpress is 100 euros per piece.

 

otherwise 16 weeks to have a part.

 

Is there a seller who has stock?

 

otherwise the pico does not need the kl25z? I need to control 10 psc 12v contactors. A shaker. a gear. and a knocker. no need for button.

Where i can  find this pico card and at what price please thank you

[rickh]

Folks, sorry for the looong delay.  I am still struggling with the software for my pinball interface module.  In the meantime, I have been porting the design from DesignSpark PCB to KiCAD.  It has a learning curve, but it also has a large customer support group.  The hardware has been locked down and I have been purchasing components in preparation of building a batch of prototypes boards that hopefully should be ready this Spring. 

 

Rick 

Edited by rickh, 09 February 2024 - 03:13 AM.

[rickh]

Sorry, the part I had posted is not the same.

Edited by rickh, 08 February 2024 - 02:56 PM.

[lololol]

Folks, sorry for the looong delay.  I am still struggling with the software for my pinball interface module.  In the meantime, I have been porting the design from DesignSpark PCB to KiCAD.  It has a learning curve, but it also has a large customer support group.  The hardware has been locked down and I have been purchasing components in preparation of building a batch of prototypes boards that hopefully should be ready this Spring. 

 

Rick 

 

Thank you, it will help a lot of people, the kl25z is nowhere to be found, it’s impressive!

Edited by lololol, 11 February 2024 - 11:33 AM.

[MikePinball]

Here is one source for the KL25Z: https://www.aliexpre...3359727309.html. Looks legit but do not know for sure.

[fhjui]

the item doesn't exist on aliexpress.

NXP has set the acceleration / magnetic sensor status of the KL25z to "End of Life".

Perhaps there is a successor-chip on new Kl25z-boards, and perhaps the chip will be software-compatible

[DDH69]

Well I hope these are real .  I have two on the courier to me at present.

[Suikazz]

the item doesn't exist on aliexpress.

NXP has set the acceleration / magnetic sensor status of the KL25z to "End of Life".

Perhaps there is a successor-chip on new Kl25z-boards, and perhaps the chip will be software-compatible

"this page doesn't exist" is showed if the seller doesn't ship to your country. at least this happens very often to me.
If i change to US or UK site it works. Issue is that you need a special license or certificate to ship to the EU... which costs money, of course!

[lololol]

Everything  is money  pufffff

[rickh]

UPDATE 4/25/24 highlighted in RED

 

Thank you all for your patience.  I have finally designed a working Pinball Interface using the Raspberry Pi Pico and an LIS3DH accelerometer module.  The system should cost less than $10 and it can be assembled and configured fairly easy (provided that my documentation is easy to follow).  Everything is open source using circuit python, a couple of libraries and of course my code which can be easily modified by those who have good programming skills.  First, let me explain what this board does, what it doesn't, and its quirks. 

What it does:

 

• Provides a HID keyboard interface to VPX using a maximum of 16 buttons that emulate keystrokes.  
• Two Axis (X and Y) accelerometer, sampled at 100 samples/sec.  The output shows up as an X/Y joystick HID device.
• Ball Plunger using a 16 bit A/D on the Pico. This output shows up as the Z for a joystick HID device. 
• Button latency is now down to .005 seconds or 200 samples/second.  Button debouncing is currently set at .025 seconds

 

What it doesn't do:

• There is no existing outputs 
• No existing expandability
• No GUI setup (You will need to understand a little bit of circuitpython if you want change the button configurations)

 

Quirks:

All reported issues have been resolved. 

 

Status:

• Testing continues.  I have compared this to my trusty Pinscape and I am very happy with the results so far.  
• I'm moving on to a limited DOF version that will have 10 or 11 PWM outputs.  This will sacrifice five input buttons, leaving only 11.    
• Need to update schematics and documents.  I should have the project on Github in a few days. Those of you that want to play with it, drop me 
• Meanwhile, I am installing this prototype in one of my PB cabinets that will be placed in a recreation center.  I should be getting some excellent data.

Edited by rickh, 25 April 2024 - 03:44 PM.

[rickh]

For those following this thread, I have released this project as open source.  I have also included my ball shooter .STL so that anyone with access to a 3D printer can print their own ball shooter, provided that they purchase a plunger at: https://www.amazon.c...r,aps,93&sr=8-1

and a linear slide potentiometer at: https://www.amazon.c...T1zcF9kZXRhaWwy.

I cobbled an assembly together and it took me less than an hour.  

The source files and instructions can be found at : https://github.com/r...ttle_Bang_Board

[marcowy]

For those following this thread, I have released this project as open source.

 

Thanks for this! I want to build my custom controller for virtual pinballs and I was looking for KL25Z alternative. Already bought Pico and LIS3DH. I'll let you know when I finish it

[marcowy]

I've successfully tested your code on my DIY pinball controller, just without accelerometer and plunger yet (I had to temporarily remove/comment part of the relevant code to get the buttons to work).
 
I had one problem during installation, following your installation manual. On page 10 you wrote:
"• Assuming that the Adafruit libraries and Joystick_XL library are both present, copy the following folders/files and place them directly into the \lib folder on the RP Pico. It should look like this:" 
and there is a screenshot with folder named "adafruit_hid".
 
There is no adafruit_hid library in CircuitPython Library bundle 9.X. I had to google this particular library and I've downloaded it as standalone from here:
https://github.com/a...on_HID/releases
Direct file link: https://github.com/a...x-mpy-6.1.1.zip
 
That's it for now. I will let you know when I add and test the accelerometer module.

Edited by marcowy, 01 July 2024 - 08:32 AM.

[chrisjubb]

If you're still looking for a KL25Z in the UK, looks like CPC will get some in October:

https://cpc.farnell....2&storeId=10180

Only £15.

[rickh]

If you're still looking for a KL25Z in the UK, looks like CPC will get some in October:

https://cpc.farnell....2&storeId=10180

Only £15.

Chris,

 

As mentioned, a couple components on this board are EOL and since NXP sells this product at a bust to promote their hardware, it is doubtful it will ever be back in stock.  I looked on Ebay and the scalpers are asking a steep price ($60-$85 USD each!) for new old stock. 

[Kemoauc]

Hey Rick!
I just discovered your project! Great stuff!!
I have a few questions:

- My plunger has some physical restrictions for how far it can be pulled. That means, it does not go all the way out. How does calibration work in this case. Since you don't have a UI like Pinscape - can this be done in Windows? By calibrating the analog joystick input in game controller config (or whatever it's called)?

- Mounting the board level inside the cab is not easy to do (at least not perfectly) since the cab has an inclination. Do you compensate for the inclination of the accelerometer? Or does it tolerate a moderate inclination out of the box?

- What are your plans for DOF / Ledwiz / output support? I'm really curious about this! At least, switching some LEDs for illuminated buttons would be a great addition! That means DOF / Ledwiz integration (and driving a TLC5940)? Or do you have an alternative in mind?

- High power outputs are a different thing. Not sure if this is the next goal.

- What are your future plans in general?

Edited by Kemoauc, 21 January 2025 - 03:08 PM.