My Galaxy black pinball build

[Felsir]

I haven't posted my setup yet- so here is my build journey so far. Unfortunately I didn't take that many pics during the build process itself.

Before I started this build I build several MAME Arcade cabinets- so I knew a bit about woodworking. I was confident I could create the physical build. The software on the other hand was what needed some 'learning' so I prepared that part first:

 

 

• Videocard: Geforce GTX 1660Ti OC 6GB,
• Playfield: 43" LG 7000 series 4K
• Backglass: a cheap 32" 720p TV
• DMD: a 2nd life for an old 17" LCD monitor

 

So with the software up and running; time to cut some wood!

 

Yes, it's MDF, I know it is heavy. (also: yes I cut the wood outdoors). Most of the cuts were first coarse with a jigsaw, then routed precisely using the edge-copy bit. I used that method extensively when building my Vewlix cabinet where all parts have either rounded edges or needed multiple copies. Safety goggles and breathing mask advised when doing this with MDF.

The sides are also held together by dowels, no visible screws from the outside.

 

 

The wood is covered in vinyl wrap (3M 1080 Gloss Galaxy Black). It sparkles when light hits the surface. Since the cabinet is in the extension of my living room, my wife loves it that it is toned down when not in use (my initial plan was to have bright colors on the cab, but that got a veto from her- in hindsight, I'm happy with that choice, the cabinet looks great).

I also printed some labels for the buttons.

 

More sparkles! The flipper buttons are Ultimarc Goldleaf RGB pushbuttons. These are a perfect fit, and have RGB leds inside them. The width didn't match the dimensions of a real lockbar- so I routed one from a piece of wood and painted it glossy black. The glass slides into a recess in the lockbar keeping both locked in place.

 

 

The setup includes: 

 

• KL25Z board with Pinscape, controls the buttons, plunger, coin and nudge. (Wired the coin reject button also as Coin1- so you won't need to insert coins all the time).
• Plunger with potentiometer. I used a 3D printer to print the mount for it.
• Ultimarc I/O board for the illuminated buttons- RGB for flipper and magna. White for other buttons.
• Teensy with two side strips and a 60x8 RGB matrix (two 32x8 matrixes, configured for 60 wide to match the entire width of the playfield- excess LEDs is bend to the side so it's not visible. I didn't dare cutting that matrix to size...).
• 7.1 sound: 2 amps for SSF, with 4 exciter speakers, one 2.1 Logitech gaming set for game audio
• Smart power strip, so when the PC shuts down, the power is cut from the TVs and amps.
• Philips Hue lightstip for lighting underneath the cabinet. The Hue light is always powered so the ambient light can also be used without the cabinet being active. It is hooked to the DOF setup so it does react to the gameplay.

 

The current state looks like this:

 

 

So this is my gaming corner in house:

 

 

The Vewlix cabinet is also scratch build (documented here, if you're interested).

The TRON posters were also made by myself (based on existing designs, but I couldn't find high enough resolution files for printing), I made them available via my Google drive). 

 

[Oroborus77]

Really nice works. 

I didnt know it is possible to use Phillips HUE both with DOF and without DOF.

 

I like the vewlix too !

[Felsir]

3 hours ago, Oroborus77 said:

Really nice works. 

I didnt know it is possible to use Phillips HUE both with DOF and without DOF.

Yes, the Hue is just permanently connected to power. The lightstrip is not connected directly to any controller in the cab- it's just receiving commands over the Hue API via the bridge. The DOF config tool had "Hue" as a valid option; I followed this post for the authentication token and lamp identifier. The rest of the setup was quite simple.

When the cab is not in use- the stip simply takes the ordinary commands from my Hue setup.

 

3 hours ago, Oroborus77 said:

I like the vewlix too !

Thanks! 

[JFR1]

Very nice.  You ever spark up the Commodore 64?  I need to get my Gameboy back from GF's son and mount it like that.  

[Felsir]

The C64 still works- I have it since 1983.  I don't have a place to permanently set it up (there is a pinball machine in stead...) so I have the emulator running on the Vewlix cabinet with some of the more memorable games (Impossible Mission, Master of the Lamps, Katakis, Summer/Winter Games, Boulderdash, International Karate, etc). The frontend jumps straight into these and the buttons on the control panel illuminate nicely.

The Gameboy also works- but I was worried the batteries would leak if not used for some time- so I decided to frame the unit along with the Testris and Marioland cartridges. As with the C64, these are also emulated om the Vewlix. Same for both the framed Game & Watch Donkey Kong games.

 

[ToddH]

I also had to tone my cabinets down and went with just a black finish but I really like your vinyl wrap idea.  Going to check that out.  Any advice or pitfalls I should avoid?

[Felsir]

It is fairly straightforward; be sure to have the right tool: a felt squeegee which makes application smooth. Clean the surface first and work from one side to the other while peeling the protective paper. Leave enough overlap so you can fold the last bit over the edges; you can secure the last bit between the wooden parts. 

This video shows a similar process I did.

 

For the vinyl, check if it can "breathe" so you can push air out with the felt squeegee while applying. I tested a small part of vinyl first to get a feel for it.