New Build - Converting a Judge Dredd Cabinet

[chonk_master]

Cab looks good and most of your issues are just standard tuning stuff that I think we have all ran into when building a cab. Some help below:

 

What do you mean by loading screen? Just kicking off vpx or are you using loading videos and popper to launch vpx? if that latter you can tune this in popper, there are some timing settings you can play with.

 

If the black box is the size of a dmd and you're using an external dmd dll like freezy's you can disable the virtual dmd in the f1 menu.

 

In my experience all roms will need the volume adjusted. This is the same with POV and most other settings, including audio files. Loaded weapon posts his pov files that are mostly spot on for a 4k playfield, otherwise just manually adjust to your liking.

 

The knocker usually fires only on a free game or extra ball and that is only true if the game has been configured in the dof tool, not your dof settings. Most have a dof config but newer and original games do not always have it setup when released. How are you testing it per game?

[gonzonia]

Thanks @deadmanworking and @chonk_master for the responses! I don't know how I missed them way back in April.  I had PinVol installed on the PC I used with the AtGames machine, but I haven't decided to add it yet. I probalby will someday, the volume is very inconsistent table to table and in Popper. 

 

You both pretty much identified everything I found (I just wasn't clear in my last update that I was adressing them as I found them and knew what the problems were).

 

 The knocker issue was one of two things. 

1) On some stern tables, if it's set to knock when credits are added, it will not knock on a free game. I had to dig around some pinball forums where they talk about how to change the setting in AC/DC to figure that out. 

or

2) The knocker was also sticking. I had to adjust it slightly (loosen a screw) and now it's good. I also took the opportunity to make it easier to access by notching out the wood behing the backbox monitor. 

 

I was actually coming to give an update.

 

I finally got through testing all my VPX tables. It took a long time to a) find the time, and b) test them while also adding new ones. 

 

Today I tackled my #2 item from my last update and a couple of other things I wanted to address. 

 

I’d been putting off opening the cabinet for quite some time. I felt the changes I wanted to make were significant, and I was nervous about how easy it would be, especially considering I needed to remove the playfield and the PC to do it. 

 

It took some time, but I finally got it done. 

 

This morning I pulled off the rails I’ve been using to hold the PC. These were part of the original cabinet. They were nailed and glued in place. When they came off, there was some surface wood damage.

 

 

I took some scrap wood from the playfield mount and cut a couple of new pieces that were not quite as wide. This dropped the PC about a half inch. That is just enough that the playfield monitor now clears the CPU cooler when it’s opened. I also made them a little longer so that the PC could be forward a little more and allow better access to the power strip.I took some scrap wood from the playfield mount and cut a couple of new pieces that were not quite as wide. This dropped the PC about a half inch. That is just enough that the playfield monitor now clears the CPU cooler when it’s opened. I also made them a little longer so that the PC could be forward a little more and allow better access to the power strip.

 

 

 

I also added back in the convenience outlet, but the moment I turned it all on once everything was reconnected, it tripped the circuit breaker, so that came back out. Someday, I hope to figure out which piece is creating the problem, the outlet or the exterior switch. 

 

The next task for today was installing a speaker protection circuit. The goal is to stop the loud pop/thump created when the machine is turned on or off. The circuit creates a delay to the power going to the speakers so that doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, it didn’t help much with the noise at shutdown.

 

 

After that, it was finally time to add the new true leaf buttons. I was hoping to add the dual-action buttons so that I could start implementing staged flippers, but I need to wait until there’s a new button board out for that. I knew that might be an issue, which is why I bought two single-action buttons too. 

 

This was fairly easy, though I had to bend the connectors on the left button and angle it differently to get it to fit. 

 

The clearance is pretty tight when the playfield monitor is down.

 

 

That’s it for now. The buttons definitely have a different feel. I wish I had a real pin to compare to side by side. Hopefully someday.

 

The current list of things to do: 

1) Test Future Pinball Tables (all the VPX tables are working). 

2) Test Pinball FX/FX3 (I don’t have these showing right now, and I may remove them completely). I don't find myself looking to play those tables at all, but at the same time, I'm a bit of a collector, and so kind of want to show it all off. 

 

 

 

Also, some videos of it in action. 

 

 

 

[deadmanworking]

Cool mate, looks like progress

With convenience outlet you mean the switchable socket in the back? I've been through 3 of these already, they have different current ratings like 6A, 10A etc so might be worth looking into. I finally settled on to one with EMI protection which my AI agent recommended with everything so close together (I got a 2/3 scale minicab) and it's been working great. 

 

The pop on startup and shutdown is something I guess everyone is battling, What I did for a while was turning down the amps to around 50% or lower and then on the software side boosting each amp with Pinvol by a couple dB. Coming to think of it you could probably also do that globally with Equalizer APO and boost the output by 10 or 15db? (guess it depends on the amps you are using) 

 

[gonzonia]

Thanks for the tip, that might fix it. The convenience outlet is actually a small 15A outlet inside the machine, mounted on a din rail (https://a.co/d/fa8J3IB). I've tried 2 versions of this. The circuit in the house is a 15A circuit, so I assume that it would be okay (but I'm not an electrician or electrical engineer). That is powered by one like what you have (https://a.co/d/4lKlf8z) which has a 10A fuse that is still intact. When I connect them and just plug in the smart strip (https://a.co/d/9hcbe5o) everything seems fine. There's power to the strip. The moment I turn on the whole machine, the house breaker (an AFCI breaker) trips. That means the breaker is getting a frequency that it interprets as an electrical arc. The EMI filter might separate the signal enough from triggering the breaker. The electrical code here requires that all bedrooms use AFCI breakers, and since that room is technically a bedroom, I can't swap it. I have the smart strip cord coming out of the back of the machine for now. 

 

 

 

 

[gonzonia]

I think I figured it out.  I looked at the reviews on the rocker switch I used. Someone mentioned loose connections potentially causing arcing. I remembered my connections were a little wiggly. I crimped the ends a little bit so they're tighter. Everything started up without tripping the circuit. Fingers crossed. 

 

Edit: It didn't fix it. I ended up getting a higher-quality switch, and there are no more problems. 

 

 

Edited February 17 by gonzonia

[gonzonia]

FIRE!

 

In my second post documenting this process, I listed the things that I wanted to make sure were part of this machine. The last thing on the list that I had yet to accomplish was this- 

 

Quote

Action/fire button on lockdown bar. The lockdown bar is the piece of metal that covers the top front of the cabinet. It has rounded corners for your hands and is locked in place using a “receiver” inside. I’m still looking for a good source of one that will fit. I found one on VirtuaPin.netthat costs a bit more than I was hoping to spend on this part. I’ll probably end up adding this near the end or later.

A couple of months ago, the virtuoso of virtual pinball, Way of the Wrench, posted a new video showing how to do exactly what I wanted. 

 

The problem was, some of those skills were out of my reach and I’m using a different piece from Cleveland Software Design to drive the fire button RGB. 

 

I spent (far too much time) trying to find lights I could use off the shelf or to build something that could connect to the PinOne button board. 

 

Since I don’t have a workshop or somewhere I was confident that I could safely drill through the lockbar, I called on my brother-in-law, who has a full shop and the needed tools and skills. You may recall he helped me fix one of my earlier screw-ups with the monitor mount. 

 

Now that there was a space for the button, of course I couldn’t leave it open. I decided to figure out how to get a CSD RGB button to work. The trick was to modify the action button housing so that the button would sit higher up. I was worried about how I’d run the wires, but there’s actually a perfect spot that doesn’t interfere with the mechanism of the lockdown receiver at all. 

 

While that worked, it looked weird, and I needed to make sure to disconnect it if I removed the lockbar. So, with at least a plan in place, I started ordering parts. 

 

First, I ordered the button. While Way of the Wrench used Marco Specialties, Pinball Life was a little better for me in this case. I think the shipping was a tiny bit cheaper. I also dig their stickers. They do parodies of famous brands but they say “Pinball Life” instead of the brand. I have a Funyons, PBR, and Cars knock-offs. I think I have another one that might have been the spam design, but I’m not sure where I put it. 

 

Once I had the button, I realized I did not have the right kind of pal nut. I knew from the Way of the Wrench video that I would need a washer too, so I decided to combine the two into a print. I downloaded a file from McMaster-Carr of the nut and merged it with a flanged nut from Thingiverse using Tinkercad. I put it on printables. 

 

The tabs aren’t super strong, but it works…once. If I take it off the tabs usually break and I need to re-print. 

 

I also ordered some lights that looked like they might be small enough from AliExpress. They were small enough, but not the right type. I learned the difference between Common Anode vs. Common Cathode thanks to that mistake. I tried another set, but those were too big. I decided to try to make my own. There were quite a few attempts with both PCBs I bought and 3D printed boards to just add structure. I had some working prototypes, but I don’t think they were really small enough, and the light wasn’t really being directed the right way. I needed a strip like Way of the Wrench used. 

 

Additionally, I was trying to repurpose a leaf switch from an RGB True Leaf Button I had, and that just wasn’t working well. It wasn’t stable and I didn’t want to drill into the receiver. I’m terrified of the little metal shavings getting into other things and I’m also not sure I could do it with my tools. I started looking at other switches and decided to order an actual Stern Action Button switch. 

 

I initially settled on a 5V strip from Amazon that looked like it might work. But the lights weren’t very dense so I’m was a little worried it wouldn’t be bright enough. While I waited for that to arrive, I discovered a different type of strip that was more continuous and looked like it might be brighter. 

 

I’ve had the button for a while, but today the rest arrived and it worked! 

 

I had to take the plastic piece off the switch for the glass to slide off. I initially tried just trimming it down, but the button would then press on the switch when it was in place. 

 

I cut the strip light shorter and soldered some wires in place, here’s the end result hot glued in place. 

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited February 17 by gonzonia
added images

[gonzonia]

A few months ago when I bought the RGB leaf-switch buttons from Cleveland Software Design I also bought the dual-action versions. Before that I didn’t know that staged flippers even existed! 

 

I wanted to install them as soon as I got them, but I realized I didn’t have enough inputs available. The PinOne button board is 1-14 and the Service board is 15-22. The main board also has a 23 and 24. I was using 24 for the POV button. This was an easy way to press F12 with a button and bring up the POV/Options menu in VPX. 

 

I was looking at something recently and was reminded that I can use a “Shift” button to enable a combination of buttons to do an action. 

 

I have my shift button set to my left magna save. I changed things so that when I press the shift button and the help button, it presses input 31, which sends F12. This allowed me to remove the physical POV button and meant I now had inputs 23 and 24 open! As a bonus, it also meant I could shift my pause button so that it was easier to close my coin door.

 

All this wasn’t without its difficulties. It turns out the JST extension cables I have for the buttons swap the colors when they connect. I spent a long time trying different wiring combinations before I discovered this was the problem. 

 

Once I got it figured out though, it wasn’t too difficult. With the PinOne, only one ground is needed so I kept this on the primary flipper. I connected the primary flipper ground to the middle and the primary flipper switch to the first contact. The staged flipper input was connected to the third contact. 

 

Then I followed the instructions on the CSD documentation page to set up the Addams Family table, and it worked great! I’ve also set up the Whirlwind table. I’m going to see what other tables I can find that use this. I thought about editing tables to use it, but realized that just because it has extra flippers doesn’t mean the original machine used staged flippers. I’ve put together a spreadsheet to document which tables use and don’t use staged flippers, as well as what needs to be changed to make it work. I’ve tried updating a couple of scripts that don’t have it directly implemented, but I wasn’t very successful. 

Here’s a video of the flippers in action: