153 replies to this topic

[court461]

I missed a few pages but did you ever have to use all the buttons?, I have 5 on the front panel and I don't think it is enough to navagate pinballx. If I need more, I will put them on the bottom, Did you mount the solenoids to the 3 2x4'S? Later, Vic

 

No, I could have gotten by without so many buttons actually.  In addition to credit and start I have 3 buttons.  One I use to exit the game back out to pinballx.  Another I use to exit pinballx or shut down my computer alltogether.  That is really all I use.  I don't ever use instructions or flyers, but I have the room if I want too.

 

I did put a couple buttons on the bottom of my cab for volume.  I use these all the time.  Different games have different volumes.  And my speaker volume is not easily accessible.  So if you have extra, this is a good use of them.  Someone suggested it early in my thread and I am really glad they did.

 

My solenoids and contactors are mounted to 1/2 inch plywood strips.  Extra I had from building my cab sides.  Seems to work great.  They are about 3 inches wide.

[viktory2k1]

How do you navagate the wheel left or right and enter? I have a total of 5 on the front of mine. I have a roller for Volume and sub volume. I just feel I need to use more buttons to navagate pinballx, I still am not as far as you as I am messing with software still, I have 148 tables but alot of work needed there as far as backglass and wheel images and my disappearing table act on pinballx but really need to get that cab in here instead of the garage, need room for snowmobile work. My front panel as it is now...

 

[jbg4208]

How do you navagate the wheel left or right and enter? I have a total of 5 on the front of mine. I have a roller for Volume and sub volume. I just feel I need to use more buttons to navagate pinballx, I still am not as far as you as I am messing with software still, I have 148 tables but alot of work needed there as far as backglass and wheel images and my disappearing table act on pinballx but really need to get that cab in here instead of the garage, need room for snowmobile work. My front panel as it is now...

 

 your flippers move the wheel left and right in pinballx and hyperpin,  but you could reset them to whatever you want I would suppose. 

[court461]

As jbg4208 said above, your flippers move the wheel right and left.  If you have magnasave buttons (can't tell from pic) that jumps by letters.  For instance, if you hit the right magnasave it will go from A games, to B games, to C games, then the flipper goes through each title.  This is the default mapping anyway, and how most people have set up.  One of your buttons will need to be select/start to enter a game.  Then one will need to exit.  That is the majority of the navigation.  You can use the other buttons for instructions, flyers, and other things in pinballx.  But bottom line, I think you have plenty.  You have the same amount as me, and one of mine I don't ever use.

[vampirolatino2]

I only have 3 in the front (Start, Replay and Launch) ... I don't think you need more than 3 in the front.

4 flippers, 2 at each side. Plenty to navigate the wheel. Magnas are for letter jump.

 

You could put an exit button at the front if you want, but you can also program a held press for escape/exit.

Or use the coin buttons as enter and exit... or whatever you want. So if you aren't using the coin mech as intended, you have 2 additional buttons right there.

[viktory2k1]

OHHH, forgot about the flipper buttons.

[viktory2k1]

I do have magnasave buttons, Good idea. I think I have enough buttons then. On the bottom in the front, underneath, I have the roller sub and main volume, a 4 USB 3.0 hub and something else I can't remember, been awhile since I even worked on the cab itself. I have the instruction sheet for the button kit somewhere. That solves a huge roadblock. Ready for the next, gotta find table and backglass images for scrolling which I think can be found at pinballx, then all the DOF and force feedback. Oh my God, I think I have 33 feet of RGB LEDs, some ws2812 so cant use those and I have 2 home built flasher boards, a gear motor and shaker. I have an LEDWIZ and a PACLED64 all with booster boards totaling 96 channels. 12 solenoids, 1 replay knocker 1 EM score motor assembly but that probably wont be used, Do you make your solenoids hit something or just do their thing? I think I will just let them do their thing. I will have to go through all your pages but too tired now. Later, Vic

[scubajoe]

fxdwg, no location on your profile, any chance your in Florida? Wanting to get started before year end too.

just read your thread from beginning to end over the last couple of hours. a wealth of info. thanks for sharing.

 

getting ready to start my first virtual pin cab project in the next couple of weeks. can't wait!!

[viktory2k1]

Sweet news about the buttons, Now I am trying to learn to do screen shots for my missing wheel images, did 1 backglass and it works but the size is a little off, I can't seem to get a table image to work though.

[viktory2k1]

Got the got the backglass screenshots down pat, I need to learn the table images. I am missing alot.. I have 180 somethin tables and alot are missing BG an table images so trying to figure out how to make my own screen shots.

[vampirolatino2]

Hi Vik! if you are using PinballX, the defaults keys are B for BG and S for Playfield screenshots. It makes a folder named Screengrab or something like that, you copy or cut them and put them in their corresponded folders.

 

Hope this help.

I made all my FP missing BG and PF screens with that method. And PF of VP. BG of VP are using B2S, so no need to take the screenshots. Anyways having them PinballX don't use them because they have priorities. B2S>Videos>Screenshots.

[viktory2k1]

I got it Vamp, BUT, what do I do about the tables I did the other method of screen shots? I did about 3 tables but 311 is the one I am experimenting with, I did a screenshot using crtr/prt sc and it did it and it was all goofy looking as if it changes my backglass resolution. I went on pinballx tonight and I couldn't scroll threw tables, well it would but the screen shot would stay but the wheel image would change and I could not exit pinballx, I had to restart the pc so I am going to uninstall 311 and reinstall it, I think I also did kig of queens, If I can get in the game mgr, I will be able to tell which ones I did, I tried table screenshots using the ctrl method but it didn't work. Let me see what I can do. Thanks for the help...Vic

[BorgDog]

When i need them I've just been using the windows PrintScreen function, ie the PrtSc or PrintScreen button on the keyboard, which then puts all the displays in one shot into the clipboard then open gimp, paint.net, photoshop whatever and paste it into a new image.  I then cut out and save the pieces I need.  A little more work maybe but gives me everything in one shot and doesn't mess with sizing or anything.

 

Also, I stopped putting backglass images into pinballx as it can use the directb2s files and then they are animated however the b2s starts.

Edited by BorgDog, 21 November 2015 - 05:48 PM.

[vampirolatino2]

Guys, you don't need to do too much work. Default keys to take auto screenshots at a good resolution in png format (IIRC) is with keyboard keys B for Backglass and S for Playfield.

 

For example, run the table using Pinball X, then when you want to create a BG and PF screenshots, just press B and then S in the keyboard. The result images will be stored in the media->visuall pinball->screengrab and screengrab backglass folders, just move them to the respective folders.

 

Easy as 1, 2, 3

Vic, anyways, if you want I can share them with you. I only have PF screen shots of VP, because I use the B2S as BG in PinballX, it is a option in the settings of PinballX

and ,,,, I have BG and PF of Future Pinball tables.

[viktory2k1]

I need to mess with this awhile, I am running pinballx with just VP, didn't you say it starts the B2S though or Db2s?

[BorgDog]

All I have is directB2S on my cab and it starts those.  Little bit more of lag than just an image loading, but not bad at all.

[court461]

So now that my work has settled down, I am getting back to my cab.  Got VPX installed and some great tables added.  Having a few issues running multiple versions of VP, specifically when I run a VPX table it works fine, but when I exit a VPX table, it does not put me back to the pinballx wheel.  It is like PBX is still running, but hidden, and my desktop is visible on all monitors.  I could not get the other system method of running VPX to work in pinballx, so I am using the alternateExe tags in the XML to launch my VPX tables.  Not sure if that has something to do with it.  

[Brer Frog]

Very nice!

And it sure looks like you know what you're doing.

[AndersE]

Nice build. I have read through the whole thing.. I am starting my own cab build soon.

 

About the tv not starting from power off:

 

Check in the tv's menus for something about power saving/startup after poweloss or so, there might be a setting for that.

I have a philips 42" that does start up after power loss, and i think i found that in a menu somewhere.

 

Worth a (pinball)shot to check maybe..?

[court461]

No settings in the menus, I have checked.  I actually think it will power on when power is applied if I can work out the buttons.  It is a Vizio, my BG is also, and it powers up fine since I rigged the button to stay down.  The problem with my playfield is the buttons are on the end, and it is not just a simple switch.  All of the buttons are on a pc board.  It is not as easy to rig.  I had it all apart at one point and made a critical error in not testing before I got it back together thinking I had it solved.  Now it is just a matter of looking at it again.  Which is very hard to motivate myself since it is working so well otherwise.