12 replies to this topic

[RubiiZ]

Hi there, 

 

I'm RubiiZ and I have started building my own virtual pinball cab back in 2019, together with my husband. Progress is very, very slow, since we became parents in 2020! This week we finally made some new progress and decided to make a build topic here. My original plan was to document each and every step on my personal website, but that requires much more spare time than we have right now 

 

So in this topic we would like to show you an overview of all of our work, design choices and considerations. I hope you like the photo spread.

 

I would like to thank mjr for the unbelievable work he put in his guide. We love to read it and use it a lot for reference!! It's almost like a bible 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIST OF COMPUTER AND ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

• Graphics card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Windforce OC 8G
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
• Motherboard: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
• RAM: Crucial Ballistix DDR4 Sport LT 2x8GB 3600
• Memory: Intel 660p 512GB SSD
• Power supply: BitFenix Formula Gold 550W
• Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q500L
• Playfield monitor: LG 43UD79 4K monitor
• Backbox monitor: second hand HP ZR30w monitor (16:10)

 

Running a test:

 

-----------------------------------

BUILDING THE CABINET

-----------------------------------

 

We chose 18 mm MDF for our cabinet. I made a quick SketchUp model and was able to buy the MDF pre-cut to the given dimensions. This costed us €155. Of course we still have to make all of the "cut-outs" ourselves, but in my opinion that's part of the fun! 

 

 

 

Next: putting the cabinet together! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After assembling, we used a filler to fill up all the screw holes. After a lot (and I mean A LOT) of sanding, we "Paint it Black" 

 

 

And the most tricky step of it all: applying the decals (which I drew myself in Illustrator, partly a recreation of shadbase's artwork)... 

 

 

 

And last Wednesday we finally installed the side rails and lockdown bar. It's beginning to look like a real cab now!

 

 

 

The next step will be to mount the playfield TV. I'm working it out in SketchUp. My plan is to make a sort of wooden rack which can also accommodate solenoids in the future. The TV will be mounted using the VESA screw holes.

Also, we still have to install the plunger. All in good time...

 

Edited by RubiiZ, 12 July 2021 - 08:34 AM.

[RubiiZ]

Made the construction for holding the playfield monitor today:

 

 

 

Next step is to mount the monitor. I have the LG 43UD79. It has this "lump" at the bottom which is the receiver.

I know I came across a build log once that described how to get rid of this receiver, but I can't find it anymore. Does anyone know this guide?

 

[remdwaas1986]

Hi parents!

 

your build looks good, love the art btw. For me i made also an arcade in it so i have both. i had the same issue with the monitor, but i used a monitor stand form allekabels.nl. for the standing monitor(backglass) i drilled a hole and filed(met een vijl) the whole, so it stands just like the stand .You payed much for the wood! I went to gamma and let it cut there for free, only needed to do the drills and the bevels.

 

the costs here in nl:

costs Pincade

€ 20 -> feet ikea 

€ 30 -> videocard (GTX660)

€ 100 -> motherboard, cpu, memory (MSI MS7797, I7 12GB)

€ 30 -> wood (gamma.nl)

€ 30 -> arcade buttons (aliexpress.com)

€ 25  -> stand for monitor(allekabels.nl) 

€ 110 -> Vinyl Artwork (stickerkoning.nl) 

€ 190 -> DMD (germangamingsupplies.com)

€ 40 -> Fans, kabels, sata power splitter for the fans.(amazone.nl)

€ 90 -> 24 inch screen (amazone.nl)

€ 63 -> 19 inch screen 

€ 20 -> screws etc (gamma.nl) 

€ 50 -> power supply 500 watt (antec vp500p)

€ 45 -> plexiglas (plexiglas.nl 15 mm)

ssd -> from old pc

 

843 total it's also costed me a year because of the parts and other things. hope it helps!

Edited by remdwaas1986, 11 July 2021 - 04:54 PM.

[RubiiZ]

 

Hi parents!

 

your build looks good, love the art btw. For me i made also an arcade in it so i have both. i had the same issue with the monitor, but i used a monitor stand form allekabels.nl. for the standing monitor(backglass) i drilled a hole and filed(met een vijl) the whole, so it stands just like the stand .You payed much for the wood! I went to gamma and let it cut there for free, only needed to do the drills and the bevels.

 

the costs here in nl:

costs Pincade

€ 20 -> feet ikea 

€ 30 -> videocard (GTX660)

€ 100 -> motherboard, cpu, memory (MSI MS7797, I7 12GB)

€ 30 -> wood (gamma.nl)

€ 30 -> arcade buttons (aliexpress.com)

€ 25  -> stand for monitor(allekabels.nl) 

€ 110 -> Vinyl Artwork (stickerkoning.nl) 

€ 190 -> DMD (germangamingsupplies.com)

€ 40 -> Fans, kabels, sata power splitter for the fans.(amazone.nl)

€ 90 -> 24 inch screen (amazone.nl)

€ 63 -> 19 inch screen 

€ 20 -> screws etc (gamma.nl) 

€ 50 -> power supply 500 watt (antec vp500p)

€ 45 -> plexiglas (plexiglas.nl 15 mm)

ssd -> from old pc

 

843 total it's also costed me a year because of the parts and other things. hope it helps!

 

 

Thanks! Yes, our build is a little bit more expensive... The MDF we chose was pre-primed, so I think that's part of the reason it's more expensive. Also, by looking at your list, I think your build is smaller than a real pinball machine, right? We want to have the look and feel of a real machine, so we're mostly using official parts (legs, side rails, lockdown bar, etc.). I believe our build so far has costed us €2600, of which a €1000 for a PC with new components only, and €500 for the playfield monitor.

 

Thanks for listing the website where you got your DMD btw... Those are really expensive, but these ones seem to be affordable (in comparison with these for example: https://www.pinballs...-display-sigma/).

 

In the meantime, I succeeded in mounting the playfield TV, using mjr's "paper method". Although we don't have a pillar drill, I was able to drill the holes very straight

 

 

 

 

 

Also managed to flip the receiver to the other side. Turned out to be very straightforward:

 

[remdwaas1986]

 Also, by looking at your list, I think your build is smaller than a real pinball machine, right? 

 

Thanks for listing the website where you got your DMD btw... Those are really expensive, but these ones seem to be affordable (in comparison with these for example: https://www.pinballs...-display-sigma/).

 

In the meantime, I succeeded in mounting the playfield TV, using mjr's "paper method". Although we don't have a pillar drill, I was able to drill the holes very straight

 

 

Yes i didn't want something big, here are my schematics

 

Yes, the DMD is really expensive, i have a LED dmd but newer ones also uses a full dmd screen.

 

Also i did the artwork myself. I got some files free from stuzza(Cabinet Artwork I have created - Virtual Pinball Cabinets - VPForums.org) and created everything myself and let it print.

 

This is my result with also the option for the arcade.

 

Really a lot of money for you cab, but in the end it will be worth it!

Edited by remdwaas1986, 12 July 2021 - 11:50 AM.

[Nemo]

Now that is one nice cab you folks have there ! Quality throughout and great artwork to boot 

 

Now a real DMD being plasma or led is nice, but i opted for the half sized POS lcd from China, nice it can

display so much more like video and such.

[RubiiZ]

Now that is one nice cab you folks have there ! Quality throughout and great artwork to boot 
 
Now a real DMD being plasma or led is nice, but i opted for the half sized POS lcd from China, nice it can
display so much more like video and such.

Thanks a bunch! I must say we finally got our energy back and we hope to finish the cab later this year. It's about time!

About the DMD: we have also thought about that, especially with newer tables using a video screen. But I think we will instead use the backbox screen for those! We just like the DMD so much, the nostalgia, and the 90's tables!

[wiesshund]

I prefer the LCD for DMD also.

 

No, it is not physically correct of course, but it can reproduce a correct look, plus it can display what the DMD can not

And if one does a full sized LCD for the DMD, then it can also display PUP DMD's if one likes PUP tables and B2S DMDs

 

Like this is the Appolo13 backglass with the B2S DMD running below it, and the Freezy's DMD on top of that

 

 

And this is a custom DMD frame running below the backglass
It is only on top of the backglass because this screen shot is from a laptop, so everything is on one screen.

 

 

This is a picture of an LCD rather than a DMD
So, they do make for a pretty viable and versitile option, but they do lack a little retro cool factor

[RubiiZ]

I prefer the LCD for DMD also.

 

No, it is not physically correct of course, but it can reproduce a correct look, plus it can display what the DMD can not

And if one does a full sized LCD for the DMD, then it can also display PUP DMD's if one likes PUP tables and B2S DMDs

 

Food for thought...   Luckily (according to our planning) we still have some time. Let's finish the main cab first! 

 

Speaking of which... Today I finalized the playfield mounting system! Inspired by mjr we made a pivot from common items you can find in local hardware stores. This is because it whould cost us a whopping $35,- to get TWO Bally/Williams hinges (of which most would be shipping costs...)!! So instead, we went to the hardware store, bought two metal brackets (for a total of $1.20) and adapted it using a saw and a file:

      

 

Next, a dry run of the pivots. We used leg mounting plates for those 

 

            

 

For the front we used metal brackets:

 

      

 

 

I'm glad we finally did it! Most of my expertise ends here. Now it's time for my husband to start with the electronics! 

We will keep you posted.

 

One final question: how did you hide/fill the gap between the cab and the playfield monitor?

 

[LynnInDenver]

I 3D-printed a set of holding brackets and they hold a pair of black styrene L-angle, to which I'll eventually be mounting strips of addressable LEDs.

[JibJabber]

I have a thin piece of wood painted black with the middle cut out to hide the gaps and tv bezel on all sides. It just lies on top of the tv bezel. Kinda like a flat picture frame without the corner joins.

Nice work on finding a cheaper solution for the brackets!

Edited by JibJabber, 26 July 2021 - 07:28 AM.

[evild70]

In the meantime, I succeeded in mounting the playfield TV, using mjr's "paper method". Although we don't have a pillar drill, I was able to drill the holes very straight

 
Hi RubiiZ, could you point me to this "paper method", please? Nevermind, I'm an idiot.
 
The photos look interesting. Looking great!

Edited by evild70, 12 August 2021 - 10:44 PM.

[remdwaas1986]

how is the build going?