![]() I can't really explain it, so look at the pictures. Same idea, except that the whole piece is turned on it's side so that the original U is on the right side of the unit and hooks in to hold the ball, and the ends are both mounted on the left side. I used a longer piece of steel wire to make this shape. The ball fits nicely inside and won't fall out. Then fold U over the cylinder to form the cage. For the left and right, just bend them in the middle to form a U shape. To make the cages, I straightened out some paper clips and bent them into shape using my fingers and a small cylinder (a pen works). The cages are all wired to ground and the contacts are wired to the appropriate inputs of the encoder. The contact is another piece of paper clip that the ball strikes. I have several 1/2" steel balls that fit quite well on cages made from paper clips and wire. I just came across a terminal strip that I thought I might be able to put to good use. This closes the circuit to activate the 'Enter' key on the I-PAC VE. This is because the plunger microswitch is always active until the plunger is pulled. Note: This microswitch is wired Normally Closed, whereas all other switches and buttons are Normally Open. This configuration should let the switch last longer than having a rigid mount. This small spring sits in a hole in a piece of scrap wood that is mounted above the switch. I also drilled a small hole into the top of the switch for a screw to retain the spring. I cut and drilled the nylon guitar pick to form a washer for the switch to pivot on. ![]() I then made the microswitch mount using scrap wood, a guitar pick, and a small spring. This gives a much smoother feel and is sturdier than having the bolt travel through the wood alone. I have 2 - 5/16 tee-nuts inserted in the face and inside of the controller that act as a sleeve for the plunger. This program is also free.įor the plunger, I found a long bolt, some springs, washers, and a plastic 'nut' to strike the microswitch. I use the the flippers to scroll through the games and the Start button to select. No need to have the keyboard out if you just want to play pinball. With the front end running, all navigation and controls can be done from the pinball controller. A front end is basically just a pinball game launcher that makes the whole experience a little more fun, but it is not needed to play these games. I use PinballX, which works great for my needs. A front end is also a nice addition to the setup. There are some great tutorials over at VPForums, so check it out and have a blast! This software is free, by the way. Visual Pinball can be tricky to get set up, but once it is, there's nothing else like it. These emulators and tables can be found at, among other places on the net. screws and hardware to put everything together 9 - Scrap wood for plunger switch mount 10 - Drill, bits, screw driver(s), and any other tools that are appropriate for the job -UPDATE- Nudge sensor build parts: 11 - 3 Ball bearings - 1/2" 12 - 5 Paper clips - large (have several spares on hand) 13 - 6-Position European-Style Mini Terminal Strip (or whatever you have available) 14 - Rocker switch (or any on/off switch to turn the sensor on or off) You will also want to have Visual Pinball and/or Future Pinball installed on your PC with your favorite tables. 4 - Springs (one larger one for the plunger, one smaller one for the plunger recoil, and one tiny one for the plunger microswitch) 5 - long bolt, washers, nuts 6 - Microswitch for the plunger 7 - Wire, crimp connectors (or solder) 8 - misc. ![]() You can get authentic arcade leaf switches and pushbuttons from several different sources. The leaf switches give an authentic pinball feel, whereas the standard microswitch pushbuttons click when you press them. I used 9) - I had a few old arcade buttons from a machine I stripped several years ago. Look into different options that will work best for you. There are other keyboard and gamepad encoders that will also work for this project. If you need it quicker, go for the non-VE version and pay for shipping. It's perfect if you don't mind waiting a while for the free shipping option. 2 - Keyboard Encoder - I used an I-PAC VE from. 1 - A box of an appropriate size (I found an old drawer that I modified) or you can build your own.
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