1103 replies to this topic

[MikePinball]

This is really unfortunate for you because the design of the boards is excellent. And much better than the competitor designs.

The first recourse should be to go back to the vendor. Unfortunately he does not have a good reputation and some of his things in the past look very hurriedly put together and not that professional i.e. sloppy soldering and no quality control. Given that you had to wait forever for the boards doesn't help matters.

All of this throws an undeserving poor light on the Pinscape boards.

And then we have people trying to solder their own boards with little or no soldering experience. The virtual pinball community deserves better.

I don't have a good solution as of yet but I'm thinking about it. I previously owned a company that produced microcontroller boards so I know what is involved and unfortunately some of the pitfalls too.

First try GGS which frankly I'm surprised is still in business. If no luck after a week then send me a PM.

Take a look at my thread where I created my own version of MJR's Pinscape expansion boards. That should give you some idea of my capabilities.

MJR has some good ideas which basically come down to problem isolation. But you need to be adept at understanding schematics and the PCB board layout. If you can figure out what works and what doesn't then that might help in isolating the problem.

One last thing that might or might give you some hope. I have an expansion board that very occasionally acted up and stop working completely. I couldn't figure it out but I noticed that the reinserting the ribbon cable helped. Then it went bad again after a particularly heavy nudge. Further investigation showed that pressing on the TLC5940 chip helped. After removing the board, I rechecked the solder joints around the chip and reinserted it in the socket. Everything is fine now and there are no more intermittent problems.

Edited by MikePinball, 24 May 2019 - 04:15 AM.

[mjr]

And then we have people trying to solder their own boards with little or no soldering experience. The virtual pinball community deserves better.

I don't have a good solution as of yet but I'm thinking about it. I previously owned a company that produced microcontroller boards so I know what is involved and unfortunately some of the pitfalls too.

 

It would definitely be great to have a source for assembled boards.  It's way beyond the time I have available to assemble them myself, but I've noticed that Elecrow and some of the other board makers actually offer full PCB assembly services.  I haven't gotten a quote from any of them (it would be a fairly time-consuming process to put together all the specs they need), but Elecrow has a price estimator tool, and from that it looks like it would run perhaps 25% to 50% higher than the cost of building it yourself from parts.  So maybe $75 per board.  That wouldn't be a huge premium and might be worth it to a lot of people.  The snag is that Elecrow would require a minimum lot size - they wouldn't do it to order for individual boards.  So I think someone would have to pre-order a batch and act as distributor, the way I've been doing with the blank boards.  I've been happy to do that with the blank boards, since that's only about a $100 outlay each time I order a batch, but with the populated boards it would probably be more like $1000-$5000 up-front, which gets a little daunting.  Maybe something could be done with kickstarter or the like, to line up enough people to cover the cost of the group order before placing it.  But that might be tough in its own way, since anyone building a cabinet won't want to wait for that to come together.

[blietzkrieg]

I've had a very busy weekend, but still got a chance to perform some basic continuity tests (as outlined by mjr) - and they all tested good - however there is definitely something fundamentally wrong with this board.

As none of the chips are socketed, there is not much more I can do unfortunately.

 

On the positive side, Dominik from GGS (who has been quite good with his communication thus far) has offered a replacement - which I'm going to accept. Hopefully he'll thoroughly test the replacement board and not send via DHL this time. Fingers Crossed.

 

It is indeed a shame that this wonderful Pinscape + Expansion board cannot be produced by a commercial assembly line, but I can see the roadblocks from a purely economical point of view as it's such a niche market.

If it wasn't for German Gaming Supplies, then it wouldn't even be an option for me as I don't believe I could assemble myself. It is therefore what it is & I have to live with that.

 

Thanks so much for the support again guys - you have no idea how much it means to know that you have my back - Cheers.

[mitchell0987]

Consider yourself lucky that Dominik has even responded to you he has been ignoring my emails basically since the day he got his hands on my money. I've been waiting 2 months to get my boards and still have not received them. If i ever do receive my boards looks like I'm going to have to spend hours fully testing them before I even think about putting them near my cab, which is unfortunate given the price he is charging.

[MikePinball]

Consider yourself lucky that Dominik has even responded to you he has been ignoring my emails basically since the day he got his hands on my money. I've been waiting 2 months to get my boards and still have not received them. If i ever do receive my boards looks like I'm going to have to spend hours fully testing them before I even think about putting them near my cab, which is unfortunate given the price he is charging.

 

I assume you have seen this thread and have acted accordingly on his Facebook page?

[mitchell0987]

Hi Mike, yeah I have also posted in that thread, he contacted me back on Facebook the day I made the posts claiming the Parcel had been stuck in the mail and was returned to him the day before (sounds very coincidental), mind you this was only after I threatened to report fraud to my bank if he didn't get back to me that day. 

 

He apparently was going to post it back out the same day but its just been no response again for a week today so I'm not confident until it's delivered. He has clearly been on Facebook as he has made posts on his other pages.

 

 

 

Consider yourself lucky that Dominik has even responded to you he has been ignoring my emails basically since the day he got his hands on my money. I've been waiting 2 months to get my boards and still have not received them. If i ever do receive my boards looks like I'm going to have to spend hours fully testing them before I even think about putting them near my cab, which is unfortunate given the price he is charging.

 

I assume you have seen this thread and have acted accordingly on his Facebook page?

 

[iceman1306]

 

I'm reaching out here in desperation, hoping that someone can help me resolve my situation.\

 

The short of the long story is that I bought a Pinscape Expansion Board from German Gaming Supplies and it appears that none of the high powered output ports are functioning ("straight out of the box"). All of the buttons, & plunger attached to the Pinscape main board however appear to be working (or at least partially working) OK.

 

Summary of my setup:

I have 2 external power supplies: 1 dedicated for "toys" i.e. 

24v for solenoids

12v for gear, shaker, 2 x strobes & knocker (via 12v-50v booster circuit) & 3 x becons

5v for [[Pin2DMD uses stolen and/or infringes IP. PinDMD is the genuine product ] uses stolen and/or infringes IP. PinDMD is the genuine product ] & Addressable LEDS.

 

The other supply is dedicated to supplying the power to the Pinscape Expansion Board itself via JP10 and JP4 using the supplied wiring harness i.e 12 & 5v plus ground.

The only other thing that is connected to the 2nd PSU is 12v for the 4 illuminated LEDS in the buttons on the front & 2 x 3.3V LEDS for coin rejects.

 

The 5v for JP1 & JP7 on the Pinscape Expansion is being delivered by the PC (which makes up the 3rd PSU)

 

All of the grounds on each of the 3 power supplies are inter-connected to form common ground.

 

I have checked that JP 10 & 4 is getting the correct 12 & 5v and that JP10 & 4 are getting the correct 5v that is required.

 

I have updated the firmware of the Pinscape to the latest (March 5, 2019 build) and ensured that I'm using the latest Config Tool (for Windows) to test (also March 5, 2019 build)

 

Using the Config tool (ensuring that it's configured as Pinscape Expansion) to test outputs and sliding the relevant outputs to 255 I get no output on any of the pins JP5 or JP6.

 

Additionally - my the RGB Star LEDS in my 5 bar flasher have mixed output (in terms of light intensity, which I'm assuming is directly related to power output which is difficult for me to test now). Some are perfectly bright as expected, such as the 1st & 4th blue and the 4th Red, however the majority of the others are lacking in output from no (or very little) output to maybe 30% brightness. I do not get this if connecting directly to ground. 

 

All the "toys" mentioned above (with the exception of LEDS) have fuses sitting between the Pinscape controller and the device. All of the devices mentioned work perfectly fine when individually connected to ground as a test.

 

It should be noted that I have received a glimmer of hope on a few occasions upon the PC booting and the Pinscape is initialising that I have had one of my Beacons (assigned to port JP6 pin3) come on (and stay on) and also one of the solenoids fire intermittently (undetermined which one as has only been a few times)

 

My electronic knowledge and skills are limited (which is why I went down the expensive route of purchasing a completed unit from GSS rather than going down the DIY route)

 

I am therefore at the mercy of you good people to provide help in getting this one resolved (or at least further in the right direction).

 

I must say that the quality of the build looks perfect to my untrained eye, so I'm hoping that it's something relatively simple that I'm missing?  

 

Did you get a replacement from Dominik?

I have the same problem with my expansion boards, after some testing I found out that he has soldered both big ICs the wrong way around.

No socket unfortunately....

[MikePinball]

Did you get a replacement from Dominik?

I have the same problem with my expansion boards, after some testing I found out that he has soldered both big ICs the wrong way around.

No socket unfortunately....

 

This is just horrible. I'm really sorry for you. The Pinscape design and boards are very good and do not need this disservice.

 

Is there a way in Germany where you can report his business to some kind of authority? But I know that still may not help his next unfortunate victim.

 

I have sent you a PM.

[Suikazz]

Did you get a replacement from Dominik?
I have the same problem with my expansion boards, after some testing I found out that he has soldered both big ICs the wrong way around.
No socket unfortunately....

 
This is just horrible. I'm really sorry for you. The Pinscape design and boards are very good and do not need this disservice.
 
Is there a way in Germany where you can report his business to some kind of authority? But I know that still may not help his next unfortunate victim.
 
I have sent you a PM.

Why are you badmouthing people you even don’t know?
Have you ever been his customer?
If feel sorry for you and your behavior.

And afaik every single case has been resolved so far, even if it took longer then “normal”.
I have seen other vendors in this hobby that give a sh*t about their customers and they also come from Germany.

Edit:
That is truly the service these boards don’t deserve!

Edited by Suikazz, 08 June 2019 - 01:16 PM.

[MikePinball]

There are multiple appends in this forum about GGS products. The evidence from multiple people is that:

1. It takes a very long time to actually receive anything

2. It often takes multiple appends on the GGS Facebook page to get any kind of response

3. The hardware finally arrives but it doesn't work, has badly soldered joints, or even chips reversed on the board

 

And afaik every single case has been resolved so far, even if it took longer then “normal”.
I have seen other vendors in this hobby that give a sh*t about their customers and they also come from Germany.

 

The unintended positive comment is ironic. And how would he have insight into cases being resolved? Dominik has already been banned once from this website (and other websites too).

 

I think people can draw their own conclusions.

Edited by MikePinball, 08 June 2019 - 02:54 PM.

[Suikazz]

There are multiple appends in this forum about GGS products. The evidence from multiple people is that:
1. It takes a very long time to actually receive anything
2. It often takes multiple appends on the GGS Facebook page to get any kind of response
3. The hardware finally arrives but it doesn't work, has badly soldered joints, or even chips reversed on the board
 

And afaik every single case has been resolved so far, even if it took longer then “normal”.
I have seen other vendors in this hobby that give a sh*t about their customers and they also come from Germany.

 
The unintended positive comment is ironic. And how would he have insight into cases being resolved? Dominik has already been banned once from this website.
 
I think people can draw their own conclusions.

Because I live only a few kilometers away from him and I have personal contact. That’s why.

And because of the other German vendor quitting the business he has a heap of workload. Sure some things need to be improved, like quality control.

True, communications should STRONGLY improve but I feel confident he will even be able to solve that issue as well.

Just for reference: I have invested in a 7k VPin from him and it received in time, fully working, and with superior build quality. And so I can, for my case, say that I trust him.

[MikePinball]

Rappelbox (aka Dominik aka GGS) banned by Noah on 16th February 2019.

 

Suikazz is a member since 25th February 2019. Check his GGS related comments on other threads.

 

Noah informed 8th June 2019.

[Suikazz]

Rappelbox (aka Dominik aka GGS) banned by Noah on 16th February 2019.
 
Suikazz is a member since 25th February 2019. Check his GGS related comments on other threads.
 
Noah informed 8th June 2019.

Yep, exactly.
Joined to help him a little out... so what?!

Didn’t knew you are the forum police. Sounds like you have more interest in pming people about your own products instead of helping members with their actual issues

Let’s hope all this offtopic stuff gets deleted and the thread gets back to what it’s been intended for.

So I’m going to leave this thread now.
People like you are the reason not to join any sort of community and instead do things on our own.

[blietzkrieg]

@Iceman1306 - No unfortunately the last message I received from Dominik was that he was seeking an alternative courier as he's blaming DHL for the prior slowness of deliveries. I have contacted him again via Facebook, but no reply as yet.

@Suikazz - I'm glad you are here to stand up for Dominik and GGS. Unfortunately MikePinball's summary was accurate in my experience and for others as well it seems. I am prepared however to give him the benefit of the doubt. If you are in personal contact with him, then can you please relay the message that I'm still waiting for him to send me a replacement board. I ordered my board in February and I still don't have a working working board. I've been very patient & have been prepared to wait a little longer than "normal", but it's starting to get a little ridiculous now.

Thanks all.

 

*Update* Dominik has advised that he's sent via DHL again, but I should not have the same problems (slowness) as suffered last time. I don't have a tracking number, but fingers crossed!!

 

**2nd Update** - Well it's been over a month now and no sign of either a tracking number, nor replacement expansion board. I've repeatedly requested for an update on his Facebook page which have been read, but no response. Looks like he's up to his usual smoke & mirrors & delay tactics again. That makes it a total of 5 months now since he took my money only to have nothing but a half working key encoder. (i.e. none of the high powered circuits are working - the very reason for buying the board in the first place)

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

D U E    W A R N I N G    T O    A L L

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Based on my own personal experience & from numerous other posts, both here and elsewhere, I would NOT recommend anyone buying a Pinscape Expansion Board from German Gaming Supplies!

Edited by blietzkrieg, 14 July 2019 - 02:32 PM.

[Badazzwi]

Working on nailing down my nudge in my cabinet and testing on the nudge table I realize that my pinscape won't nudge left. Nudges up and right ok. Plunger works good. I don't have any buttons or anything else connected to the pinscape. I only run VPX and FX3. I had to set the nudge left nudge variable to a negative in doflinx to get it to work there but I don't know how to fix this in VPX.

 

Is the accelerometer possibly faulty or is there something i can do to fix this?

 

I apologize. I just realized this is the expansion board thread. Disregard. I'll start a new thread.

Edited by Badazzwi, 13 June 2019 - 02:07 AM.

[BladeZX]

Is there a source for getting the pcb boards to build them?

I am in Canada but I can ship them to my address at the US/Canada border if that makes things easier

Thanks

[mjr]

Is there a source for getting the pcb boards to build them?

I am in Canada but I can ship them to my address at the US/Canada border if that makes things easier

 

I've been keeping some boards on hand.  I only ship to US addresses, but it sounds like you have that covered.  You can drop me a note at mjr underscore at hotmail dot com to get that going.

 

Alternatively, if you want to order and batch yourself from one of the PCB makers and keep the extras on hand for other people in Canada who don't have US addresses to fall back on, I'm sure there are a few people who'd appreciate that down the road.  I can help you figure out where and what to order if you want to go that route.  The PCB makers that I've been using have minimum order sizes of 10 copies of each board, so you wouldn't have to rent out a warehouse.

[BladeZX]

I sent u an email
Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[toy4x4]

Quick question.

 

What is the 5V on JP7 for?

 

I have the second power supplies for but am using a desktop computer to start so I assume I'll somehow need to apply another 5v power supply to JP7. I assume it really does not have to be from the computer, but that you want another PSU other than the secondary ones.

Edited by toy4x4, 01 July 2019 - 12:54 AM.

[mjr]

Quick question.

 

What is the 5V on JP7 for?

 

I have the second power supplies for but am using a desktop computer to start so I assume I'll somehow need to apply another 5v power supply to JP7. I assume it really does not have to be from the computer, but that you want another PSU other than the secondary ones.

 

It's used for logic circuit power on the main board - it powers the TLC5940 and opto chips.

 

It should ideally be plugged into your main PC power supply's 5V connection.  That's the red wire on any of the disk power plugs coming out of the tangle of cables from the PSU.  The GND on JP7 should likewise connect to the ground on your main PC power supply - the black wire on a disk power plug.

You could conceivably use a separate 5V power supply if that were absolutely necessary, but it's hard for me to imagine any situation that would make that even somewhat desirable, let alone absolutely necessary!  This is all part of the logic side of the board that connects to the PC USB port, so it really does have to connect into the main PC power supply at some level.  If you could come up with a reason where you really, absolutely, unavoidably had to use a separate power supply, you'd at least have to make sure that it was connected to your PC power supply's DC ground so that everything makes a complete circuit.