Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[CitroJim]

That's starting to look awesome Zel

[Zelandeth]

It's starting to get a bit busier in here.



Let's say hello to the interface board. I've been referring to this as the Pinscape controller, which technically isn't actually accurate. It's a Pinscape *compatible* controller. The Pinscape is actually a specific open-source project based around an NXP KL25Z microcontroller board, which runs the Pinscape software. The creator makes available the necessary resources to make all of the hardware yourself, but there are a few companies making ready-to-go assemblies like this. This one came from Cleveland Software Designand even including shipping from the US was probably cheaper than I could build it myself by the time I'd scrounged up all the parts and had the boards made.



This has been mounted on the panel that I believe the original mains transformer would have sat on. It wants to be near to the front of the machine and solidly mounted to ensure that the accelerator is able to get the most accurate readings.

This little board does quite a lot for us, providing the I/O for the following:

[] 14 button inputs.
[] Potentiometer input for ball launch plunger.
[] 12 PWM controlled outputs.
[] 2 Non PWM outputs.
[] Accelerometer.

As far as power goes in the cabinet I'm trying to make my life easier in future by using consistent colours for the DC side. Yellow for 12V, red for 5V and once we have it, orange for 24V. This will also be labelled inside the cabinet once we're done. Black will obviously be DC ground. Mains will be contained in separate looms and will be our usual blue/brown/green & yellow or white sheathed three core flex.

The board will have its own 12V DC supply added before we get any solenoids installed as I don't want to risk back EMF ending up on the PC's 12V rail, but for now I'm just stealing 12V from there as we're not ready to fit them yet. I do want to bring the PC 12V to the front of the table anyway as I'll be running both the coin slot illumination (which will double as our power indicator) and two intakes fans I'll soon install on the base of the table.

Initially I thought I was going to need to go shopping for cable today before remembering I still had this bunch sitting in the leftovers bag. Just about any colour I can think of in there, and in weights absolutely fine for our intended purpose. It's nice to reuse original parts where I can anyway.



I'm not worrying too much about wiring tidiness at this stage and am keeping things pretty slack. I'll trim ends, route cables tidily and loom things together where appropriate once the layout of everything is finalised.

Of those 12 inputs so far we've only used two - for the flippers.



As promised by the creators, it basically Just Worked. The Pinscape configuration tool loaded the software onto the KL25Z board in a couple of button clicks, and then the inputs configured in a couple of minutes. The controller encodes button presses either as keyboard or joystick/gamepad button presses. In this case they are being passed to the PC as left/right keyboard shift key presses. All of the inputs can be assigned to any key press or button you like. The accelerometer is handled really simply as well, the X/Y input being delivered to the PC by pretending to be a joystick. It's a clever way of doing it. The outputs are a little different, being handled by some software called the Direct Output Framework - which allows specific devices when triggered in the software to also activate your desired devices.

Time for a test run.



Managed to last all of about 90 seconds on the first attempt. That's about normal for this thing though. It is an evil table. Brilliant but evil. One of Steve Ritchie's works of genius - and with a little practice it is immensely satisfying to play.

This one also shows why I like the idea of having the central display behind the red cover, as when you're playing a game that doesn't use it, it really does just disappear.

On the subject of scale, here's a demonstration of how close to the real size our simulated tables are. Here's a close up of the pop bumpers on Eight Ball Deluxe with the outer ring of one from the real table for comparison.





Pretty close!

An area which computer games always struggled for years was lighting - and the various blinking lights on the playfield here would tend to just be areas that got brighter, not looking like they were being lit by actual lamps - we really do seem to have got past that now - here's a close look at a few on the lower playfield of the same table. Note how the ones which are lit with the more clear covers look like there are actual bulbs behind them.





A similar shot of the playfield on Medusa also shows how well the lighting is rendered.



Even if the camera has blown that one out a bit, you get the idea. It's small details like that which really do help make your brain forget that it's a screen you're looking at to some extent.

Probably not going to get a chance to work on this again for a few days as we've got guests staying until the middle of the week, but we're definitely making decent progress.

[CitroJim]

I'm rather enjoying this Zel And liking the more traditional table you're showing here...

[Zelandeth]

A little CAD was done today to get a slightly better idea of what the table will look like once there are no longer gaping great holes in it.



Having the glass in place will make a massive difference as well but I'm not even thinking about getting that yet as I don't want to have to manhandle a 21 by 42" sheet of glass (or find somewhere to put it) any more often than I have to - so waiting until everything else is done I think makes the most sense.

A small detail which has been revived is the coin door illumination.



Aside from just looking better this also doubles as a useful visual power indicator.

There is no evidence of this coin door ever having been fitted with a chute on the third slot (which is why there are only two lamps), I think the third price plate there has just been stuffed in there to fill the gap by someone at some point.



So I'll be removing the odd one out there and replacing it with a proper blanking plate as would originally have been fitted. Like so.

I randomly stumbled across a pair of buttons which will also be getting added to the coin door soon to act as our start and add credit controls.



These will be positioned with the start button on the right of the coin slots (this is actually where the start button was as standard on this table) and I'll be putting the credit button where the coin reject button used to be on the left. The stainless steel should look pretty inconspicuous against the chromed bezel they'll be sitting in.

-- -- --

Here's a random aside I've been meaning to mention for a while. This is - very much at the end of its life - basically the first adult's bike I owned.

It was given to my father in the late 80s, but he never did anything with it. So in the mid 90s when I got big enough to ride it, I adopted it. I then proceeded to do literally thousands of miles on it over the next 15 years or so. This was during the period where we didn't really have two pennies to rub together so there were plenty of bodges present, and it really suffered for having been stored outside...and used year round even through Aberdeenshire winters. It was then forgotten about at the back of my folks garden when I moved into Aberdeen. Between that, old age and simply being worn out it really was pretty wrecked by the time it made it down here. Not helped either by my father having attempted to help out by repainting it, badly. It was basically beyond saving without stupid amounts of work. That was finally decided when scrap metal thieves nicked the remains from around back of the house before the garden was sorted out and fences installed. I do still have the badge from it, but that's it.

I would like one day to get hold of another one, ideally as near to what that would have looked like back in it's heyday before it was worked into the ground. I know we have a couple of people here likely to randomly stumble across things like this either through folks they know or at auctions etc so it seemed worth putting the "I'm looking for one of these" notices out here while I remembered.

[CitroJim]

I would like one day to get hold of another one, ideally as near to what that would have looked like back in it's heyday before it was worked into the ground. I know we have a couple of people here likely to randomly stumble across things like this either through folks they know or at auctions etc so it seemed worth putting the "I'm looking for one of these" notices out here while I remembered.

I may just be able to help you there Zel. I know of a person who rescues and restores bikes like those...

I'm sure Mick will find you one in an auction very soon too

[mickthemaverick]

I'll keep a lookout Zel, it appears to be a 5 speed 27" wheeled Carlton. Is that an old Raleigh model?

Edit: https://ebay.us/m/SZOOQt

[Zelandeth]

That does look very similar in everything aside from colour. I never knew there was a Raleigh connection before, but I guess it's not really a surprise during that time period.

[mickthemaverick]

What colour was yours before your Dad painted it?

[Zelandeth]

What colour was yours before your Dad painted it?

Photos above are in the original colours - deep metallic green with yellow and white details, aside from the front forks which were silver. It ended up a poorly applied far more vivid green in the end. He'd also gone after it with a power sander to get rid of the surface rust - and of course being a really light steel alloy (the exact composition of which escapes me right now) that just took huge gouges out of it all over. How light it was for a bike of that age is something I still remember.

[mickthemaverick]

That does look very similar in everything aside from colour. I never knew there was a Raleigh connection before, but I guess it's not really a surprise during that time period.

Carlton were a maker in their own right, bought out by Raleigh in the 60's I believe!

[RichardW]

It appears to be a 68/69 Carlton Clubman - catalogue extract below (which can be found on carltoncyclyes.uk )

Doesn't say but probably Reynolds 531 tubing - lightweight Cro-Moly and still in use today for those that like to stick to steel frames (there are plenty, me among them - although my current one is Reynolds 725 which is even thinner than 531! - but you can go thinner still with the 900 series tubing).

Bit of a narrow range on the gears, must have been a bit hardwork up hills!

[Zelandeth]

We now have more buttons. Add credit on the left (used to be coin reject), and start game on the right (where it used to be).

I reckon that blends in pretty well and you'd never notice unless you actually knew the arrangement that would have been there on a Bally coin door of this era. Random photo from the internet to show the original setup.

Yes, I will be replacing the missing decal in due course.

It appears to be a 68/69 Carlton Clubman - catalogue extract below (which can be found on carltoncyclyes.uk )

Doesn't say but probably Reynolds 531 tubing - lightweight Cro-Moly and still in use today for those that like to stick to steel frames (there are plenty, me among them - although my current one is Reynolds 725 which is even thinner than 531! - but you can go thinner still with the 900 series tubing).

Bit of a narrow range on the gears, must have been a bit hardwork up hills!

That looks to be the one. Wasn't the easiest on hills, but equally I didn't know anything else at the time. The only bike I'd had before that didn't have any gears.

It couldn't half shift going down them though - I did get a scolding from the village copper for breaking the speed limit coming down this hill into Rothienorman one afternoon...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NKQaBFQXGhTyUqQMA?g_st=ac

[CitroJim]

Here's hoping your new P4 never suffers this fate Zel!

Borrowed From Facebook...

[Zelandeth]

Here's hoping your new P4 never suffers this fate Zel!

Let's hope not! The humiliation of having to deal with getting dragged home like that once per decade is quite enough!

At least the P4 should generally be easier to diagnose at the roadside if I should ever need to. Plus it's generally a lower stressed design than the P6. Having a second fuel pump as standard, well over two gallons of coolant in the system and not far off the same of oil also help with the ability to limp home (or at least to a safe haven) in the case of issues. I'd be lying if I didn't say I'd probably rather not have the electronic ignition though - that's something I've never had great luck with on cars where it's been retrofitted and is something which can leave you stranded at the side of the road without warning. It's also the only thing preventing me from undoing the negative earth conversion at the moment.

[CitroJim]

Yes, fully agree about aftermarket electronic ignition Zel. Back in the day it was never all that reliable in my experience. The modern 123 one that fully replaces the distributor seems OK though but at a price. I'd stick to points and positive earth - especially if you have plans to get its wireless working...