Pachinko Silencer

[Erniesan]

Project Goal is to be able to hit a fever mode at 10pm on a Tuesday night and not get complaints from the neighbors!

Everyone here knows about the audio volume issues and that's not what this is about. I'm trying to conjure up different methods for dampening the overall mechanical sound - especially the stuff happening in the back.

I'm still in the idea phase but things are moving forward quickly. Going to clean all the machines, stain the wood wall mounts, and then work on "silencing". First I'm gonna line the inside of the case (these are the cool cases you can get on E-bay that can switch from wall mount to table mount real fast) with some sound dampening pads - the kind used inside computers. Then I was going to put either cork, or foam on the wall behind the machine. Instead of having the sounds bounce off wood, plastic, and metal, it will be dampened instead of reflected.

Finally the ball trays in the back would be lined with a thin layer of cork. Instead of hearing an avalanche of balls hitting plastic when I'm pouring more in the reward hopper, it should just sound like balls hitting balls.

So combined with volume controls, I think this sound dampening should make for a very "apartment compatible" pachinko machine. I'll post some pics as the project unfolds

[portercbl]

You have to be very careful about the materials you use for silencing the balls because if small pieces break off of the materials they WILL jam your ball tracks up. That can become a real problem, and drive you crazy trying to clean up the mess inside of the machine.
Jerry

[H20Dreams]

[nickbuol]

Cork will tend to break up over time, and that would be bad. Look for a material that is one solid piece of material, not smaller pieces of something (cork) stuck together.

Some people have used rubber car floor mat material, others use mouse pads (neoprene). Neoprene would have the greater chance of coming apart over years of use, but is more robust that cork. Neoprene can be purchased for abotu $15 for 12"x48" sheet from places like seattlefabrics.com (just one of the first search results from Google).

[fronzdan]

Yeah a lot of us have tried various things to appease the other people in the house during those late night pachinko sessions. I tried the rubber drawer liner stuff and it does disintegrate over time and gets into everything. UGH.

Lining areas that the balls don't come in contact with is a good idea though. Fully enclosing your case and lining it with foam sounds like it'll work. A cover over your top reservoir will help too. There's not a lot you can do to quiet the balls hitting the payout and lower trays. Depending on the machine, putting the second pane of glass helps quiet the playfield.

I like the idea of car mat material, but haven't tried it. I doubt that stuff will fall apart.

[birdbrain]

i bought a used wet suit on ebay for 12.00 it is neoprene but has a nylon cloth on both the inside and the outside that way it will not break up by constant use. this works well inside the machine and no mess to clean up!

[nickbuol]

Yeah, the neoprene I was looking at was fabric covered on one side for sure. That is the route I was thinking. Then the fabric mesh holds everything together and prevents breakdown of the material, and the neoprene is the absorption material.

[Erniesan]

Thanks for all the tips! I was thinking that cork would be too risky for the ball tracks because of the breakup factor. I think I'll just use it on the wall behind the case. The used wet suit idea sounds perfect for getting a large amount of material to work with... cause afterall a pachinko is like our intenstines right? 32 miles of tubing wrapped up in that little rectangle from Japan.

[Erniesan]

Oooo now these things aren't cheap but what if you could have an infra-red remote to control your pachi volume???

I'm thinking of getting one of the 11 step switches and mounting it on the side of my cabinets. It would look real nice and professional. These should work even though they are rated for way more wattage then the pachi is gonna put out ya?

[rubberratt]

150 watts

[Erniesan]

150 watts

Yeah, and Impedance matching so... there wouldn't be any problems with lack of control range and stuff right? PLUS you'd have headroom enough on your volume knob to really mod your pachi to the next level with 150 watt sound system!!!

[birdbrain]

the best thing is to use an L-pad. the are available in stereo and can be mounted through the cabinet.

[rubberratt]

I have used these with good success. Highly recommended

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pachislo-Slot-Ma...QQcmdZViewItem

[birdbrain]

these are available right here from a member and are 10% of the price!
http://www.pachitalk.com/auction/12-...uction_details

[Eddie]

If your machine is in a cabinet I found this to be the best solution to sound problems.

Check the sound in the vid and you can hear the difference of the balls hitting the rubber and finally hitting the top tray plastic. You could always add rubber to that tray as well but it should be very thin so as not to taek up too much space.

http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21485

[Erniesan]

Yeah I totally relate with your comment about gameplay sounds versus "utility" sounds like filling the hopper or emptying the back chutes... it's just pure loud noise when you do that stuff. OK some people love pure loud noise, but me and my neighbors don't!

If I can get my machines, as you described it, sounding warm... then I'll be an extremely happy camper! I just found a whole package of left over computer-case noise dampening foam (not sure what chemical makeup it is) and am lining the trays with it. The stuff is very thin and didn't seem to break up after I stress tested it.

[Erniesan]

Update:

Major failure on the reward tray "silencer" mod. The material I used was under the brand name "Pax Mate" and its very thin and spongy. It didn't break apart after many hours of use, but when I finally hit a fever and the machine needed lotsa balls fast, the spongy surface was being compressed under the weight of the balls and thus they didn't roll down.

Now begins the annoying process of getting all the sticky crap out of the tray >.<

Alas, I knew I was taking that gamble... it really was super quiet when pouring a ton of spheres in the tray... too effective though.

...


Arby, got any spare parts... like maybe in the reward tray department??

[arbycoffee]

Got some what machine

[nickbuol]

I just ordered some 3.5mm neoprene with fabric on one side (like a large sheet of mousepad material). It should be here next week in time for my machine. The fabric will prevent any breakdown, plus neoprene is darn sturdy stuff to begin with. I am going to put it in the top hopper of my cabinet, and in the bottom tray of my cabinet, plus any other "ball path" areas where I need it like the ramp between where the "spent" balls come out the bottom back of the machine and the bottom tray. Just trying to reduce the loud "plunk" sound. No sense in putting it in the actual machine payout hopper, as with my cabinet, that hopper will be full of balls, so it won't have "falling" balls, they will just work their way from the top hopper to the machine payout hopper.

Hope that helps. Of course, we will see how well it works, but I am really confident in the fabric coated neoprene.

[rubberratt]

Just move ... it will be easier

Then you can play whenever you want to. Some of my neighbors have asked me what all the strange glowing lights are that they see coming out of my window.

I tell them that I don't know what they are talking about because that is a storage room, and that there are only boxes of crap in there

I know... EVIL heh heh, but oh so fun.