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Pac-Man Legion


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I have a hard time believing any  thin surface finish would stand up to the abuse of the magnet attraction ...Personally I think an encapsulation approach would be better served, IE/ epoxy, carbon fiber, sanded and coated with a yellow gel coat...But not judging, just my 0.02.

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The outer magnets don't attach to anything (just trigger reed switches) so no force there of any concern.  The inner steel plate will have some force on it, but really not that much.  It is a prototype though so will be tested rigorously!

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No progress on this till I get to the weekend but I'll share my technical schematic and coding for my PAC game switching solution.  Note this does not include the relay which powers on the TV.  I'm using active high for switch inputs to Arduino.  The Arduino needs to be freshly powered on on each system power-up but it uses USB for both power and serial comms.  USB power on my motherboard is always on (so long as the PS is switched on) there's no option in the old BIOS to toggle this.  A relay fixes this problem as shown below.

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Here's the Arduino code which looks at the switch combinations and then 'types' into a batch file running MAME on the PC.

KeyboardControl_v2.txt

And the batch file.

pBatch.txt

Hopefully the weather is nice here in Melbourne this weekend.  Getting down to Bunnings to use some vouchers I have! 😁

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I have to ask as curiosity has got the better of me - Does the escape key have a negative voltage on it? It seems unusual that an NPN transistor in common collector configuration would have its collector connected to ground rather than a positive Voltage. I'd have expected a PNP transistor in this configuration or a NPN in common emitter with a resistor driving the base. Or is it a trap to see if anyone actually reads circuit diagrams out of interest?

Great build btw, really unique. Regards, John.

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Hah!  (and thanks) yes that transistor is wrong in the schematic.  Will fix it now.  The circuit I built IS correct but the diagram is wrong. Cheers. Edit - Fixed. 🙂

schematic.thumb.jpg.acba60f66a37f7244cc55ea3297fdb30.jpg

Edited by Ond
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1 hour ago, jbtech said:

I have to ask as curiosity has got the better of me - Does the escape key have a negative voltage on it? It seems unusual that an NPN transistor in common collector configuration would have its collector connected to ground rather than a positive Voltage. I'd have expected a PNP transistor in this configuration or a NPN in common emitter with a resistor driving the base. Or is it a trap to see if anyone actually reads circuit diagrams out of interest?

Great build btw, really unique. Regards, John.

I got to admit it totally slipped past me too...If I had more time that input also to seems a bit over designed, Can't quite put my finger on it yet (been really busy,  and working alone anymore) but seems it could be simplified to run more  on relays and the software side with less magnetic physical.

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6 minutes ago, CandyLand said:

I got to admit it totally slipped past me too...If I had more time that input also to seems a bit over designed, Can't quite put my finger on it yet (been really busy,  and working alone anymore) but seems it could be simplified to run more  on relays and the software side with less magnetic physical.

If you have any suggestions on how to switch games without any physical connections (switching) and with no menu - I'm all ears! 

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And then as an added bonus, it would then be more or less just positioned with the magnet (while still tripping the reed) but then could be also raised 1/8" or so off the panel, for easier grabbing, and even possibly backlit for dimensional depth. 

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I should have a demo video of the PAC solution after this weekend.  All being well it should show a really simple action and design (in practice) to switch games.  Maybe hold those ideas in reserve till after that.

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I wish I was working on that idea, But the magnet/Reed thing is already brilliant...Just can't help thinking the concept could be simplified somehow, possibly using the magnet switches (2) on each cart to trip different combinations, thru a relay outputs on the backside to the aruedno.

10 minutes ago, Ond said:

I should have a demo video of the PAC solution after this weekend.  All being well it should show a really simple action and design (in practice) to switch games.  Maybe hold those ideas in reserve till after that.

Jennifer laughs, Yes I should get back to work anyway (wink)...Can't wait for the vid, so exciting 😄

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I got quite a lot done this weekend, I didn't quite get to test the system completely. During construction of the PAC back-plate I busted a bunch of the reed switches accidentally, they are so fragile!  The testing I did do was successful however.  I'm getting better and quicker at making videos, so to see how things went check it out  ;D

 

I'll replace the missing reed switch and should be able to test the solution from boot-up to game selection next.

Edited by Ond
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10 hours ago, Zzap said:

Great to see the work in progress in the video, really inventive use of parts for the eject mechanism

Thanks, I know it's not pretty to look at yet but getting the functional side of things sorted has to come first. The eject mechanism came to me after plenty of pondering on the problem. Around 75% of the force of magnets is exerted at a small distance, separate the PAC from the mount plate just a tiny amount and the PAC swap out becomes practical.

The reed switches are so delicate I almost rejected the idea of using them at all.  Once they are embedded in resin/bondo though that is no longer an issue.

The finish of the completed components will include:

-Smoothed and refined mount plate surface
-Matte black PAC mount plate and matching matte black eject button
-LED lit blue swoosh embedded in mount plate
-Seamless integration of mount plate into cabinet side panel (Matte black finish)

-Ultra gloss yellow PACs x 15 with blue light up 'eye' - game labels on the back

7 hours ago, CandyLand said:

Oh dude you did it!...Sweet.

I may choose to get the 15 PACs CNC cut rather than do them all by hand, the main cabinet build beckons  😁

On that note can anyone here offer or recommend CNC cutting at a reasonable cost for (6mm MDF) simple shapes?  I don't need the beveled edges CNC'd I will still do that.  This would require CNC laser rather than CNC router.

 

Edited by Ond
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  • 2 months later...

Back at this, with some revision, some new approaches and just progress...

20220111_175530.jpg.ea966b64c482864851e3019a8f6e465e.jpg

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Some explanations as these parts come together in the next few posts.

 

Edited by Ond
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On 15/01/2022 at 8:49 PM, CandyLand said:

The button behind his head seems wrong (observation) Pac man eats dots, not ignore them...Lol.

Keep watching and it will look right, That button is destined to be black to match the plate. 

Surface prep of eject button for priming.

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Primer applied.

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Spray painting of these parts completed. I sprayed the coin plate so that it perfectly matches the rest of the black finish.

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The highly prized smooth black finish 😁

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Trigger board fitted to PAC plate - brass (non-magnetic) trigger pins visible.  I'm going to swap the PAC eject pin for a brass one to match the trigger pins, the one visible is aluminum.

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View of trigger board including micro-switches.  In the end, just more reliable and robust than the magnetic reed switch solution.

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PAC plate with additional components (yet to be painted) shown, plus clear lens fitted to plate.

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Next assembly of PAC plate into side panel plate.

Edited by Ond
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I know you just said "watch"...But I can't help stop thinking of that button, Paint on that could be a tricky prospect with wear and tolerances....If that was me, I think I would try a fuel dye and MEK, or a pvc pipe cleaner solvent if you can't get that where you live...Just saying.🙄

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The PAC eject button, painted and in fitted to the plate. Mechanical tolerance is still fine, the action is clean. The black finish looks and feels a lot like a hard laminate surface when completely dry. It's a tough auto paint, I want the button to exactly match (blend in with) the plate.

20220118_102931.jpg.4e3dfbae470a236b4abfc5dd6cab506a.jpg

 

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You seem to have got pretty good with that paint gun, and aparently hit on the recipe of paint/thinner/pressure, Thats what it is all about after all, a job well done and acquired skills.

Edited by CandyLand
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I love that paint gun! I'll never go back to rattle can after that, just way more control.

So the PAC eject mechanism is basically done, quite a few pics to show that last few steps.  I'm setting this aside now to work on the main cabinet build again.

The last few little parts for the PAC plate fabricated and painted.

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These parts screwed in place to the PAC plate.

20220119_134005.jpg.093d643b296f8c779184a4d7574a6256.jpg

The rear of the PAC plate showing the modified Happ button in use in the PAC eject mechanism.

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The PAC plate screwed into place in the steel side panel  insert.

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This is what was in my head...now made real!    Imagine how many words it would take to describe that, no one would understand a rambling description of that anyhow  😉

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PAC prototype in place.   I've got my quote to get 16 of these laser CNC cut (including blue acrylic eyes) which I'll get done towards the end of the build.

20220119_141323.thumb.jpg.1c7bf9575828768dff709795bd35e619.jpg

Time for a well earned beer!  🍺

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The cab is in various states of unfinished in terms of surface finish and painting as you can see.

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Before I go any further with anything I need to rebate the top panel. Toughened 6mm glass will go into the top and the underside of the panel needs to be rebated to allow the CRT to fit close to the glass.

20220121_110902.jpg.5964f26fc528381f80dce465410a839f.jpg

I don't have the luxury of a CNC so I need to struggle through it with good old power tools.

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That is just to pretty for words, I can't imagine those garbage diggers can even begin to appreciate the beauty of such a build...Cnc is not the only game in town, don't let it get to you man, hand crafted goodness is a lost art.

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