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  • Author Author: tariq.ahmad
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Community Feedback 04 - Mini Pinball

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element14's The Ben Heck Show

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Community Feedback
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Community Members make suggestions to the team as they work on their mini pinball kit.  Feedback includes using thin recesses on the table to make the ball change its directory, using an Arduino SoftTimer library for timing the PWM and bouncing, alternate ways of making the table such as taking a look at the mechanics on Stern's mini playfield for Family Guy/Shrek, and alternate ways of making the table such as optional posts between the flippers.

 

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has an idea for making the game more challenging or frustrating depending on your point of view.  He’d like to know if it’s possible to make some very thin recesses on the table and make the ball change its trajectory. The analogy he uses is the way that big planets affect small planets.   Ben recalls a similar idea with the Orbiter 1 from Stern Electronics (1977-1984). It had a vacuum-form play field and a space-theme where the ball would make all these crazy orbits making it really hard to play. Really, what made the ball change directory is when it hits something, or went around in a loop, or goes up a ramp.  A divot in the play field wouldn’t do a whole lot and worse it might trap the ball.

 

  wants to know why the team doesn’t just use a timer library for timing the PWM and bouncing. He recommends the “Arduino SoftTimer” library, and not just because he wrote the library, as he believes it can do a decent job in time-sensitive situations like this.  He then realizes that the PciManager library won’t work with Teensy because debouncing doesn’t work out of the box. Ben gives an explanation of what this means.

 

 

  suggests the team take a look at the mechanics for the mini playfield in Stern’s Family Guy/Shrek. They’re using the same 5/8 ball and have already solved the problem the team has encountered.  He’s concerned that changing the flipper angle from 30 to 15 degrees won’t allow you to execute a proper bounce pass. He suggests alternate ways of making the table such as an optional post between the flippers.

  • I was wondering if the servos were digital or analog. I know the digital ones draw more power, cost more, are smaller, but are more accurate.

    Was any of that a consideration in the design?

    Thanks.

  • in reply to grahambest

    Yeah, but why comment when the best chance you have is getting a "well we thought about it, but did something else" comment back? Especially if you have to join another platform for that? I guess I should have said what would be better in my opinion:

     

    1. Only make a video like that, if you can include at least one feedback that indeed influenced or will influence the design (I think they did that with the latest feedback video), otherwise respond in a comment why it wouldn't be something they will follow up. So you get interaction in all cases, but the motivation for people to do so is getting a "well done" within a video.

     

    2. Include the comment section of the actual publishing platform. There are indeed a lot of comments that are useful, although there are also trash comments on youtube. It's an effort to sort that out, but I really think there should be room for that. It would also reduce thumbs down on videos immensely, IMO.

  • As far as the "bashing" goes, if Ben responds to a comment, he's not obligated to accept the suggestion. I'm happy to help the project any way I can. I don't need to be right.

     

    I also don't consider disabling YouTube comments as an issue as they included a link to the comments here. It's not as if they're ignoring comments.

  • hm. you're basically bashing on every comment in the video and also don't read / allow youtube comments. That's not very open and also discouraging. And also weird calling it community feedback without integrating the youtube community feedback.