Mechanical Table Pinball (IMPROVED Instructable)

This little video shows, the entire project and the steps written below. Se the steps for further detail. The entire pinball machine was done in app. 100 hours and cost less than 100$.

1. Plan and draw the table layout on a paper (app. 30x60 cm)
2. Draw the side pieces according to your liking - make sure the table tilts app. 5-7°
3. Cut out the base table and the side pieces from 12 mm plywood
4. Cut out all the bumpers, flippers and other elements from your 1:1 layout drawing to make your cutting templates
5. Cut out the layout elements form 18 mm plywood with at jigsaw
6. If you like some elements to be "bumpy", your have to drill 6 mm holes in them from the side to attach rubber band. The bands are fixed from the top with screws.
7. Fix all the table elements with screws (it is advisable to cut large elements into smaller segments - in case you have to make minor adjustments for better playability)
8. The flippers are fixed to some brass tubes (5 mm) with small screws. You have to drill some 2 mm holes in advance to prevent the plywood from breaking.
9. The same applies for the flipper mechanics underneath the table
10. Remember to use washers between the flippers and the table and underneath as well to ensure easy going mechanics
11. The mechanics works as shown in the video. If you don't have "Mechano" beams, you could make them from a paddle paint or similar (remember washers)
12. the plunger is made from a spring and a 6 mm beech stick. I made the handle and the plunger from a piece of 12mm beech stik with a 6 mm hole. I is attached with glue. The plunger has a small piece of neoprene stuck to it for padding
13. If you want ramps on your table, you can either make it from 18 mm plywood or from welding beams.

Step 1: Planning and Drawing the Table Layout on a Paper (app. 30x60 Cm)

I planed and drew the table in Illustrator. The picture shows an early version of the table, (I know this drawing is differend. I don't have the file for the final table, so this picture will have to do) The scaling is based on the size of the steel balls I used. (from Geomag 12mm).
Once you have the table layout finalised, cut out the different pieces to make some templates.
Traw the templates on 18 mm plywood (so the table boundaries are higher than the ball. This is important, so the ball doesn't fly of the table to easy and if you want to make it to layered like I did!

Step 2: Draw the Side Pieces According to Your Liking - Make Sure the Table Tilts App. 5-7 Degrees

Once you know the table layout, you have to make a suiting "box" for the whole thing. Side pieces, endings, rear piece... Make sure, you design the sides, so the give the table a tilting of 5-7° (that's standard for pinball games and ensures, that the mechanical plungers and flippers are strong enough to ensure good playabillity).

I have to admit, that I don't plan the entire thing up front, I measure an plan, as things get more clear during the process. That goes for the hole for the plunger handle and so on... Also, you will notice, how the different parts of the table layout are made out of smaller segments. That makes it easier to apply adjustments to the layout if it turns out, the ball runs in some annoying ways...

Cut out the base table and the side pieces from 12 mm plywood and assemble the box and table. (NOTE  since i only have the finished project, I can't show you the box without the layout mounted on it all ready - so you will have to imagine, that they aren't there yet...)

Cut out all the bumpers, flippers and other elements from your 1:1 layout drawing to make your cutting templates

Step 3: Cut Out the Layout Elements Form 18 Mm Plywood With at Jigsaw

It's fun time. I use a electric jigsaw to cut out all the pieces from 18 mm plywood. This takes some time and I am not sure, if at jigsaw is the best tool, but I don't have better...
After cut out, you can check the fitting with your printout.

Step 4: Making Elastic Bumpers

If you like some elements to be "bumpy", your have to drill 6 mm holes in them from the side to attach rubber band. The bands are fixed from the top with screws. You should burn the elastics with a lighter in the end, so the don't split and are easier to fit into the holes.

Step 5: Fix All the Table Elements With Screws

it is advisable to cut large elements into smaller segments - in case you have to make minor adjustments for better playability.

Step 6: The Flippers

The flippers are fixed to some brass tubes (5 mm) with small screws. You have to drill some 2 mm holes in advance to prevent the plywood from breaking. The same applies for the flipper mechanics underneath the table. To get a better idea on, how the flippers work, check out the video. The long mechano beams are used to transmit the lever movement to the upper secondary flippers. Remember to use washers between the flippers and the table and underneath as well to ensure easy going mechanics. If you don't have "Mechano" beams, you could make them from a paddle paint or similar (remember washers)

Step 7: The Plunger

The plunger is made from a spring and a 6 mm beech stick. I made the handle and the plunger from a piece of 12mm beech stick with a 6 mm hole. I is attached with glue. The plunger has a small piece of neoprene stuck to it for padding. If you don't have a fitting spring, you can make one out of piano wire. Bend 1 mm wire around a 7mm stick til you get a spring. Pull it apart to give it "spring power". Then harden the steel by heating the spring with a lighter and shock cool it quickly in cold water.

Step 8: Ramp

If you want ramps on your table, you can either make it from 18 mm plywood or from welding beams. I used both...
The first picture also shows the multi ball release. I made it by folding some thick plastic. I catches your ball if you are lucky. You are then allowed to plunge a new ball into the game. If you hit the ball catcher from below, it will release the balls it has caught and you have multi ball release!!

Comments

[inspiredwood]

I have now updated my first attempt for a mechanical pinball with the flipper mechanics shown in this instructable. A video can be found here:

This Pinball uses wires in the table to make a connection when the ball rolls over them. The conection is tranmitted to my PC by a hacked USB-controller from an old keyboard and the scoreboard i programmed in Scratch...

[filll]

nice

[jicaffini]

hi, I LOVE IT! and I want to make one for my kid.

question: if I go PRO will I be able to download the cutting plans?

thanks!

[sdudley]

So I made my pinball machine.  I didn't get as fancy as you did with the ramp and second level but I did go ahead and make some graphics and painted it.  It's not completely finished yet as I still have plans to add electronics to it (lights and sound).  Not sure if I will attempt to make it keep score however.  Attached are a few pictures.  Thanks for the inspiration, I looked around for more ideas but yours was the best I found for ideas on how I wanted to build mine.

[inspiredwood]

WOW! That's awesome!!! I love it! So great to see you made your own interpretation and just went with the inspiration. That's instructable style in a nutshell. This looks like so much fun! I'd love to have a go at it. I love the graphics. Thanks for posting.

[sdudley]

Checked out several other homemade toy pinball machines here on Instructables and this is DEFINITELY the coolest! A must make project for me! Thanks for sharing.

[inspiredwood]

Thanks a lot!

[caarntedd]

Fantastic work. Thanks for sharing. Rated and added to favourites.

[inspiredwood]

Thanks!

[artworker]

This is awesome! I liked that you used "A Scroll saw" instead of the current trend "A CNC machine". If you paint it, please put the final pic.

[Greasetattoo]

Wow, GREAT job! I remember about 40 years ago, we would make these. But not quite like this! I believe ours was out of cardboard!

[AssistiveTechnologyServices]

I like to use the Future Pinball software (windows, free) when designing a table. It lets you simulate gameplay - you can tell how hard it is to hit certain targets, or if it is too easy to lose a ball in a section of the table, or a zone where the ball gets trapped, etc.).

This lets me adjust positioning of table elements (bumpers, ramps, and so forth) before I start cutting wood. You can then print out a blueprint of your layout and use it as a cutting / assemble guide.

I like the look of the purely mechanical table in this Instructable.  Certainly less work than wiring everything up and programming a microcontroller.

[inspiredwood]

Interesting! Thanks for the link. Well, a fully wired table is a totally different "product" - I make my pinball machines for the kids for tiny budgets. This one is so small, I can even put it away, when they loos interest after a while... Also I don't know much about electronics and controllers (though I'd like to), so for now I keep it as simple as possible... However, at good planning tool like the one you are linking to might come in handy. I'll have to try it out some time - thanks.

[megamoonman]

I'd also like to change the multiball and add it to the top layer, I just need to figure out how to make a receiver that would dump and reset when it gets three balls into it (but not until). I'd also change the gutter so it gravity feeds back to the plunger automatically so all you need to do is draw back the plunger all the way and have one ball from the gutter stack fall in, ready to shoot, the goal being never having manually load the plunger.

I love how it takes no power, I'd definitely keep it that way.

[inspiredwood]

Cool! I thought about that possibility too for a while. (and then lost confidence in my self...) You could simply make a hole in the acrylic plate, that would be say 12,5 mm. You would have to role the ball pretty accurately across the hole, to make it fall down in the receiver. That could be fitted to hold e.g. the balls. The third ball would then seal the hole (maybe stick a little bit up to make an interesting temporary obstacle on the top level). For the release you should check out this guys work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWTNizo7ggw He makes the most incredible marble machines - maybe you can find something, that would work for you. Good luck – he, and let me know when you are done !

[megamoonman]

Thanks for the tips! Good idea about getting ideas from marble machines, I think I found my multiball lock mechanism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KJIXXyQYyHA#t=148s

[inspiredwood]

Good luck!

[megamoonman]

I'm very interested in making one of these - I'm wondering how you cut the slope of the ramps? Did you carve them by hand?

[inspiredwood]

For the slope, I first cut out the shape of the piece and then used a little handsaw to cut down a cap, where the slopes limits would be. Then I roughly carved out the ramp with a chisel. I also used a rough rasp and some very sharp industrial sanding paper (that was more adjustable in shape). The sanding paper turned out to be the best tool. I discovered, that the ramp need to be really thin where it meets the table – otherwise the ball will jump of the table when it hits the ramp. –  hope this helps :-)

[inspiredwood]

I forgot. You only have to carve on layer of 18 mm plywood. The second layer is just boundary, that is cut out like everything else. You can also make slopes out of 2mm welding wire. I used this principle a lot on my other pinball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGZJuSDJsCU&feature=plcp (though not for tamps, but for sensors. As you can see, often the sensors are wide apart from each other and then narrow in. This way, the ball is slowly lifted up from the table without jumping of...