- This topic has 40 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Yeah the coin door detail is just my being OCD, I would have been better off without. I have a few more OCD mods I am making. But I have scaled back some of the details… a little.
Your plan seems reasonable. The transducer where the coin door would be might work really well. I put the PC in the back, its most likely the thing you will want to be able to access so having it by the rear door is a good idea (although I suppose you could get at the front from the underhatch but that hatch is unpleasant to work with. I would avoid putting anything on the hatch door, although I mounted my three amps there which is a pain but once I get it set I shouldn’t have to access them again. Mounting the PC and the BST-1 in the back will just depend on the size of your PC. Mine is able to sit side-by-side with the BST-1. The one thing I couldn’t fit in my cab was the audio subwoofer which I am going to have in a seperate enclosure underneath. To mount one in the cab I would have to decase the PC and mount it on a shelf so the sub could fit underneath it. Maybe someday, but I expect I will prefer the external subwoofer.
I chose not to permanently attach the playfield monitor to the cabinet since I have modded mine to allow access to the cabinet from the top. I have not decided on the angle. Since you are being smart and not modding the cabinet like me I think keeping the playfield flat should work well and won’t require you to do anything weird. If your monitor doesn’t lay flat on its back you make have to figure out some spacers to flatten it. Also you may have to cut out notches on the panel you attach your playfield and backbox monitors to (so power/hdmi cables can fit) so be prepared for that. It doesn’t have to be pretty, I butchered mine pretty good. You can adjust the depth the mounting board is in the cabinet when you install it. I thought at one point you could put the mounting pins in unevenly to get an angle but that changes the distance between pins enough the predrilled mounting board won’t fit. I think you will be happy with flat.
Another thing to look out for. The back door/cover to the back box is HEAVY AS HELL. I took mine off its “hinge” as for me its useless to hinge at the bottom. I’m thinking of replacing it with a simple lightweight backerboard like you see on bookshelves since I won’t have anything mounted on mine. I also considered rehinging with a piano hinge on the side but thats more work and I’d probably mess it up (and it might be too heavy for that).
Another another thing to look out for. Ryan sent the wrong kind of latch to hold the hatch closed with my unit. Rather than dealing with getting a replacement from him (I didn’t like how they did it) I replaced mine with two latches that hold the door closed with less wobble.
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
1 user thanked author for this post.
This is all very helpful, thank you! I’m not sure if I asked before, but what amps are you using? I bought 2 of the Lepy 838 2.1’s, but I noticed they are apparently 20W x2. I was considering swapping out the 4 DAEX25’s with 4 DAEX32QMB-4’s, but as those are 40W, I’m not sure the amps could handle them. Any idea? I just want to make sure I feel the flippers and other table features in those areas…
I was actually thinking I wouldn’t even put the backbox cover panel on. I have PC speakers that I was planning to put there so I figure it’d be easy access to the volume controls with that panel off. Maybe that’s blasphemy I don’t know…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
I use 3 lepai lp-168ha amps. (i have a thread somewhere here on my experiences with them).
Turns out I am really happy with them, I was expecting disappointment. Claims to be 40Wx2 I think, but you would have to upgrade the included power supply to begin to have any hope of reaching that and I bet you would start getting ugly sounding distortions from the cabinet long before you reached peak volume. I use the DAEX25 as do many others. You can always get both and attach them to something and compare them. My amps are all set at half volume for the exciters (not sure about your amp, but mine has independent bass volume) and full volume on the bass for now (i expect to turn them down once I balance all the sounds together). Its plenty loud, I’ll try turning the amp all the way up tonight and report back on what it sounds like. The bass shakers will really fill in for having the exciters super loud. The way I play at night the exciter volume is down but I still feel it because the bass shaker is giving the table a good thump. So I get my thumps and the family gets their sleep.
Re: the leaving the backbox back off. Thats how mine is at the moment and if its close to a wall its not really an issue. HOWEVER, you need something to frame your monitor in the backbox as you can now see through it to (in my case) the white wall behind it. I haven’t decided on a solution for it. Painted backerboard to replace the heavy cover maybe….. maybe black picture frame around the monitor…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Forgive my ignorance here, but if the speakers are 40w each, and the amp is rated for 20w each, does that mean that the sound will be horrible at any volume, or only once I start going to high volume it would distort?
For the backbox, for some reason I thought there was a black bezel they give you to frame the monitor. Maybe that’s what it looked like in the video. I need to finally open the boxes and actually look so I’m not just guessing here…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
I’m not qualified to give a definitive answer and an audiophile would list a dozen variables in the equation. My best guess is you just won’t get as much volume from the speaker and have to crank the amp up higher which might result in a poorer quality sound. You would probably be better off with the lower watt speakers with that amp, but its not necessarily true.
Re: Bezel, if you got one let me know. My kit did not include anything like that, but it could easily have been missed with all the problems my order had. I agree the videos looked like something was there.
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
1 user thanked author for this post.
Thank you for all the help… I should be unboxing everything next weekend, so I’ll definitely let you know… Stay tuned…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
I’m not qualified to give a definitive answer and an audiophile would list a dozen variables in the equation. My best guess is you just won’t get as much volume from the speaker and have to crank the amp up higher which might result in a poorer quality sound. You would probably be better off with the lower watt speakers with that amp, but its not necessarily true.
Re: Bezel, if you got one let me know. My kit did not include anything like that, but it could easily have been missed with all the problems my order had. I agree the videos looked like something was there.
Ok, a few things… I attempted to start building today and got some done, but apparently the monitor I was going to use does not fit the GRS playfield mounting bracket. @njk70, would you mind sharing what playfield tv/monitor you are using please? I know you have the same kit so I assume whatever model you have would work…
As far as bezel, it seems that both pieces of plexi that came have a black rectangle liner along the edges, so I believe that’s the “bezel” to give it a finished look. Does yours not have that?
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Could you take a picture of the plexi? Mine didn’t have anything like that. Was it pre-attached? Both pieces of my plexi just had the brown protective liner paper which peeled off to reveal a plain plexiglass piece (which didnt fit my backbox very well). I was under the impression they were having problem with plexiglass supply at the time I ordered due to supplies being used for covid shields at restaurants and offices and such (this was back around June).
I have an LG 43UN7300PUF sitting on the mounting board, its not attached. I just looked and it seems like the HDMI and power connections are clear of the bracket so shouldn’t require any cuts on the mounting board. But if you already have a TV you should be able to cut hole in the board where you need access. I had to cut up the one for the backbox a little with a hack saw to make way for some cable connections. If I were to attach it I would have to find something to shim the tv level as it is thicker on the bottom than the top.
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Here’s the plexi I received.
So wait, you just mounted the bracket to the cabinet and plopped your monitor on top? How did you do that? You need to put the plexi on before you put the other side on, so I don’t know how you would get the monitor in the cabinet.
It stinks because I have the Asus Rog Strix 43″ monitor which I really like, though it’s heavy (30lbs). The mounting pattern on the back just doesn’t work, and it has these 2 knobby protrusions from the rear of it where the stand would attach which the mount can’t avoid. I’ll attach a stock picture of the back, but if you remove the stand, there are these bumps that the stand goes into.
Attachments:
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Remember I modded the bejeebers out of my cabinet. I don’t use the plexiglass it came with, I put on real pinball side rails and glass channel. When I am done building I will slide real glass over it (so maybe 2023 or so at this rate). So I can just lay the monitor on it and lift it out when I want to work inside the cabinet. I might try to secure it with something when I am more done.
You might be able to find a mounting bracket adapter of some kind, perhaps one that would even raise the monitor up enough to clear those protrusions. Thats a nice monitor, I would work to try to keep it. Read through the manual they might state what kind of bracket pattern it uses then google around for adapters and such. Even a simple small non adjustable flat wall mount bracket might work if you put the cabinet mount board as deep as it can go. You could also email GRS and if Ryan is in a good mood he might have a suggestion.
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Ahh right I forgot how much you modded…
I’ll email GRS and see what they say, not a bad idea… It looks like the monitor has a 100×100 vesa pattern. The hole in the middle of the mounting bracket was larger than the pattern on the monitor so that was one problem. The protrusions at the bottom were the other… I could always try the hacksaw method and see if I can remove enough to make it flat…
Then maybe something like this would work…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
@Spelly88 any luck with the monitor mounting?
Just wanted to give you a heads up. When the cabinet is fully assembled and on legs be careful moving it. If you don’t have it on any easy slide surface the legs can pull the MDF apart. I just noticed this starting to happen on mine. I am about to order some furniture sliders to help prevent it from getting worse (as well as gluing and screwing the damage as best I can, am rather disappointed).
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
@njk70 Some Updates!
So I sort of finished the cabinet build yesterday. I say “sort of” because, like a rookie, I put the cabinet completely together without checking the back glass monitor first, so of course when I powered it on, I noticed the screen was all cracked. :( The cracks were also of course not visible until I powered it on, so just looking at it wasn’t good enough. Sigh…
Otherwise, I did manage to mount that Asus monitor. I had to buy a 100×100 to 200×200 adapter bracket, and using that coupled with a bunch of spacers, I was able to mount the monitor to the last cam lock holes possible.
Another issue I had was with the plexi itself. After standing up the unit, the plexi at the front of the cab just droops down as there’s nothing to hold it. I wound up using a little bit of mounting tape to get it to stay up. Because of the black bezel on the plexi, it’s not visible so that’s nice at least.
The left side of the plexi also didn’t fit into the groove in the side panel, so that was drooping as well. I had to lift it up with a paperclip, and then I stuck some rubber feet to the inside of the cabinet and then put the plexi back down onto the feet so it stays… It’s like the plexi was a few mm too short in width…
For the back box, my Creative speakers don’t fit with the back cover unless I turn them sideways, so that kind of stinks. When I swap in the new monitor, I might just leave the back cover off so the speakers can point normally. The bezel in the plexi seems to hide everything so I don’t think I’ll have an issue like you do. I wish that back cover had dual clips like the playfield one does, rather than having cams on the bottom.
To your comment about moving table, I actually did stick sliders under the legs from the beginning. Though it isn’t really sliding well on our carpet, and I’m noticing that the sliders are actually coming off the bottom of the legs, so perhaps I need to get better ones… What are you going to order?
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
I had problems with the backbox plexi as well. A little bit the opposite. It was cut a little too wide so the plexi bows out slightly and also didn’t rest on the panel below it. I actually got a 3/4″ H-groove trim that rests over the panel underneath it and gives the plexi something to sit in. I’ll probably order a better fitting plexi at some point (or not since I don’t actually notice it anymore). Overall I am surprised the tolerances are as low as they are, it works… but just.
I’m glad you got the monitor to work, it looks like a nice one.
I bought some furniture glides from amazon, should arrive today, I’ll let you know. I’m not really on carpet. The floor is pvc foam tiles with an extremely low pile carpet adhered to the top. Works great for floor covering in a remodeled garage. But the pinball cabinet feet sink into the foam tiles a bit so trying to push the table causes the legs to stick and act as a lever and pull the mdf apart. Hopefully the sliders will fix that. I’ve seen some people actually get full on casters which I will do if I must.
I was going to fix that backbox back panel with another set of clips to hold it in like you suggest but decided the dang thing weighed too much. I’ll tackle a replacement when I am done building. I’ve decided against going through with some of the more trivial aesthetic mods I was planning as I am liking the cabinet as is. I am also inclined now to not bother with solenoids and the like as I am happy with the SSF sounds.. I might still do the RGB lighting stuff. I didn’t make much progress this weekend, mostly tidied up what I had and re positioned things that didn’t work out where I had them. Then had to do some preventative repair related to the mdf starting to split, and a bunch of time finally getting my wireless keyboard and mouse to work (wierd driver/firmware issues almost had it bricked). I toyed with the idea of cutting out the monitor mount entirely and resting the monitor on siderails but decided it was providing some structural support to the cabinet and that cabinet needs all the support it can get. The backbox seems a bit wobbly on top of the cabinet, was thinking of maybe putting in larger or more bolts to keep it steady but I suppose nothing would save it if it got really unbalanced, it would just snap anyway.
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
If I thought about it ahead of time, castors would have been the way to go I think… Still, if your sliders work, let me know what you bought and I might do the same… As you mentioned, when I tried to move the unit I did see the backbox wobble a bit and that makes me nervous. I feel like moving this should be done with someone else holding the backbox while the other pushes…
I didn’t actually talk about SSF yet… I wound up going with 4 Dayton Audio DAEX32QMB-4 Quad Feet Mega Bass 32mm Exciter 40W 4 Ohm for the sides, the BST-1 in the rear sub, and a TT25 transducer for the front sub. For my amps, I called an audible and went with 2 Fosi Bluetooth 5.0 50Watt x2+100Watt x1 for Home Passive Speakers Subwoofer BT30A amps as I wasn’t sure the Lepy’s would be strong enough.
So far, the rear cabinet feedback seems to be great. I can really feel the bumpers. However, my front feedback is a bit disappointing. I was expecting to feel the flippers whenever I use them, as well as the slingshots, but I really don’t. There’s maybe a vibration, but I was expecting thumps. I have the volume on the front amp basically at max and it doesn’t seem to help. I can try turning the bass up to max, it’s about halfway, but not sure if that’s the trick. The speakers do work when I do the speaker tests in Windows, so maybe it’s just not going to be that strong as I had imagined, or maybe I shouldn’t have used the DAEX32. I assumed they would have been stronger than the DAEX25’s I was originally planning to use…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
In the end you’ll be able to get more from the SSF. I have some VPX enhancements in the works that will increase the effect some, but on top of that you might want to add SSFImpactor (which I have also modified and will get released soon) and there is another system called SSFThump which enhances the bass being sent to the shakers which will give more tactile feedback to the cabinet (I haven’t tried this one yet).
It also varies a bit by table. Attack from Mars 3.0 is a reasonably good test case. Do your amps have a seperate bass volume control? I find that really helped increase the thump without having to make the overall volume high.You need to login in order to like this post: click here
The amps do have a separate bass dial, so I will try that next… From your other thread, I know you’ve been working hard on SSFImpactor, so I’m excited to see it when you are ready to share. Will you be putting out a tutorial or how-to in order to get it going? I’ll give AFM a try tonight and see if that’s any better. I assumed all tables would perform the same but I guess that’s not true, so good to know…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
The furniture sliders were https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MXY3B1Y/
Just arrived and I put them on and they work rather well. Wish I had started with them.
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Those sliders worked great! Really easy to move that around now. Thank you for that suggestion.
So I took the backbox off and replaced the broken monitor with a working one. I actually left the back cover off and it still looks pretty good. The painted bezel on the plexi is aligned with my monitor so there’s no light leakage. Guess I got lucky there.
My only outstanding issue now seems to be the front cabinet exciters for SSF. When I play a speaker test in Windows, I hear them clearly and can feel the vibrations. For some reason in VPX, I can hear the sounds, but I swear I’m not feeling anything. I have the bass turned up pretty high now. I would expect to feel each flipper and slingshot right? I can definitely feel the rear bumpers…
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Turn off the amps to the backbox and rear exciters so you are just listening to the front. Turn it up until you feel something just to be sure its working. I find the slingshots have a bit more thump to them than the usual flipper sounds (it will vary somewhat by table). If everything seems functional then you probably just need something to enhance the effect. I don’t think my new SSF audio mode will help this particular issue. But adding SSFImpactor or SSFThump or something else to enhance the bass might be needed.
You need to login in order to like this post: click here
Forums are currently locked.
