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“Ball park” BOM pricing for a home brew


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I’m wondering if anyone’s already done something like this or would be willing to share materials only costs on what they’d made.

 

I’ve been considering trying to make something but not sure about the commitment on what it would cost.

 

Could it be done under 2k?

 

Even something fairly generic, stern pro level of mechs.

 

Standard generic lower. Flippers, slings, targets

A couple of ramps.

One upper flipper perhaps.

2-3 pop bumpers.

P-roc

Small lcd

 

I suppose I could make a google docs shopping list of parts and see what I’m missing.

 

Don’t really want to start down a rabbit hole money wise if it would be over 5k.

 

 

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The total cost for my completed pin was just over 4k (check it out here). Take a look at my build to gauge whether yours would have more or less parts and it should give you an idea what is realistic.

 

For example, you'll probably spend around $700 on P3-ROC boards with shipping, so that only leaves $1400 for all your mechs, cabinet parts, inserts, etc. That sounds like a lot until you start adding all those parts to the shopping cart. Jump on pinballlife.com and add everything you think you would want to the cart and it will give you an idea how quickly the costs start to add up.

 

Making a Google Docs list is a good idea. It might give you an idea where you could cut costs.

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I'm targeting the mechs as a cost saving myself. An example is the Williams style flipper mechs. Just a flipper repair kit costs about $70-80 a piece and that doesn't include the base plate or the coil however if I buy only the parts I don't want to make....coil, mounts, plunger, link and coil and EOS switch I can make the rest and halve the price of a complete flipper assembly.

I just bought a piece of flatbar to make approximately 12 base plates and it cost me $6.

 

I'll make the slingshot base plates and all the other mechs myself as well.

 

The coils are a problem because the winding wire isn't cheap but the bobbins are at about $1 each but I can wind the bobbins myself using 200c wire rather than the normal 130c wire so the coils would be better heat wise than the ones I could buy and it does work out slightly cheaper.

 

Using a switch mode power supply instead of a normal pinball transformer saves a couple of hundred dollars.

 

Using PC cables instead of single wires is also a massive saving.

 

Going a steel internal frame for the cabinet allows for thinner plywood material on the cabinet to be used so a cost saving but it should make for a stronger cabinet as well as lightening the machine's overall weight and makes for a better ground plain so no grounding braid required.

 

Removing all the light sockets and using LEDs soldered directly to PC boards for all the indication lighting is again a big saving and also reduces the chance of loose connections. No need for specialized pinball only LED bulbs and sockets.

 

As I go further into the design I will find more savings but the trick I find is use parts that are common like car parts or PC parts rather than the limited pinball market and only use what you absolutely have to or can't find a substitute.

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The total cost for my completed pin was just over 4k (check it out here). Take a look at my build to gauge whether yours would have more or less parts and it should give you an idea what is realistic.

 

For example, you'll probably spend around $700 on P3-ROC boards with shipping, so that only leaves $1400 for all your mechs, cabinet parts, inserts, etc. That sounds like a lot until you start adding all those parts to the shopping cart. Jump on pinballlife.com and add everything you think you would want to the cart and it will give you an idea how quickly the costs start to add up.

 

Making a Google Docs list is a good idea. It might give you an idea where you could cut costs.

 

Just read your thread, wow I don’t know how I missed it.

 

Very very impressive!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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