17. Application and Implications¶
This week we needed to plan out remaining time, and answer a couple of questions about our final project.
Q&A¶
What will it do?¶
A pinball machine, or if there is not enough time, I will use my quiz button system as the final project.
Who has done what beforehand?¶
There are many hobbyist pinball machine makers out there. In Fab Academy, there have been a couple of components made previously, but mostly purely mechanical ones.
That design managed to create paddles and a bumper, but with really weak solenoids. I set out to remake them, but with powerful enough solenoids.
What will you design?¶
Paddle, bumper, ball feeder and a launching mechanism. First three are electromechanical, and the last one is just a spring on a stick. Solenoids. PCBs.
All parts, paddles, bumper etc. are designed from scratch. No mechanical component, other than nails and springs will be bought. The PCBs used for the electromechanical components will be made here, and the only bought fully functional electrical component will be the relays with an opto-isolator.
The thing that makes my pinball machine different from previous ones in Fab Academy is that I seems to be the only one that has strong enough solenoids to move the balls around.
The machine will contain two kinds of PCBs:
The main board which listen all the components and should keep track of the game state, including the score. This will poll the components using I2C, to see if anything has happened.
Bumper PCB that detects the ball, activates the solenoid and informs the main board via I2C if it has activated the solenoid.
What materials and components will be used?¶
Where will they come from?¶
| Component | Source |
|---|---|
| ATTiny412 | Fablab |
| RP2040 | Fablab |
| Plywood | Fablab |
| 3d printed stuff | Fablab |
| half inch pinball | Personal collection |
| Copper wire (for solenoids) | Fablab (otherwise solenoid come from my collection) |
| Relays | personal collection |
| Servomotor | Fablab |
How much will they cost?¶
The solenoids are gonna be expensive, even the copper itself in a solenoid is going to cost around 5-10 euros per solenoid. The total is going to be about 100€. The detailed list will come later.
What parts and systems will be made?¶
Paddle, bumper, ball feeder and a launching mechanism. First three are electromechanical, and the last one is just a spring on a stick. I will also make my own solenoids.
What processes will be used?¶
2D design, graphic design, 3D printing, laser cutting, molding, programming, PCB design and manufacturing
What questions need to be answered?¶
- How to make a strong enough solenoid.
- Where to place the electronics
- How to guide the cables?
How will it be evaluated?¶
- Do the created mechanics work?
- Do the paddles move?
- Do the paddles move the ball?
- Do the bumpers move when the ball is nearby?
- Do the bumpers move the ball they try to hit it?
- Do bumpers and paddle button send data to the main controller, and create visible changes.
Schedule¶
I have been working on the pinball machine on and off since the beginning of Fab Academy. Following is a schedule of what I intended to do within the last two weeks of Fab Academy.
| Date | Work |
|---|---|
| May 29 Wed | Print and construct the bumpers |
| May 30 Thu | Final versions of solenoids and test different strengths |
| May 31 Fri | Print and construct the paddles |
| Jun 1 Sat | |
| Jun 2 Sun | |
| Jun 3 Mon | Design the ball feeder |
| Jun 4 Tue | Build the ball feeder |
| Jun 5 Wed | Design and test wiring |
| Jun 6 Thu | Design and cut the board |
| Jun 7 Fri | Construct the thing |
| Jun 8 Sat | |
| Jun 9 Sun | |
| Jun 10 Mon | Make a video |
| Jun 11 Tue | Make a video |
| Jun 12 Wed | Present |
As a more general timeline of what I did during the Fab Academy, and how long it took me to design all the parts in the final project, there is a handy chart below. Please note, this timeline has been made after the project was completed, based on documentation from this website and my memory. That means that the numbered weeks on the graph represent the scheduled Fab Academy themes more than periods of seven days, even though they most of the time they do line up.
