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I made these two Pinball machines as a hobby project, no electrical parts.
MATERIALS: Pine, Mdf, pvc pipe, coat hangers for wire, some plastic, dowel,
trunking conduit for curves, rubber bands, screws, liquid nails, pva and multi-purpose adhesive, 3 springs, ceder balls as 'points' which drop under the table and roll to side shelves to count for score at end of game. Ball bearings for game balls and multiball/extra life's.
TOOLS USED: Hand saw, drill, 3 drill bits, hack saw, plyers, vice grips, chisel and hammer.
Took about 30 hrs each spread out. Both are unique designs which I roughly pre planned and adjusted and added features as I made them.
2nd one I made (Green) is much more complicated, it has ×4 flippers, 18 points to score, ×5 multi balls, ×1 extra life. Two upper levels and a 3rd level (UFO) which triggers an extra life.
There are 2 up ramps and 1 down ramp that travels the ball from left upper level to right side. It has 6 sets of track rails the ball can use as paths in play, and 1 set used to take an extra life to the start game spring.
Blue ceder balls are knocked below the table to collect 9 on each side. High score backboard is made from pencil case letter pouches to allow changing high score names. Artwork was done myself as it is also a hobby of mine.
Happy to share any tips/advise ppl would like and more detailed instructions, photos or video.
Fun hobby project, hope you liked and are inspired.
Fantastic work @MarcL, thank you so much for sharing. As a veteran pinball lover, I'm just in awe of what you have created and looking forward to seeing more of your handiwork soon. I'm sure there will be plenty of other members who would love to see more, too.
I've featured your creations on our Project Gallery so expect plenty of incoming questions from other members who have been inspired...
Great to have you as part of the Bunnings Workshop community. Welcome aboard.
Jason
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @MarcL. It's terrific to have you join us and many thanks for sharing your project.
They are both really fabulous pinball machines and I trust took a whole heap of dedication to complete with handtools. You are certainly a talented craftsperson and the attention to detail is mind-boggling.
Given the quality of your work, I can't wait to see your next project.
Well done.
Mitchell
@MarcLGreat job! An impressive project that has obviously taken many hours of manual work apart from the pre-planning and design.
Would be interested to know if you intend to take it further with lights and sounds. That really would be the icing on the cake.
I am experienced in electronics and happy to advise if you plan to go in that direction.
Older pinnies were low tech with a lot of electro-mechanical parts such as relays and solenoids, and a lot of untidy 'rats nest' wiring.
Modern designs have eliminated all that and made them much more reliable.
Here is an 'under the hood' photo of a 1990 Judge Dredd pinball machine.
I'm still waiting for my pinball machine for the games room...
Would you label a 1990 machine as "modern" @Walzz? I must admit I have been a little intimidated by stories of older pinballs being high-maintenance, but love the nostagia and their artwork.
Jason
@Jason The first coin operated machines came out in the 1930s so the 1990 machine is 'modern' by comparison. Late model machines are microprocessor controlled and all the magic happens inside the silicon chips. The older machines being electro-mechanical required periodic cleaning, lubrication and adjustment. Electrical contacts of switches and relays were also problematic due to wear and tear, dirt and corrosion.
To the non-technical person this is probably quite daunting so they would call in an 'expert' to service their machine.
To a handyman such as yourself, gaining a little knowledge of how they work along with a few basic tools and simple test equipment, DIY maintenance is quite straightforward. I'm sure you would find plenty of YouTube videos that would get you up to speed. Even if your exact model isn't covered, a lot of the info is generic and will apply to your machine. Always happy to help if you get stuck on something.
Pinball machine nostalgia is a great addition to any games room. (Terminator 2 says "You'll be back")
