Dragon's Lair Arcade Game!

Things You've Made
121

Stunning. Excellent detail with the coin slots and graphics. I am in the process of making a prototype, just working out the Raspberry Pi emulator & audio side of things to make it repeatable for sale here in SA. Having to make from 16mm material as that is the only thickness T-binding available here. What are you powering yours with? Did you go with a PC, Raspberry or other?

Did my learning curve with my jukebox. Also Raspberry powered using the excellent ‘fruitbox’ software.

20180413_210510
20180413_2105103024×4032 2.15 MB

On a side note, you have way too many shoes (looking in the background…sorry). I am going to make a rack for both my pairs of crocs.

8 Likes
122

HAHAHA Those aren’t mine! Actually that photo was taken at my friend’s house that ended up with the cabinet. He has a pretty big family!

It’s powered by real hardware from the original cabinet. I replaced the laser disc with a Dexter player, but the PCB is all original. Also, Pie is easy to get running, if ya need any help there don’t hesitate to ask! I’d probably go with retropie since it’s the most supported. Also will allow you to boot directly into the frontend, or single boot directly into a specific game, so you don’t have all the logos etc when starting up. Has more of a real arcade startup.

You weren’t able to source any 16mm tmolding? Not even sure they make it. But I do know they make it in many sizes. Worth some research I suppose.

Love that jukebox! I’d LOVE to have a wurlitzer jukebox or replica or something simular but I was never able to find any ‘roll yer own’ plans. Blah! You did a killer job on that! Looks amazing!

123

Thank you Will, Yes we were very proud, one of our one and only Father son projects. My son wanted a juke box for his 21st birthday so we decided to make one. 1 week start to finish working at night. He was well chuffed and it went down well with immediate ‘orders’ from party goers, all made from second hand parts from Cash Crusaders. PC Screen, PA Speakers with damaged casings, old hi-fi amp.

No design whats so ever as we too could not find any available designs, just winged it from photos of the originals. First time working with Bendy ply to get the curves on top but very happy with the outcome. Buttons were a bit rushed being clear perspex painted from the back, but the led changing lights worked out nicely.

I keep meaning to make up drawings from this prototype to make another, but other projects keep catching my eye…like the arcade machine, and would love to try a pin ball machine, but that looks hectically involved, making the bumpers etc. So many interesting projects, so little time.

Thanks for the offer on Retropie, I think I am leaning that way so lets see where that ends up. My lowrider is in boxes at the moment due to space needed for business, so need to set that up again when things clear.

2 Likes
124

Well it turned out amazing! And you have inspired me to at some point give it a go myself!

If I can ever offer you any help with a cabinet, I have designed quite a few during this pandemic. Trying my best to figure out what works and what doesn’t. I have what seems like a full line of arcade machines
to offer in my arsenal when this inflation and wood costs go back down haha

As far as pinball goes… Get this… I have plans for the old william’s style pins, you’d just have to make your cut files and double check it with your wood thickness before cutting. That’s the easy part, and here’s the mind blowing part. There are actually some amazing virtual pinball frontends out there that play REAL pin roms and play just like the real thing. You put a LCD in the play field, then another in the marquee area. They’re really advanced and was considering building one of my own.

Give this a watch!

3 Likes
125

I have seen the virtual pinball concept in my research and would love to see one in real life to get a feel for it. I have to admit I am tempted. A simple enough construction as it is all cabinet and no real complex electronics. Some of the videos I saw are great. Maybe I will stick my toe in the water and try some of the games before building the cabs.

Love the old Williams style pins that may be the clincher.

I think I have to give this deeper consideration. I do have a spare i7 and a 1060 3GB graphics card so could be persuaded to give it a go and see how the graphics look. Just have to decide what size screen to go with.

1 Like
126

You wouldn’t be the first to try that here. I think they are very interesting and seem very worth the effort. They don’t seem like they are perfect replicas. But they are a lot easier to change out the game. And a lot less fiddly.

I don’t really have room for either right now though.

1 Like
127

You definitely have to document your build if you do it!! I’d love to watch that unfold!

I’m working on designing a bartop, that’s in the shape of a donkey kong cabinet right now. Like a mini donkey kong, basically from the control panel up and hella mini scaled. I’m thinking of mounting a 13.3" LCD in it vertically. We’ll see. It’s kinda been a long journey but recently I picked it back up, and have made some nice progress with it. Of course, I’ll document that build on another thread, just as soon as Ryan sets us up an arcade thread hint hint haha Just kidding… ish…

1 Like
128

That’s the thread! I was trying to find it, good looking out man!!!

I’ve always wanted a pin. I thought the VPins would be a great idea, but I just haven’t taken that plunge either. Not sure I have the room for it myself, because… In my time of inactivity on the forums, I’ve been restoring some of my other machines. Getting boardsets sent off for repair, restoring cabinets etc. And just haven’t had alot of desire to spend $100 per sheet of cabinet grade ply. But I got some stuff done that I had been putting off, and the house is filling up with arcade machines… Again… And my wife isn’t happy at all about that but it’s fine really. She’ll come around.

129

Good luck with Donkey Kong Will, and Jeff, sometimes, you just have to make space if its worth it.

As I said in one of my previous posts, ‘My wife said either the Low Rider goes or she does’ - I am going to miss her, she was a good wife. (laughs nervously, checking over his shoulder in case she might see what he wrote. Nothing more dangerous than an angry wife with a hot iron in her hand. I think that is why they do not make cordless irons, so they cannot be thrown at husbands easily.)

I spent all of last night looking at the depth of detail these visual pinball tables can have. …and how much money that can go into them. Talk about an obsessive hobby, I thought MPCNC and low riders were an obsessive compulsive interest, but this is a new level. All different interfaces, and power supplies. Solenoids to mimic the actual feel of a real table when the digital solenoids activate, exciters, shakers, lighting and other feedbacks, multi screens etc etc. And talk about learning a new language and terminology, this is a seriously multilayer hobby/obsession, and forget what I said in my last post about no serious electronics, there is almost as much wiring as a real table. Amazing. Check out this guys build - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc7P1rMIgCI

3 Likes
130

Thanks! I can’t wait to get started and show y’all!

And WOW! I’m telling you these virtual pins are incredible. I remember when they first started creating the software for them, and to look back at that, then what they’re actually doing with them NOW? It’s just amazing stuff. I’d love to play on one with all the bumpers and solenoids etc. I bet it would be alot of fun. At one point I had started pricing the parts, like legs and glass, etc. It’s relatively cheap (ish) to get to the point of a working machine. I say, when you get yours built, we’ll all come over for some beer and pinball :smiley:

1 Like
131

They even have a nudge, you can see the ball move when you knock the machine, I mean, come on, what sort of attention to detail is that. Amazing.

I just have to find a way to fund it without my dearly beloved ‘handbrake’ finding out. Looking at the cost to import some of the parts that are not available over here. Pricing a 43" 4K screen and that will hurt. Might be one of those things to start, then upgrade as you go along and add on as the mood takes you.

You are more than welcome to come over and give it a try if it works out. Cape Town is lovely all times of the year and the beer is ALWAYS cold and good and lots of it. We’ll even stick the rib smoker on (another of my favourite toys).

3 Likes
132

Agreed. But also, priorities. I will build one someday. Maybe a good winter project when all the bike trails are soggy and covered in snow.

1 Like
133

HAHA @ Handbrake

CNC, Arcades, Cold beer and Smoking Meats… Now that’s just my jam!

1 Like
134

Nope, change of idea having spent another night obsessing over it. As amazing as the Visual pinballs are, I am being tempted in the wrong direction. The idea is to expand my knowledge and building experience SO I am going with making a good old fashioned mechanical pinball table for the following reasons -

1 Because I can. or hope I can. I have the tools, 3d printer, cnc machine etc.

2 No Massive cost outlay on 4k screens, video cards etc.

3 The challenge of making pop bumpers and flippers etc. electro-mechanical. Make, test, break, redesign, repeat.

4 The challenge of programming, maybe from scratch, who knows, good old Python and an arduino or raspberry or similar. I have got my brain around Python so think I can make something useable with a bit more learning.

5 That it can be expanded as I learn more so could have a basic working table that will be a good test bed on whether the DIY components are going to last, if Not I at least then have the option to throw money at commercially available parts knowing at least I tried.

6 The actual cabinet only needs to be started once I have managed to get working electro-mechanicals so no nagging on taking up space until its a living thing.

The beauty of doing this is that I can do it piece by piece. Start - Make a working Pop bumper, then a flipper, then get it to talk to an Arduino etc. Baby steps, like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

Soo, thats it, my final answer. I have found a few designs on Thingiverse for pop bumpers so will see if any of them can be made to work reliably and sustainable.

Anyone got any advice on solenoids?

3 Likes
135

No advice on solenoids, but if you like Python, take a look at micropython. They have firmware for a lot of microcontrollers. It allows you to use python to control them instead of arduino code.

1 Like
136

Thanks David, I will take a look at that. At the moment, “Mission Pinball Framework” (MPF) has caught my eye. It has a lot of the low level programming for the pinball hardware already done but not sure on what it can be run on. Still requires some python programming but not having to start from scratch. Makes sense to consider use a base that someone has already done the ground work on. Just needs customising but I will know a bit more once I have gone through their introduction tutorial.

137

For mechanicals and electronics, check out the Ben Heck show on Element14.com. They’re an electronics retailer, but he had a show that used a lot of 3D printing and CNC to build fun, interesting projects. One of his long-running projects was a mechanical pinball prototyping environment that he reworked several times. It may be a bit dated now, but might spark some ideas.
Build Your Own Pinball

1 Like
138

Wow, I watched that video. The electronics seem just advanced enough I feel confident I could figure it out…and building custom table parts… Seems like a good mix or programming, electronics, and hardware. AWESOME

I am envisioning a blank playing field that gets slowly populated with new parts, then when it is all said and done rebuild it perfectly and make the wires pretty.

On the flip side, a massive project that will take a long time.

139

That’s exactly how he approaches it in the shop project videos he does. I think he calls it a “pinball prototyping environment” at one point.

1 Like
140

That was one of the videos I watched Tom, that made me think towards a real table rather than visual pinball. You are right, prototyping is what appeals to me the most. Ben Heck concentrates more on the electronic side though and I felt glossed over the mechanical side a bit.

Ryan, I am thinking “sprawl technology” (a more casual form of prototyping.) Develop it as you go until you are happy it is worth finishing. You don’t even need to ruin a full sheet of ply until you are happy you have the basic parts developed.

Hey, with Covid not looking like its going anywhere any time soon, what better way to keep amused. I can totally see myself disappear down this rabbit hole.

I have ordered some solenoids to start experimenting to get the ball rolling. Let the learning curve begin.

2 Likes