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My new Pinbaby cabinets! Compact, Easy, and Budget-friendly


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#1 Lyanheart

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 04:36 PM

Thought I'd share just a few little teasers of what I'm working on currently. I still have my original old mini-cabinet, but over the past couple of years I've been constantly asked to build more, build one for friends or family, or help people build their own. I have learned a lot since then, and have come up with new ideas on how to make the build easy and quick to assemble, and also affordable for people who would like to have such a machine but don't have the skills, tools, space, OR tons of cash to spend on a toy. 

 

So, I would like you to meet Pinbaby  ^_^

 

Twins, actually, doing two of these at once... one is for my uncle, and the other for a friend. Identical components, screens, and cabinets. Based around 18-inch backglass and 24-inch playfield. This is also the same cabinet design I will use in the future, but could easily widen it to accommodate larger monitors. Very modular design, wide open access, and easy to work with.

 

Yes, it is a very simple 2-monitor cabinet and those seem very underwhelming by today's standards, but it is also vastly more accessible to beginners or people who just want to play pinball on a compact machine that can hide in a spare corner. Easily enough to modify, though, to add a dedicated DMD, better speakers, or whatever. Having the entire back door open up makes things very easy to work on. Ok, I'll shutup for now. Here's some photos, and I'll try to keep this updated as I move along. Both systems are up and running "on the bench" and the cabinets will be done by the beginning of June... one is a Father's Day gift, after all...

 

 

youTube video of the finished product: https://youtu.be/OfYeZTmw8pk

video of it in action, played by the very happy recipient: https://youtu.be/aBdvtGdD_Pg

 

 

Direct links to my posts on this project

Link to post about "budget friendly" cost breakdown (Post #8)

Link to post on basic cabinet construction and plywood layout (Post #11)

 

 

 

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Edited by Lyanheart, 20 June 2016 - 01:33 AM.


#2 Slydog43

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 04:59 PM

very nice job, simple and functional.



#3 BorgDog

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 05:28 PM

What do you have running the beast?  and I like the support arm/bracket on the graphics card, is that something you fabbed up or is it available somewhere?


Edited by BorgDog, 03 May 2016 - 05:29 PM.


#4 Umpa

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 05:29 PM

Looks great!

#5 Lyanheart

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 05:52 PM

What do you have running the beast?  and I like the support arm/bracket on the graphics card, is that something you fabbed up or is it available somewhere?

 

Is an MSI mATX H81M-P33 board with an Intel i3-4160 3.6ghz and Asus GTX-750Ti OC. Lots of power in a small package, and all very budget-friendly.

Just used normal L-brackets from the hardware store to brace the video card and secure hard drive.



#6 Umpa

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 06:45 PM

How is the playfield monitor supported? 2x2s?

#7 Lyanheart

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 07:16 PM

How is the playfield monitor supported? 2x2s?

 

2x4 stud, goes through the middle with the VESA monitor wall mount on it. Playfield screen slides right in from the back and can be easily removed.



#8 Lyanheart

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Posted 04 May 2016 - 01:41 AM

So, one of the bullet points of this build was "Budget Friendly" and here is the breakdown of the parts I used. Keep in mind, this was a few months ago and some of these things are probably a little cheaper now, or possibly may be unavailable. Not sure how soon nVidia plans to phase out the GTX-750 line, but they are a great bargain video card for this.

 

  • MSI H81M-P33 micro-ATX motherboard $45
  • Intel i3 4160 2-core CPU 3.6ghz $120
  • ASUS GTX-750Ti OC 2gb video card $120 (one of the few dual-DVI cards in the 750 line; but an HDMI would work, and cheaper too)
  • 8gb DDR3 1600 RAM, good quality Crucial or Corsair $40
  • 320gb HD, or 120gb SSD $25-50 (would probably go with the solid state, 120gb is plenty of room unless you want ALL of the tables)
  • 500-600 watt Bronze/80+ PSU $50
  • Windows 7 Pro 64, system builder/refurb copy $50

This is a decent PC for less than $500, way overkill for VP9xx tables, and plenty for VPX. Will have to see where things go in the future, but unless you want to build for 4k ultra resolution, this should be more than adequate for a long time. Remember, we are working with 1920x1200 on a 24-inch playfield, not super HD on 40 inch.

 

Speaking of monitors, off-lease used LCD/LED screens can be found for very cheap on ebay, often with free shipping. The vast majority of them I have seen are Dell, who actually has always sold very good monitors. They are branded Dell, but usually produced by either Samsung or LG. Good stuff. The used ones may have some scuffs and scrapes on the casings, but you don't see that part, and most sellers guarantee 100% no dead pixels. I've had very good luck. 

  • Dell Ultrasharp 2407 makes a great playfield, as does the slightly older 2405. You can find them for less than $150, or less than $100 for the 2405.
  • Dell Ultrasharp 1704 through 1708 make perfect backglass monitors for these small cabinets, especially if you use the Dell speaker bars they often come with. Very easy and compact sound solution built right in to your backglass! These are easily found for less than $50.

So, with monitors, you can be at or around $650. You still need your control interface (IPAC or KeyWiz, or even a cheap Chinese one from ebay), buttons, mounting and PC control/switches, mounts for the screens, and wood... but total cost of the project should be in the $850-$900 range depending on your choices. Much less if you're lucky and already have some of these things laying around, like a monitor from an old PC.

 

$900 may not seem "cheap" to a lot of people, but if you take your time and do a good job, you will have a very unique game that you will be proud to have in your home, your friends will envy, the family will love, and you personally will get hours of enjoyment from. Because it is smaller than a real machine, it can fit almost anywhere. No need for a dedicated "game room" or a dark corner of the basement. The cool-factor of even a "little" pinball machine is awesome, and it is very likely you will be the only person around with one.



#9 N3roflint

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Posted 04 May 2016 - 04:51 AM

Very, very nice. Thanks for posting the information so others can benefit from this low cost build.



#10 Nemo

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Posted 04 May 2016 - 02:33 PM

I just LOVE those mini pin's and with yours i really like the hinged backdoor, very functional indeed & clean design, like it.

Nvidia is replacing the 750 with the 950 (SE) as there are two versions of those, the newer refresh lacks the peg power connector.

But you've planned one great platform for pinball enjoyment, guess your everyone's favorite buddy now   :B):


Gone fishin', no really.......

My F14 Cab http://www.vpforums....showtopic=21820

My Coffee Table http://www.vpforums....topic=25407&hl=

My Jukebox WIP http://www.vpforums....topic=23825&hl=


#11 Lyanheart

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Posted 05 May 2016 - 07:42 PM

Here is some information on building the basic cabinet, and layout diagram for cutting the parts from a 4x8 plywood panel.

Later on I will share what I do for trim and finishing, but for that I use 1/4" thick basswood panels.

 

I use 1/2" thick basic plywood for my projects. No fancy hardwood here, I think they are just called "project panels" on the rack. Half-inch is a good balance of weight, strength, and cost. I believe I have been paying around $30 per panel at my local Lowes. 3/4" would be overkill for a machine of this size, and it would be needlessly heavy. Of course, if you were to scale up these dimensions to a full-size cabinet, 3/4" would be more appropriate. 

 

Link to PDF file showing plywood layout

 

In that diagram, you can see the dimensions of the individual parts, and an easy-cutting arrangement on the panel. As you can see, single sheet of plywood is technically more than twice the amount needed to assemble a cabinet of this size, so up-sizing a couple of inches for slightly larger monitors, or to make room for a DMD/3rd monitor, could be done without much trouble. This is also aligned for a couple of cross-cuts that you can have Lowes or Home Depot do for you in-store (and to make it easier to carry home), and then you can use your home saw to cut out the individual pieces. 

 

One additional cut is needed to the "main side" panels, part #1. The front-facing edge of this panel should be marked at 10 inches, and then cut at an angle up to the rear top corner, giving the panel a slope from the 14" high rear to the 10" high front. I've never really measured the angle, but it gives the finished table a more realistic look, and helps align the screen to the player. When these angle-cut side panels are mated up to the 4"x30" rear side panels (part #2), you have a complete side panel with the familiar profile we all love. The front panel (part #3)  is attached between the two sides, and the top panel (part #4) is fitted up top at the other end. At this point, the cabinet looks like this:

 

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This "one piece" cabinet is a departure from the traditional cabinet and backbox construction we are used to. I went with this for the following reasons:

1- Wide open, full access from the rear of the cabinet.

2- Perfect way to mount the backglass monitor. The VESA mount screws directly to the rear panel, and everything swings out of the way.

3- Both monitors can be easily installed and removed as needed.

4- No "bulkheads" between the main cabinet and backbox area.

5- The complete flat sides, while not really traditional, is very easy to finish and paint, and gives the entire unit a more streamlined, compact appearance.

 

VERY IMPORTANT STEP HERE

Before securing the assembly to the bottom panel, I first set up the playfield screen mount. I use a 2x4 stud cut to 16" (our inside width is always 16", matching the front panel) and it will be attached at the appropriate depth and angle depending on the screen you are using.

 

So how to do this? Easy! Flip the assembly upside-down, so the top edges/rails are resting on a surface (table, bench, etc) with the backbox section hanging over the edge. Square up everything as best as you can, just to help when you align the screen and the stud. Lay down something to serve as a spacer, about 1/8" thick. Scrap piece of wood, a towel, foam, whatever will give you a little bit of space between the edges of the screen and the rails of the cabinet. What this will do is set the screen down in slightly below the rails, so there is a little wiggle room and space between the screen and the eventual finish trim on the cabinet. Now lay the screen down on top of your spacer material. A low-profile VESA mount should be attached to the screen (rotated to the proper orientation of your vertical screen), and the 2x4 stud and the other part of the VESA mount should be put in place on top of that. When your screen is in the position you want it, the mounting stud will also be in the correct position, so tack or screw it in from the sides. This arrangement is also making the angle of the screen match the angle of the rails. Pretty slick, huh? Some small adjustments/shims to the VESA mount might be needed when you flip the cabinet back over and have the weight of the screen fully supported by the mount, but they should only be minor.

 

With the playfield stud in place, you can now attach the bottom panel. If all your cuts were straight enough, it should be a perfect fit. If not, just do one end at a time and "persuade" the side panels in to place. It's almost impossible to get plywood that is perfectly straight.

 

The 16x30 rear "door" panel should also fit in to its space.. but may require some sanding and shaping. In fact, you will probably need to shave off at least 1/8 of an inch from one side to add clearance for the hinge. I use a full-length 30" piano hinge, but any cabinet hinge would work. Just make sure it is sturdy enough to support the weight of the backglass monitor and anything else you wish to mount to this panel.

 

BONUS: Since I'm making multiple cabinets at once, I created a different plywood layout that fits all the pieces for THREE cabinets on two sheets of plywood. Click here to see the 3-cabinet layout diagram.


Edited by Lyanheart, 05 May 2016 - 07:59 PM.


#12 Brer Frog

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Posted 06 May 2016 - 04:35 AM

Thanks for sharing, it looks really nice.

Do you add legs or do you place on top of a table?



#13 Lyanheart

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Posted 06 May 2016 - 11:47 AM

I do attach legs, but they are small enough that you could just set them up on a table. Just need to make sure the height feels right. With the front of the cabinet 10 inches high, and 26 inch legs, it puts the top of the front of the machine at 36 inches, which is right about where normal machines are. Feels very natural when standing or sitting on a bar stool. 



#14 Lyanheart

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Posted 16 May 2016 - 02:20 PM

Making a little more progress on the first of the two new cabinets... Have the buttons arranged (using LED lit ones now) and starting on the trim to enclose the monitors. The buttons (other than the Coin button, which is the NovaGem from Groovy Game Gear) were all found on ebay in a big multi-color package from China. Very cheap, they actually showed up within 2 weeks, and they look great. For the flippers, I am using Ultimarc's Golf Leaf pushbuttons with integrated mini leaf-style switches. They feel great with no resistance when pressed or audible click. For about $2 each, they are a slightly better deal than purchasing separate buttons and high-quality leaf style micro-switches. Much better, in fact, if you are buying a lot of buttons.

 

I actually spent the most time over the weekend on the PC/software side of things, making a few tweaks to table settings to make sure everything works consistently. One thing I have finally done to make the process of creating a new machine much, MUCH easier is creating a "clone" of my VP setup on a USB drive. I have a copy of the tables, ROM, and media folders, along with the pinballX database file, and all of this can be copied right over to the new machine. Also on the USB drive is the current install files for VP, VPMame, pinballX, and everything else that is needed. After installing Windows, I just plug in the thumb drive and go through all the installations, then copy over the other folders. Had everything up and running on the 2nd machine in less than 2 hours and most of that was getting Windows set up. 

 

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#15 maceman

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 12:02 PM

That is looking very sweet! I love the way the backglass has a hinged 'door'. Something simple perhaps, but i can see where that would been extremely handy on mine as well......People who have actually built a cab will appreciate your fine work more, as I do.... This looks so compact and lovely!!

850-900$ is a STEAL for all that in it! Having made mine out of plywood-he hee...I think i spent more than that so you are doing very well.

 

There is a guy near me locally making Mame boxes from retropie. I want one of these next to go with the cabinet:

http://www.kijiji.ca...channelId=14000

 

Cheers,

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#16 Lyanheart

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 02:42 PM

That is looking very sweet! I love the way the backglass has a hinged 'door'. Something simple perhaps, but i can see where that would been extremely handy on mine as well......People who have actually built a cab will appreciate your fine work more, as I do.... This looks so compact and lovely!!

850-900$ is a STEAL for all that in it! Having made mine out of plywood-he hee...I think i spent more than that so you are doing very well.

 

 

The other goal, besides being relatively inexpensive to reproduce, is also being EASY to reproduce. After these two, I have it all figured out so well I'm going to build three more cabinets for the next "production run." My little way of keeping the game of pinball alive.



#17 Sneetch

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 03:41 PM

Not that I *need* to build another cab, I have some hardware laying around I could give this a shot. Basically would just be wood costs. As it Would be nice to have a traveling cab when there is an opportunity.

Thanks for sharing your design!

Edited by Sneetch, 17 May 2016 - 06:14 PM.


#18 Lyanheart

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 07:34 PM

Would be nice to have a traveling cab when there is an opportunity.
 

 

Without legs, it is relatively portable... On my old cabinet for a while I had large cabinet handles attached to help carry it.

I would put some rubber "feet" type of things on the bottom, though, since there will be a vent hole for the power supply on the bottom.



#19 Lyanheart

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Posted 02 June 2016 - 02:10 PM

Getting closer to finishing... I really need a better way to make gameplay videos... one-handed doesn't work so well.

 

youtube links:

https://youtu.be/FgoaSRFPWI0

https://youtu.be/baGx2kYjDg8

 

Had to play with it for a little while before tearing it down for paint.

Got it all filled and sanded, and hopefully the weather will be kind this weekend and I will get some painting done.

 

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#20 Lyanheart

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Posted 06 June 2016 - 01:28 PM

The weather was NOT kind this weekend, but did manage to lay down some paint. Just had to hide under the roof of the patio to do it.

 

Colors for the stripes are done, so I will just need to mask them off and spray the main coat of black.

This one is going to Ohio, in case the colors didn't give that away  :dblthumb:

 

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