Hello everyone,
I’m looking for some help setting up the Virtuapin plunger as I’ve explored everything I can think of to get it working.
Please forgive my ignorance up front. I’m new to virtual pinball and am learning more every day. I searched these forums for other threads on this subject but couldn’t find anything. I’m hoping there is something obvious that I have missed.
I have been unable to get the VirtuaPin Digital Plunger Kit v3 working on my cabinet using Pinball FX3.
Here’s a quick rundown of my setup:
- I have the Arcade1up Star Wars pinball machine. I have pulled out the stock hardware (less the screens and solenoids) and replace it with a PC, including a 3rd monitor for the back glass
- I have purchased and installed the VirtuaPin Digital Plunger Kit v3 from virtuapin.net. I have the KL25Z board wired up to 8 buttons (flippers, nudge left/right, ball launch, two front white buttons, and a back/escape button) all on the 10-pin connector. The plunger has been calibrated in the Virtapin controller (as per the supplied instructions) and (when pulled) shows it moving to the very top of the column/graphic and then back to the center when released
- I have a Sainsmart 8-channel USB relay wired to the 4 stock solenoids
- I am using Xbox 360 CE to map the KL25Z buttons, with the plunger mapped to the inverted axis for the right thumbstick. When I pull the plunger out, I see the right stick (in Xbox 360CE) move down, and when released, jumps up (in the UI) then back to center
- I have installed and configured DOFLinx for my setup running with Debug=1 and SHOW_IN_TASKBAR=1 so that I can monitor the output. There are no obvious errors with the plunger in the logs. The solenoids fire as expected when playing the Pinball FX3 tables.
- I have used the DOF Config tool to generate Direct Output config files for my KL25Z and my Sainsmart boards, but have also experimented with the “colors only” basic INI linking the DOFLinx.ini to all the different permutations of each
- I have followed Cooltoy’s Youtube tutorials for all my mods and am trying to mimic his changes
Here are the various scenarios and outcomes I have run through:
Scenario #1:
- Plunger is enabled in Virtuapin controller software
- Xbox 360CE running (JoyToKey performs the same if swapped in for Xbox 360CE)
- DOFLinx is NOT running
- Outcome: KL25Z buttons work without issue. The plunger works, but cannot be drawn back to full power. On a table like Star Wars Rebels (or any others with visual indicators) the plunger stops one tick from full power.
Scenario #2:
- Plunger is enabled in Virtuapin controller software
- Xbox 360CE running (JoyToKey performs the same if swapped in for Xbox 360CE)
- DOFLinx IS running (whether in debug or not, it doesn’t seem to matter)
- Outcome: The plunger will (sort of) work once, then go dead after a couple minutes. It no longer registers in the VirtuaPin controller software after this point and only a PC reboot can bring it back. What’s worse is that every 2-3 minutes the entire KL25Z board disconnects for approximately 5 seconds then reconnects. This usually happens while playing a table, resulting in a lost ball. I can hear the Windows sounds of a controller disconnect and reconnect, making me think the device is failing temporarily.
Scenario #3:
- Plunger is disabled in Virtuapin controller software
- Xbox 360CE running (JoyToKey performs the same if swapped in for Xbox 360CE)
- DOFLinx IS running (whether in debug or not, it doesn’t seem to matter)
- Outcome: The plunger does not function (as expected) but everything else works fine with the other buttons. There are no disconnects and everything behaves similar to how it did (pre-plunger) with a basic USB encoder. This leads me to believe something is going on with the plunger and/or DOFLinx, causing the failure.
For reference I have provided my DOFLinx.ini, a screen shot of my Virtuapin controller settings, and a picture of my KL25Z installation.
I’m really at a loss for what else to try. Any help the community could provide would be greatly appreciated. I’m really loving virtual pinball as a hobby. It’s been a healthy distraction from COVID. I’ve been able to resolve a handful of issues thus far, but have exhausted all my ideas on this one.
I hear lots of references to the Pinscape firmware for the KL25Z board. I understand flashing over the Virtuapin firmware is not an action I (myself) can recover from without intervention from Virtuapin. As such I’m hesitant to explore this option until I’ve reached out to the community.
Thanks in advance for reading this, and any help you can provide. I’ll be happy to provide further details if it would help the discussion.
Thanks,
Matt
My DOFLinx.ini
####
# The config file for DOFLinx to achieve B2S backglasses only with Pinball FX3
#
# IMPORTANT - when used just for backglasses with FX3 and no output devices with toys, you must add this command line options for DOFLinx, DISABLEDOF=YES
#
# Edit this file as you see fit, lines that start with a hash (#) or are blank are not processed. This blurb and comments can be cut out if you want.
####
# Point to your directoutputconfig.ini file. Your file may have a number, ie directoutputconfig20.ini
# You can point to any of your directoutputconfig.ini files, but only one
# Keep this as the first pararameter to process in your INI file. The order past ths point is not relevant
DIRECTOUTPUTCONFIG=c:\DirectOutput\config\directoutputconfig8.ini
DEBUG=1
SHOW_IN_TASKBAR=1
# The location of the .FX3 game specific files included with the DOFLinx release package
# Ensure your path has a \ on the end of it
PATH_FX3=C:\DirectOutput\FX3\
# The path to where you keep all of the .directb2s files that you've downloaded for use with FX3
# Ensure your path has a \ on the end of it
PATH_FX3_B2S=C:\DirectOutput\DOFLinx_FX3_B2S\
# This is the folder where B2SServer.exe can be found on your system
PATH_B2S_SERVER=C:\vPinball\VisualPinball\Tables\
# The list of processes that can activate DOFLinx, in this case, Pinball FX2, Pinball FX3 and Future Pinball
PROCESSES=Pinball FX2,Pinball FX3,Future Pinball
# An over-ride to the default setting given this is just being used with Pinball FX3, not FX2, FP or other systems that may require the default delay
PROCESS_TO_ACTIVE_TIME=1
# Set the key code for the keys being used as Left and Right flippers
# Used for the default fll back if a full link cannot be established
# Left Shift = A0, Right Shift = A1
#L_FLIPPER_KEY=A0
#R_FLIPPER_KEY=A1
# Just in case things go wrong (ie no keyup signal is detected, flipper held down for a long time), what is the maximum time a flipper solenoid / contactor can be in in milliseconds
MAX_FLIPPER_ON=5000
# Turn on the attempt to make a full connection to Future Pinball when it is detected as running
FP_ATTEMPT_LINK=1
# The device / port for the left and right flippers, set to output device 1, left flipper solenoid on port 1 and right flipper solenoid on port 2
L_FLIPPER_OUTPUT=101
R_FLIPPER_OUTPUT=102
LINK_LF=101,50,10000,255
LINK_RF=102,50,10000,255
# The other 8 solenoid of a 10 solenoid setup using ports 4 to 11 inclusive
LINK_LS=103,50,500,255
LINK_RS=104,50,500,255
LINK_ML=103,50,500,255
LINK_MC=104,50,500,255
LINK_MR=104,50,500,255
LINK_BL=103,50,500,255
LINK_BC=103,50,500,255
LINK_BR=104,50,500,255
####
# Pinscape analogue to key stroke plunger settings
####
PLUNGER_AXIS=Z
PLUNGER_JOYSTICK_NUMBER=1
PLUNGER_KEY=0D
PLUNGER_PULL_POINT=32767
PLUNGER_RELEASE_POINT=45000
# Pinscape analogue nudge settings that get made into key strokes
####
#JOY_PORT=1
#JOY_X_OFFSET=32767
#JOY_Y_OFFSET=32767
#NUDGE_LEFT_POINT=-5500
#NUDGE_RIGHT_POINT=5500
#NUDGE_FORWARD_POINT=4000
#NUDGE_LEFT_KEY=4C
#NUDGE_RIGHT_KEY=52
#NUDGE_FORWARD_KEY=20
#NUDGE_LEFT_INPUT=A2
#NUDGE_RIGHT_INPUT=A3
#NUDGE_CHECK_BASIC_KEYBOARD=1
Top
are all trademarks of VPFORUMS.