randr Posted July 13, 2014 Posted July 13, 2014 Looks good but I am wondering what's clearance like for flipper switches? Looks like flipper leaf switches if put in proper location along with plunger in the correct position that this will be an issue?
gStAv Posted July 13, 2014 Posted July 13, 2014 sorry for arriving so late to the party, but do this fancy gear use ones old plunger rod to get both analogue plunger AND real nudge? If so, I could get rid of my old xpadder and still be able nudge + use my allread installed plunger!!! Sign me up for one!
zebulon Posted July 13, 2014 Author Posted July 13, 2014 Sorry for the late reply guys, I steppedaway from the internet for a bit there yesterday.... randr brings up a good point thatI'll be verifying today. As it sits, the unit is as wide as the distance between the 2 mounting screws in a standard plunger assembly, in other words, 39mm (1 1/2"). It will be tight, but should still work. I'll dig out that old cabinet I have stuffed at the back of the shop to verify this and get some pics. In a worst case scenario (long fliiper button shafts) the unit can be rotated 45% on the rod assembly to give more clearance. alternate mount.bmp And yes, it can be retrofitted to any standard plunger assembly that you may already have in your cab. I'll do a video of the assembly process, but it really just boils down to removing whatever else you may have attached to the plunger and pressing this unit on in its place. The only issue that I have come across is that the older nanotech plungers were cut down in length so it may be necessary to remove the spring retaining clip on those plungers in order to get enough shaft insertion on the slide assembly to ensure that it satys attached. This unit also adds 1/2" to the length of the plunger inside the cab, so it may not work for those that have their playfield tvs tight to the plunger already.
randr Posted July 13, 2014 Posted July 13, 2014 I'm interested in one but I honestly feel in a cab where both flipper buttons and plunger are mounted in correct locations that it's not going to work. Let me know after you test!
zebulon Posted July 13, 2014 Author Posted July 13, 2014 There's exactly 5/8" between the side of the cab and the side of the housing in normal orientation (I used a front panel that I had cut up from a cab assembly so the measurement from the side is accurate but the measurement from the top down isn't) Based on the measurements I took from my flipper button on the test bed (1 3/8" button) you need 1/2" -5/8" clearance depending on your contact gap, (the test bed is using a 1/8" gap) when the button is mounted directly to the cabinet side (side armour would subtract roughly 1/16" from that). It's tight, but will work. I haven't got any of the leaf switch adapters here to test, so I'm going by standard leaf switches screwed directly to the cabinet sides. Obviously, if you were to enlarge the opening by 1/8" and shift the plunger inboard on the cabinet by that 1/8" it would be optimal. I can shave the side of the housing by 1/16" but any further than that would likely make the housing flimsy.
randr Posted July 13, 2014 Posted July 13, 2014 Looks like it will "work" smaller housing would be better but that's nit picking if the thing works as good as you say! Great job zeb.
zebulon Posted July 14, 2014 Author Posted July 14, 2014 Nothing I can do about making the housing any smaller but, hot off the cnc... and yes, it would be a great candidate for injection molding and if anyone would like to commit to 5-10,00 of them I'll happily look into it...
Administrators Wildman Posted July 14, 2014 Administrators Posted July 14, 2014 Damm thats some nice CNC work Zeb ..Nice job man
zebulon Posted July 14, 2014 Author Posted July 14, 2014 Thanks Wildman. Turns out the cnc missed some steps so I'll have to slow the feedrate down and redo them, it's a fairly intricate design with pockets inside of pockets and with the styling grooves I can't do too much sanding so I'm trying to find that 'sweet spot' where the cutter doesn't skip around too much.
Mameman Posted July 15, 2014 Posted July 15, 2014 Pinball life are offering a 3d printing service these days, begging for a reason to buy one myself Www.xtremepinball.com
zebulon Posted July 15, 2014 Author Posted July 15, 2014 LOL...yeah, I've looked at those too. I think they're a double edged sword though. You can design and prototype exactly what you want, but then the trick is to find someone that will run them off for a reasonable price in small batches. The time and material involved in this design makes it cost prohibitive to get them 3d printed. I could see me being very frustrated with a 3d printer in that I'd have great designs that I couldn't get produced.
Content Provider unclewilly Posted July 16, 2014 Content Provider Posted July 16, 2014 So this is my question, as I was going to install the original nanotech plunger in my cab tomorrow or the next day. Would it be better for me to just wait until these are ready? It looks as if it may need more space then the nanotech, and I don't want to cut unnecessary holes in my cab
zebulon Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 The plunger dimensions are 1 1/2" high x 1 1/4" wide x 5 5/16" long and mounts in the standard plunger opening if that helps you determine the location.
Content Provider unclewilly Posted July 17, 2014 Content Provider Posted July 17, 2014 Cool. I'm gonna hold off on installing the nanotech. Please put one aside for me. I'll grab it as soon as they are ready
zebulon Posted July 17, 2014 Author Posted July 17, 2014 Just finishing machining the housings today and putting one together from scratch. If all goes well (which it should shouldn't it? ) I'll be starting to take orders by the weekend.
jadflat Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 This looks awesome! I'll take one, maybe two Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2
zebulon Posted July 17, 2014 Author Posted July 17, 2014 Well, after 10hrs of milling (I can just imagine the power bill next month).... A full 1/4" narrower so clearance issues are non-existent in standard cab locations. So here's where we're at.... While I have full confidence in the performance of the plunger, I'm still hesitant to do a general release until it has had some real world testing. I don't want to get into a situation where I have sent a gigillion of these out there and then find a flaw in the performance or coding that I couldn't test for here (not having a cab has its limitations). I don't want to tread on the path others before me have paved. What I need are 8 guinea pigs of the finest caliber (already have 2), willing to go forth with the spring-loaded-dildo-of-doom that I have created and whomp the hell out of it. Some might call this beta testing....I like to think of it as heading off trouble at the pass. I'm offering plungers to the first 8 brave souls that respond to this (and meet the criteria) for $125 plus shipping (including the plunger rod, $100 without). The only caveat that I have is that I need the feedback on the good and the bad, and that you be somewhat comfortable with loading software through the arduino IDE (if we need to fix code...goodness, the cat's out of the bag.....as I don't want to be shipping these things back and forth to make revisions.) I wish I could just offer up 8 of these for free to the testers but unfortunately this project has been a huge investment both in time and money and the reality of the situation is that I'm way too over-extended with this one to be in a position to do that. Obviously, if there is a major flaw you will receive a brand spanking new replacement from any revision batch that we need to make, I'm too far gone investment-wise in this thing to give up at any point. If I stroke out over this then the insurance money will be the source of your refund. I'll start a thread on my site in the forums for the testers to make their reports in, which will be open for all to view, so that I can localize the info for my use in overcoming any possible issues. Beta report thread can be found here....... http://www.zebsboards.com/index.php/forum/up/70-plunger-beta-test-reports Once I have the funding I can order in the parts and we can be rocking....I figure I can start shipping as early as the end of next week. Testers waiting for commital (or something like that... ) : ArcadesRfun...nice guy, probably works harder than I do....(of course those kittens and cats in the youtube videos work harder than I do) Maxxsinner....(questionably competent but will do in a pinch after last call).... Uncle Willy.....you can infer what you like from his name.... gtxJoe.........I got nuthin' for this one.... jadflat....be easier to think up a smart comment if it was flat JD...but who mixes JD anyway?... randr....he's gonna re-use and recycle a plunger (lame I know, getting tired)... loafmeister.....need I say more?... SirCheddar....Cheesed off with customs.... Dazz Peabo Lightpin NeoHusky and that should be a good base to start with. 0 available
Content Provider unclewilly Posted July 17, 2014 Content Provider Posted July 17, 2014 I'd be willing to test, but I'd definately need a walk through for loading software
zebulon Posted July 17, 2014 Author Posted July 17, 2014 That parts easy....no worries there. I'll make a list in the post above so everyone knows where we are at.
Content Provider gtxjoe Posted July 17, 2014 Content Provider Posted July 17, 2014 I am willing to be part of the beta test group. I am comfortable with update firmware and helping debug Joe
Content Provider unclewilly Posted July 17, 2014 Content Provider Posted July 17, 2014 Just let me know where to send funds. Just happy someone developed a plunger that will work right. The nanotech blows
zebulon Posted July 17, 2014 Author Posted July 17, 2014 I'll get everyone to order through my site once we get closer to target...keeps the gov't happy and the shipping calculator can do the hard work for me. Thanks guys!
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