Build Log
Disclaimer: Not all the links here may work (stuff moves), and what I am describing worked for me. It is patently obvious when reading the forums that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, but there is some really good advice out there if you look hard enough.
Intro
I live in the UK (London) and have been seeking a way to play pinball tables without the expense of actually purchasing a real one for many years. When I heard about pinball emulation I realised this was the way to go and decided to build a cabinet.
I have to say, even with a masters degree in science, I spent most of the time during the build with an expression similar to Homer Simpson trying to work out Calculus.
For those wishing to build their own cabinet, I have included links that I found useful and would have wanted from the beginning. I freely admit that although quite a practical person, my DIY (Do It Yourself) skills are more or less zero. I just cannot cut (or draw) a straight line and so the physical cabinet build was a real challenge and so I followed one rule during the whole project:
KEEP IT SIMPLE……..STUPID!
Below are sections that address various elements of my build, scroll down to whatever grabs your attention.
One thing that is really important to state however is that without the excellent resource that is the VP online community, I would have got absolutely nowhere. A big shout out needs to go to all on the various message boards, but in particular the guys listed below, who (as well as loads of others) have really contributed. I am constantly amazed at the talent shown on the various forums and the quality of the tables, backglasses, utilities and various items of software posted. I’m also heartened by the support given to those within the community who seek help by the other members.
Big thanks to (in no particular order):
Member Name and Link on VPforum
Noah Fentz http://www.vpforums.....php?showuser=1
Flying Dutchman http://www.vpforums....hp?showuser=182
Unclewilly http://www.vpforums....php?showuser=12
koadic http://www.vpforums....?showuser=20430
maceman http://www.vpforums....?showuser=29995
jpsalas http://www.vpforums....hp?showuser=277
oooPLAYER1ooo http://www.vpforums....p?showuser=4016
destruk http://www.vpforums.....php?showuser=5
TAB http://www.vpforums....php?showuser=17
pinuck http://www.vpforums....?showuser=25896
Herweh http://www.vpforums....?showuser=57523
Dozer316 http://www.vpforums....?showuser=60523
Javier1515 http://www.vpforums....?showuser=37787
rosve http://www.vpforums....?showuser=23496
Bob5453 http://www.vpforums....hp?showuser=519
Lord Hiryu http://www.vpforums....hp?showuser=342
85vett http://www.vpforums....?showuser=52795
Tweegster http://www.vpforums....?showuser=28646
zebulon http://www.vpforums....?showuser=24961
teppotee http://www.vpforums....?showuser=52089
tipoto http://www.vpforums....?showuser=29857
Apologies to anyone I’ve left out
The overarching concept for this build was to be a low cost as simple as possible solution, recycling and allowing parts to be used again where possible. I work and stay in London, I built the cab a one hour drive away around the M25. For those not familiar with this particular road, it is basically a car park encircling London, so there was a lot of time travelling involved during the build process.
Cabinet
Due to my complete inability to perform the most simple DIY task, I decided to purchase a cabinet, and so ended up with an A.M.I (Italy) Big Hunt off Ebay for £100 (http://www.ipdb.org/...ine.cgi?id=3692).
I realise that it is almost an act of sacrilege to ‘destroy’ what potentially could be a rescued machine, but most of it really was a write off.
It really was in a sorry state. It smelt like pee (may be glue used in plywood), had leaves, old socks, dirt etc. etc. inside. The backglass artwork was missing and the playfield glass was scratched and cracked. Someone had performed some extremely dodgy modifications to the power supply and the piece of plywood between the cabinet and back box crumbled in my hands (woodworm – which had migrated into parts of the cabinet as well). Saying all this however the playfield was in good condition and any of the electrical equipment attached seemed OK as well. All other electrical kit looked very sad and in certain areas had corroded. The cabinet itself was scratched, dented and vandalised, the underside had quite a collection of hardened gum. The legs really had seen better days.
Cabinet images, note the staining from leaves, dirt etc. inside:
Back Box
Courtesy of my father (thanks Dad), recycled MDF 13mm was used – not the best option as you really need something sturdier, but the build quality by my father was excellent (as usual). The box was braced vertically with timber, which was used to mount the backglass and DMD screens (see images below).
Main Hardware:
Dell OptiPlex 7010, Win 7 Pro 64 Bit Sp1, [email protected], 8GB DDR3 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2Gb, NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 1Gb
OCZ-Vertex 4 128Gb Primary' Samsung 840 128 Gb Backup, Corsair CX750
Led Wiz, IPAC 2, Lvpin LP838 , Panasonic 180watt car panel speakers, 6" sub
Logitech K400 keyboard, Microsft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro
Dell 1504FP 15” Monitor (DMD), Dell 24” 16:10 format Monitor (Backglass)
PANASONIC Viera TX-L39EM6B 39" LED TV (Playfield) – NOT de-cased
Various buttons, wires etc. from the following parts from (For UK cab builders):
http://www.arcadewor...s/Arcade-Parts/
http://www.pinballhe...php?language=en
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/
Miscellaneous bolts, nuts etc.
http://stores.ebay.c...=p2047675.l2563
Initial install/test the rig, graduating to backbox with some functioning buttons. This is the start of the build with three test screens and an old iPad box to mount the buttons, IPAC and LEDwiz:
Rubbing down, filling and priming the cabinet:
Fitting the back box, routing out the sides of the cabinet to fit the screen and trying to get various angles right. I used enamel car paint (gloss black) for the outside and matt black for the interior:
This shows the installation of a USB hub to allow any files to be copied to/from the cab. I had to install an extra wooden frame inside on the underside as the old plywood was fragmenting all around the cab.
The PC was installed onto a draw to allow for access and maintenance. This caused a few issues due to my inability to cut straight. Two extract fans were installed to sit just behind the PC to aid in the removal of any heat.
Two shots of the decals, printed on adhesive vynal. Top tip here, used a couple of drops of hand soap liquid mixed with water in a spray bottle to wet both surfaces prior to application, it really helps. Use a flexible plastic card/applicator to squeeze out excess fluid. I used a hair dryer to shrink wrap the decal to the cab.
Here is the PC installed onto the drawer and the mini amp used to drive the speakers and sub-woofer. To note this will be one of the first items to be replaced when I get round to it. It's ok, but not great quality.
So here is the nudge/tilt system. It is a Microsoft sidewinder freestyle pro, mounted on two brackets attached to the lockdown bar mount. On the underside are a number of rebates for the assembly screws, I just inserted raw plugs into these which held fast once screws were inserted:
Here Is the underside showing intake fans, sub-woofer and USB hub. The hub also has a LED so will light up the underside of the cab. There is also the view inside the backbox showing the back glass and DMD screens and speakers. The backbox door has vents to prevent heat build up:
The inside of the coin mech door shows all the original working parts stripped away and the power button and headphone leads installed. The front view of the cabinet shows the LED lit buttons. For this build I using an older version of FPlaunch so have separate quit game and exit Hyperpin buttons. There is one for credit, one for player start, a launch ball and buy extra ball.
The cab side on showing the flipper (red) and magnasave (black) buttons. There are rubber (with felt bottoms) feet to stop the floor being damaged. I've used Perspex for all glass parts. This was primarily as a weight saving exercise and I will monitor for warping and scratches.
I put together this instruction plate to sit over the flipper buttons and sidewinder and to bridge the gap between the cabinet end and the screen. I missed judged the layout, so am having this reprinted.
The problem with a three screen setup is that many of the back glasses (particularly B2S) tend to cater for two screen. To solve the issue of having a blank DMD, I used Duel monitor tool to position an image where the DMD should be. Here you can see a table using the third screen for the DMD and one the doesn't:
The next thing will be force feedback, the bass shaker and second amp are on their way.
Main Source of information and support and source of Visual Pinball stuff
Future Pinball
Setup tutorial
I always had difficulty working out what files or locations people are talking about on discussion groups, particularly when acronyms where used.
Starting point (Getting Started on VP Forums)
http://www.vpforums....rials&article=1
I used Tweegster/Godsin’s Tutorial “ Dummies guide to setting up all the required software for Visual Pinball / HyperPin / UltraVP Server and your DMD”. It really does do the job well and you should be able to get up and running fairly soon.
http://www.vpforums....s&showfile=4070
If you read the two tutorials above, you will really have enough info to get going, they are both excellent.
There are some pointers below that, although are mainly covered in the tutorials and or forums, I would have found useful to know from the beginning (like most blokes I probably didn’t read the instructions properly). These are just pointers and are no way a comprehensive guide.
File locations
Visual Pinball (9.x) Cabinet Tables:
If you are using visual pinball 9.x in a cabinet with 2-3 screens then look here for table files:
Full Screen Cabinet - http://www.vpforums....oads&showcat=23
Full Screen (B2S) Cabinets - http://www.vpforums....oads&showcat=40
Various tables and related files from an other VP site which could be considered universal
ROMS
Read Only Memory - “Pinball software is stored in ROMs” (http://www.ipdb.org/glossary.php#R ). The most noticeable contribution in VP is the DMD/Score, but these carry the firmware, rules? Etc. for the games.
http://www.vpforums....loads&showcat=9
Stern specific ones can be found at:
http://www.sternpinb...game-code.shtml
You will have to rename the zip file they come in to the same name as listed in the pinball table code. To find this out, open the table in VPinball and open the editor (script) and search for game name.
Another source http://www.planetary.../tech/roms.html
Hyperpin Launch (Flying Dutchman)
http://www.vpforums....s&showfile=2591
This is the launch system for the tables that I used
VP Hyperpin Media Packs - http://www.vpforums....oads&showcat=35
Hyperpin wheel logos http://www.vpforums....oads&showcat=27
See How to create a hyperpin media pack for a good explanation:
http://www.vpforums....ials&article=53
Hyperpin XML editor (for menu)
http://www.hyperspin...p?do=cat&id=325
Table information that can be entered into the box at the bottom of the editor (press insert once done and save xml):
<game name="TableName goes here">
<description>Table name (Manufacturer and Year)</description>
<manufacturer>Manufactuer name </manufacturer>
<year>Year</year>
<type>Game type</type>
</game>
A worked example will be:
<game name="Star_Wars_VP9_1.0FS.VPT">
<description>Star Wars (Data East 1992)</description>
<manufacturer>Data East</manufacturer>
<year>1992</year>
<type>SS</type>
</game>
Just to note; the description must match all the hyperpin elements i.e. the table image in this case would be Star Wars (Data East).PNG and reside in the Hyperpin/media/vpinball/tables directory
VPMame settings and file location:
Vpinball updates (koadic):
https://www.dropbox....VPinball Builds
Backglass
On my machine, I have UVP, B2S backglasses and some Future Pinball (FP) tables that have their own backglasses. For whatever reason (I am not a technical wiz) the tables perform far better with B2S backglasses and in some cases (Circus Voltaire for example) there is a distinct advantage as there are animations simulating real backglass actions. On other tables (notably the older recreations), the score reals appear on the backglass (no DMD).
For B2S backglasses
A good guide can be found here:
http://www.vpforums....als&article=136
One thing to note here. For some reason I could not get the backglass to run on my second monitor, I tried loads of solutions suggested on the forums, until I found a post suggesting that the backglass monitor should be plugged into the primary graphics card along with the playfield monitor. After this all was peachy.
Backglass server (Herweh)
http://www.vpforums....s&showfile=7426
Name the backglass file the same as the table file and then:
Change one line in the table script (through the Vpinball editor – script):
Search for the following code line
Set Controller = CreateObject("VPinMAME.Controller")
and replace it with
Set Controller = CreateObject("B2S.Server")
UltraVPServer (Flying Dutchman)
See Step 10 in the tutorial by Tweegster/Godsin mentioned above
http://www.vpforums....s&showfile=2591
Change one line in the table script:
Search for the following code line
Set Controller = CreateObject("VPinMAME.Controller")
and replace it with
Set Controller = CreateObject("UltraVP.BackglassServ")
B2S Backglass
http://www.vpforums....oads&showcat=42
Ultra VP Backglass
http://www.vpforums....oads&showcat=24
See also VP Universe download section
DMD location and orientation:
See Step 11 in the tutorial by Tweegster/Godsin. I managed to edit the rol (orientation) of the DMD within the Visual Pinball (VPinball) editor - script
Use the editor find (Ctrl F) ‘rol’ =. Use the value 1 or 0 to rotate the DMD.
Creating a DMD display when using a Backglass with integrated DMD
Sometimes the third screen has no use on particular Tables/Backglass combinations. A solution is to make your own graphic and use something like the duel monitor tool to position it on the appropriate screen.
http://dualmonitorto...ourceforge.net/
Graphic settings and Ball Stutter
Note the missing flippers – I had loads of issues with these.
http://www.vpforums....e=2#entry251682
Electrics
http://www.hyperspin...-Electrical-101
or here:
http://maxxsinner.blogspot.co.uk/
An addendum
http://www.vpforums....lon#entry247139
Getting your pincab to load Hyperpin on startup
(by Blitz17) – This shows you how to remove the windows logo start up and launch Hyperpin.
http://www.hyperspin...HPWin7Guide.pdf
Edited by Horrible, 09 February 2014 - 06:53 PM.
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