42 replies to this topic

[MikePinball]

I am pleased to announce the Oak Micros plunger kit MK II. It replaces the best selling Oak Micros plunger kit MK I. It provides an integrated potentiometer plunger solution that only needs a real Williams/Bally pinball plunger and Pinscape controller hardware to read the potentiometer such as the Oak Micros Pinscape All-in-One board.

 

Using a real pinball plunger is a well-known technique for providing positional information to virtual pinball software. One of the simplest and most effective position sensors is a linear potentiometer, whereby the resistance changes according to the position of the potentiometer. The difficulty is always how best to attach the potentiometer to the plunger and wire it into the controller hardware such as Pinscape.

 

The Oak Micros plunger kit solves this problem by providing an integrated solution that is plug and play. The plunger kit has the following features:

• A ready-built tested and supported product that eliminates the effort and headaches of DIY.
• A mounting bracket for the plunger to the front of the cabinet and three #10 screws.
• A rotatable mounting frame for the potentiometer that solves the problem of mounting in very tight spaces behind the playfield display.
• A 10K ohm Bourns linear potentiometer and slider attachment.
• A blue spring (part number 266-5001-05) that has less tension than a normal plunger spring which improves the feel of the plunger. A stiff spring is not needed when there is no physical ball to move.
• Screw connection header for direct wiring into your Pinscape hardware.

Below is a picture of the plunger kit and a real pinball plunger. The mounting bracket is shown in red to distinguish it from the rotatable mounting frame for the potentiometer.

 

 

The Oak Micros plunger kit contains the following components as shown in the picture below

• A mounting bracket for the plunger to the front of the cabinet.
• A rotatable mounting frame with a screwed in potentiometer, slider attachment, and screw connector for wiring into a Pinscape controller.
• Blue spring
• Three #10 screws to attach the mounting bracket to the plunger housing

 

As with all Oak Micros products, the plunger kit comes with a complete user guide. The Oak Micros plunger kit costs $25 (same as the MK I).

 

Edit: Made it clearer that the potentiometer requires Pinscape.

Edited by MikePinball, 12 August 2020 - 03:39 AM.

[bord]

I have MK 1 and love it. How is version 2 different?

[MikePinball]

As described above it now comes in two parts; the mounting bracket and the potentiometer mounting frame. This two part design solves the problem of mounting in very tight spaces behind the playfield display.

 

The plunger housing has a metal tube that holds the plunger rod but it sticks inside the cabinet by an inch. That means an inch extra clearance is needed to fit on the MK I housing. By rotating the mounting frame onto the bracket, that clearance is not needed. The install instructions in the user guide show how to do it.

[MikePinball]

All plunger kits now come with a circuit board mounted underneath. The labels for the connector are very clear on how to connect 3.3V, ground, and the analog voltage input to the KL25Z. The Pinscape logo makes it clear that this solution works with Pinscape-based hardware.

 

 

Edit: Fixed typo.

Edited by MikePinball, 25 August 2020 - 02:48 PM.

[Slydog43]

Gotta love this guys products, always top notch.  (I think I have all of his products, and I'm very happy with all of them)   Very Quick delivery also

[astroboy]

Can this also double as a launch button as well (i.e. pushing in vs pulling back)? If not, do you think it would be possible for me to add a switch at the end of the bracket to allow that to happen? Thanks!

[MikePinball]

Yes it can and without the need for a separate button at the end.

 

Pinscape has some builtin functionality for this where it recognizes a "negative" position as you push in the plunger against the spring. See 108. ZB Launch Ball for details.

[htamas]

For those who are interested in using the Stern / Capcom ball shooter assembly, I'm happy to report that this plunger kit is compatible. I like the black base over the chrome of the Williams / Bally shooter.

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[MikePinball]

For those who are interested in using the Stern / Capcom ball shooter assembly, I'm happy to report that this plunger kit is compatible. I like the black base over the chrome of the Williams / Bally shooter.

 

The bottom screw should be a little shorter than the ones for the top. I supply three 1/2" #10 screws with the plunger kit so will need to get a 3/8" one yourself.
 

[htamas]

...or just cut the screw or use some washers

 

The current version of the user guide says the Stern plunger is not compatible though.

[MikePinball]

I have updated the user guide to include the Stern plunger part number as well as some guidance about hole placement for the plunger housing to make sure there is sufficient clearance with the flipper/magnasave leaf springs.

[Hogan Zeros]

Is there any way for this to work with a Gottlieb plunger? I'm using an old 1977 Gottlieb table (Bronco) and the plunger is in perfect condition. My fingers are crossed. Thanks!

 

edit--- If your plunger kit won't work do you recommend me buying a new plunger for your kit or can you point me to a solution for my plunger? I would really appreciate it. Thanks again.

Edited by Hogan Zeros, 25 September 2020 - 07:40 AM.

[wiesshund]

Is it like this?

 

I am betting you could probably adapt it to work

[Hogan Zeros]

Yes exactly like that. Thanks for the pic and reply. Would be awesome if i could make it work. Should I go for it MikePinball?

Edited by Hogan Zeros, 25 September 2020 - 07:01 PM.

[wiesshund]

Yes exactly like that. Thanks for the pic and reply. Would be awesome if i could make it work. Should I go for it MikePinball?

 

Mike could give you the exact answer
But from the pics of his unit in his guide etc, i could definitely make that work.

There may be some warranty voiding adjustments if bolt spacing differs, but personally, i would do it.
(Can not say if you should, i dont always do the best thing LOL)

[htamas]

Looking at that plunger photo and the kit in my hand, it seems you could perhaps make it work but you'd have to drill holes for the bolts and lose that mounting plate. It'd definitely need some modification. Only one way to know... you'd have to experiment.

[MikePinball]

What is the spacing from center to center on each bolt? I don't have this plunger to do a trial fit.

[Hogan Zeros]

Sorry for the late reply. I had to go to into work. The distance between the bolts is 32mm measuring from the center of one to the other.

Edited by Hogan Zeros, 26 September 2020 - 05:58 AM.

[MikePinball]

The spacing for the other plungers is 35mm. I could create one that has a hole spacing of 32mm but you might want to double check your measurement first.

There are other measurements that could be different too including the diameter of the rod and the relative distances of the rod hole to the screws. We could try it but it is expensive to ship to Canada just for a trail. I'm willing if you are but it may take a couple of attempts to get it right.

[Hogan Zeros]

I sent you a private message. Thanks!

Edit... I'm having a hard time with the measurements as they are a bit tricky to measure. I dont have proper measuring tools but I'm using my kids' mathematical set.
Approximate measurements are:
Distance between centers of bolts 32mm
Thickness of rod 10mm
Distance from rod to bolts 12mm.

Edited by Hogan Zeros, 26 September 2020 - 08:07 PM.