Custom sound bytes for your pachislot!

[SmusheR]

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the wait. I've been ridiculously busy with other lame tasks lately.

My wife made me take some hobby time to relax, so as I promised, here you go, I got the custom sounds all working tip top!!

Check out my video! I did this mostly for BigBearSteve's Family Guy pachi. It DEFINITELY needs this technology!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B3eE0ZLvcE

I'll tell you guys the short version.. nothing too scary.

Since decoding the motherboard of the pachislo to replace the sounds *did* prove too daunting, I decided to attack the problem from another angle.

Have a look at this machine, Continental XXXX by Aruze
Attachment 39663

Hard to see but on the front glass I have a bulb for Big Chance, Big Win, 'Wait', Bet1, Bet2, Bet3, REPLAY and Insert Coin. (Hooray! Free Spin gets a sound!)

The idea was that I could use the four buttons on the front (Spin, Stop1, Stop2, Stop3) as well as the light bulbs as custom inputs onto the PC and that exactly what I did!

The buttons are connected directly to a hacked USB gamepad, since they're both TTL levels.

To get the light bulbs into the PC as inputs I attached 24V relays to them and them to a keyboard hack into the PC for key inputs.

As before, here comes the ingredients list:

Hardware:
-Cheap laptop. P3 or better should do it.
-Hacked keyboard for light bulb inputs.
-Hacked $5 USB gamepad for Spin, Stop buttons.
-24V relay for each bulb that will trigger a custom sound
-Wire.. lol

Software:
-whatever windows you like, I use XP for this stuff
-xpadder to turn the gamepad inputs into keyboard keys
-Soundplant - wicked program that's basically onscreen keyboard married to CoolEdit from the old days. I needed some kind of DJ sound effect software and this works perfectly! Check it out. Soundplant 39 is nagware but if you can find Soundplant 261, it's free!
-I turned on filterkeys in windows to not allow repeated keystrokes within 1 second to filter out bulb flashes from making their sound repeatedly.

As I mentioned on youtube, the test theme is Grand theft Auto original. I needed something recognizable and obviously custom to illustrate this.

Hope it all makes sense! If anyone is thinking of trying this, and I hope you are, reply with your questions. I'll take pics of my circuits as needed!

Now then, I'll help anyone who wants to do this to their pachi. It isn't hard, but in trade, someone who is into customs, please talk to me about how to make custom glass with new artwork and especially, how to make/have made some custom reels!

Enjoy!

SmusheR

[dattia]

Hmmm... a custom cursing pachi!

* I've never played Grand Theft Auto, so I am not familiar with the track... however, on my half cup of coffee this morning, I am hearing A$$hole and the *F* bomb. Is this correct or should I have another cup of coffee or two and watch the video again?

Also, when I clicked on your Attachment link, it comes up as invalid. The Youtube link worked fine.

[BigBearSteve]

Awesome SmusheR!! Simply AWESOME!!

That is something I would like to try someday... except I am really a computard, so I would need lots of help

BTW, Devospeed (Devon) is the member you need to talk to about custom reels and glass. I couldn't have done it without him.

[SmusheR]

Oh dattia! I'm sorry if I ruined your morning wake up cup..LOL.. there is no F-bomb in there..

I knew only folks who *had* played the original game would pee their pants laughing, but I guess it's a pretty random theme for this crowd

I chose these sounds to be super obvious for illustrative purposes. I even did a 'with' and 'without' to make it even more obvious. This was just for the showing. I haven't decided (quite) what I'll choose for my custom theme. It probably isn't perfectly clear, but the Spin is obviously a car rev, Stop1 is a skid, Stop2 is the most frequent 'A$$hole' sound that the pedestrians say, Stop3 is a car crash sound, the Bet sounds are the object pickups from the game like weapons, the free spin sound is the cheering for if you do something successfully in a mission, and the 'Wait' sound is the cops saying "SPREAD EM PUNK!" LOL

The POINT is that it can be whatever sounds you want!! I slurped these sounds out of that game because I needed a theme to show it to you. So, you pick the theme! I'll do another video with a completely different sound scheme! (tell me you didn't laugh, honestly )

THANKS BigBearSteve! You know it buddy. I figured this out, but I didn't really invent anything. If you know anyone with some electonic tinker skills, maybe you could get them excited enough to do it to your Family guy. That is my hope. I'm guessing that our houses are quite far apart.. lol
Cheers for now!

[JamesM]

I wouldn't have to do the cursing myself

[dattia]

No problem for me... I often use colorful language, especially when I am driving! I just wasn't sure if what I thought I was hearing, was actually what I was hearing.

I am impressed nonetheless, this is something that many have wanted to tackle!

[SmusheR]

No problem for me... I often use colorful language, especially when I am driving! I just wasn't sure if what I thought I was hearing, was actually what I was hearing.

I am impressed nonetheless, this is something that many have wanted to tackle!

YAY! Thanks! Like I said, I thought it'd be funny but especially for those who knew the game. I decided on which sounds somewhat at random but stuck to the ones heard most frequently in the game.

I haven't decided what custom theme to do yet, but now we get to consider what custom art and what custom sounds!

Folks here can obviously tell that bored fiddly people like myself love to have a completely random objective thrown at them to try to succeed at. This was great fun! Thank you guys! I knew I'd end up taking a practical and not too complicated/techno-crazy approach in the end and thankfully that's what happened!

For just a couple of custom sounds, this is easy to do. Needs a little soldering yes. I could write nice easy to follow instructions that anyone who could build a little pcb project kit could easily handle. Beside PC peripherals (keyoard for bulbs, gamepad for buttons) 24V DC relays are the only external component.

I should mention that I left one speaker connected to the pachi board but volume modded to be pretty quiet. The other Pachi speaker is the PC audio output, but a little louder. It works well. The PC drowns out the pachi mostly when there is a custom sound, but when there's not the pachi sounds are still easily heard.

Ok back to work! lol

[yose]

That is very interesting, to be able to modify the theme sounds.Making custom reels and machine graphics ,and then custom sounds could start a new trend for pachislo owners. Very impresive.

[SmusheR]

That is very interesting, to be able to modify the theme sounds.Making custom reels and machine graphics ,and then custom sounds could start a new trend for pachislo owners. Very impresive.

That's the idea, I want to fuel more excitement for customs. I really want to get working on a custom theme or two of my own. First thing ask Devospeed how to get the custom reels done but I'll get to that. It looks like you to go a car vinyl decal shop to get the custom glass made or something? Anyway..

Time to start a custom theme wish list? BigBearSteve I was tempted to make the free spin sound "Freakin' Sweet" for you even though it wouldn't have made sense.. lol. I know you'd get the idea anyway.

[SmusheR]

Alrighty, folks! It looks like it'll be a little bit before anyone stumbles onto this and feels like giving it a try.

In the meantime, I have some questions to help me get going with my actual complete custom pachi! I've now seen most of the posts about custom glass and custom reels here and they have been very helpful, so thanks to all interested parties.

A couple of basic questions about the reels. I plan to make the strips from scratch and stick transparent ink jet stickers to the strips to start.

1. Are the reel strips exactly 3x28 inches? On all pachis?
2. Are there always the exact same number of symbols on a strip, on all pachis?
3. All I gotta do is take the old ones off, put the new ones on and make sure the symbols line up just the same as the old. Correct??

Thanks so much in advance!

[yose]

Pachi reels are made in all different sizes and widths and all kinds of different size symbols. So each custom design is just that, a custom.
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Yes the symbols would have to line up exactly the same on each reel in order to payout on a winning symbol.

[SmusheR]

Ahh I see. Well that's kinda rough. Basically it sounds like I will need to carefully remove my existing strips to be able to make new ones that match.

I see a lot of people trying to print on film. I was thinking of just using strips of flexible white plastic cut to the exact size, with good quality transparent printable stickers stuck on. Should that work do you think?

By the way, I noticed people have been talking about the 'complete custom' pachi with sounds since at least as far back as 2007! lol I'm still excited over this. I did it to share it and I still want to. Maybe I should post a drawing of the (simple) circuit for a single light bulb driven sound to help... ?

[yose]

If you make a mark on the reel frame the exact spot where the plastic strip strarts you should be able to wrap the new one exactly where the old one was, and end up the same.If you make the new stickers space the same as the old ones it should work. Be careful not to mix the reels up.