Well, it's really happening.
Cabinet construction and wiring are basically done, power supply and sound system is done, Pi 3 is awaiting configuration and programming, VP version of playfield prototype is laid out, and almost all playfield parts are collected in a box. Basically... this thing is really happening.
Detecting switches is no problem. And thanks to a batch of 8-in-1 driver packages, controlling the LED lights - and sending them a variable signal to fade them in and out - also works like a dream. Now here's where the problem lies: Harnessing all that power.
The high power side is giving me some grief. Between my Pi brain and my solenoids sits a trio of Teensy controllers, which output 3.3-volt signals. From what I'm told, this might not be enough to switch an amply powerful MOSFET for my 56-volt 5-amp solenoids. (56 volts was the closest I could get to the standard 50 when I was transformer shopping.)
I had gotten a batch of IRL510s and IRF530s, whose data sheets seemed to imply they could handle the power, but my bench test killed a 510 - and the 530, at the very least, could not successfully switch a flipper coil. The power supply circuit works fine, as the flipper works great if I touch the wires together and bypass the transistor. Tried the same for the knocker coil and found that it was delightfully loud.
Has anybody else tried anything like this? Is there a simple solution to driving 56 volts from 3.3, or do I need to stock up on enough resistors and transistors to build Darlington pairs? And which components would you recommend? Am I asking too many questions?
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