My vPin journey.

[clownnut]

Where to start. Before 11/2020, i have never see or touch a real pinball machine (i still havent do either, thanks covid). 
11/04/2020 i was able to pick up an arcade1up starwars cab shell for cheap, i was searching for parts to see if i can finish the build. arcade1up CS cant help, facebook groups came up zero. apparently everyone love their starwars cab or no one break theirs. 
so i was search for idea what to do with this cab, then one day, one of my best buddy came over to play some arcade one, then he mention, he play a lot of pinball when he was younger.  light bulb moment.

[clownnut]

After looking through pics on google and some videos on youtube. i decided to do a vertical vpinball, a week later.

[clownnut]

the build came together fairly quick, since i already got most the parts left over from other hobbies.

[clownnut]

well, after like 2 days, i change my mind about a single screen.
and it was fun, i think this became the most play unit over all within 1 month.
i have zero pinball experience, i still enjoy it a lot. even my boys love it.
 

[clownnut]

well, i invite my buddy and his family come over for xmas.
he enjoy the vertical pinball, we had a small completion on AFM. 
i know i was hook from that point on.

[clownnut]

well, since i am completely out of space in my basement. 
i decide to take the pinball a little bit further, to get a little more "real".
so i decide to put the oculus headset to use(since quest 2, the headset just sit there.)
i know i want to make sure it can be use anywhere in the house(for the quest 2), so i made this vr pinsim. everything is run on 2x20k power bank.
2 continuous solenoids and 40w speakers for ssf. 
i was able to beat the grand master's score on AFM with this vr pinsim.
well, at that moment i know i want something more... 

[clownnut]

better to ask for forgiveness than permission kinda thing. so after reading some threads on vpinball, vpforums and vpuniverse, watch a lot of videos on youtube. i started with my comfort zone, the pc build.
my first non-rgb air cooled build ever.

[clownnut]

i started to collect parts. a very nice local pinball fan give me a set of rusty pinball legs. 
so i start to learn how to refinish pinball legs, it's about the same if you count the hours and work you have to put into refinish a set of legs compare to buying them.
24 hours acid bath, follow by a lot of sanding.
3 coats of filler primer,
5 coats of black chrome automotive paint
3 coats of automotive clear protective coat
(sorry forgot to take before picture. they were rusty.)

[clownnut]

Since i am doing a 3/4 size cab, I dont want to order a custom lockdown bar, just in case it didnt work out, so i found a thread on vpforums and got a stl file from thingiverse. 
a crap ton of sanding again.
i think i did 8 coats of filler primer with more sanding in between coat.
5 coats of black chrome
3 coats of clear
not perfect, but it will do the job. 
total cost around $25 (not counting the time)

[clownnut]

Finally, Minnesota have a few warm days i can jump start my cab.
day 1-2
as inexperience to pinball, i bought a large coin door. i didnt think it through as how big that door is in relative to my cab. 
so force to offset the door and place all my buttons and plungers on the same side.
i use the dimension from a friend from facebook group as start and modify them as needed.
 

 

[clownnut]

day 3
moving forward, i decide to upgrade the psu to modular and use the non-modular one to power the ssf system.
test fit the pc, cutting it close. i 3d printed some bracket to mount the pc in place.
 

[clownnut]

day 4

no 6' rule here lol
test fit all the buttons.
more 3d printed part.

[clownnut]

Day 5-6
just the boring part, paint the cab and watch the print dry. 
test the legs with 3d printed leg protectors

[clownnut]

Time to throw everything togather. 

[Thalamus]

Mistake by day 4. Arcade buttons ? No no no no no no. If those are flippers - picture doesn't really tell me if they are at that point in the build.

[clownnut]

all monitors fits, thank god lol.
after the sound test, apparently i need 3 ground isolators. 
preparing the kl25z. 

 

[clownnut]

I came from the reef hobby side, so i ordered a starphire tempered glass to get extra clarity. 

[clownnut]

6 minutes ago, Thalamus said:

Mistake by day 4. Arcade buttons ? No no no no no no. If those are flippers - picture doesn't really tell me if they are at that point in the build.

yeah those are flippers. i am tight on space so i decide to go with arcade buttons instead. i dont know what's the different between using the long leaf vs standard arcade button. is there an advantage from one to the other?

[clownnut]

after the wrap.

[Thalamus]

For a pinball player. There is a distinct feel to real leaf flipper buttons vs arcade. I would go mad playing your cab, but, I think it looks very nice though. Needs a real tilt bob. Haven't seen that yet. If I where to build my machine again, I would go for double leaf switches. Or I should say. I will most probably at one point change the one I've got. Double leaf makes it possible to hold a traped ball while flipping the upper one if the button isn't pressed fully.

[clownnut]

i 3d printed as much as i can on this build, since that give me flexibility to make adjustment as needed compare to buy them.

fan grills
speaker covers
leg protector
kl25z holder
mounting brackets
potentiometer holder
 

[clownnut]

9 minutes ago, Thalamus said:

For a pinball player. There is a distinct feel to real leaf flipper buttons vs arcade. I would go mad playing your cab, but, I think it looks very nice though. Needs a real tilt bob. Haven't seen that yet. If I where to build my machine again, I would go for double leaf switches. Or I should say. I will most probably at one point change the one I've got. Double leaf makes it possible to hold a traped ball while flipping the upper one if the button isn't pressed fully.

ooh, i will look into replacement them. i have to order a couple to see if they can fit. 
i have zero pinball experience, i didnt know you can do the trapped ball and still play the upper flipper thing. i have a small tile bob not the full size but it will do the job i think. lol

[clownnut]

PC spec:
ryzen 2600x
aorus B450 M
16G 3200 ram
1tb M.2
GTX 1070 (upgrade from the picture RX 570)

32" 4k Playfield
23" 1080P back glass
14.9" monitor as DMD.

sound system
4 exciters(DAEX25)
2 180w speakers facing the back(i added those thought the front facing speakers might not do the job, i was wrong, i dont need them at all)
2 5w speakers facing the player.
1 600w subwoofer.

[Thalamus]

Sweet machine, except for those small little things that I would have added. Nice job.

[mrorange]

That's an awesome cabinet.  It's nice to have a cabinet that looks nice on the outside, but a clean cable management on the inside is important too.  You nailed both.

 

@Thalamus  I went with arcade buttons at first, but the forums quickly convinced me to go with leaf switches for the flippers.  You're right, there is a huge difference in feel between microswitch and leaf switch.  I currently have single leaf switches.  Is there a difference in feel going from single to double leaf?