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Thread: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

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    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
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    Default Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    As promised, this will be the official thread containing links to plans and information regarding my Pachinko Cabinet System project.

    Concept Art:
    This is what the finished system should look like.
    Concept photo 2.jpg

    Plans:
    Plans are viewable in blender 3D. As it is 3D modeling software, it may not be proper CAD software, but it is the tool I know how to use. Units are in inches as that is how I buy my lumber.

    Cabinet Master (9" wide unit intended to contain ball lifter, shared ball-out tank, and power supplies)
    Cabinet Unit (24" wide unit for a single pachinko machine)
    Side Panel (any complete system will need two of these, one for each end)
    Cabinet Door

    Technical Design:
    The cabinet units are conceptually composed of three vertical layers or strata.

    The lower strata consists mainly of user-accessible storage, except for the master unit, where it contains the shared ball-out tank. It also contains the ball return ramps, and an electrical raceway for supplying power to the pachinko machines.

    The main strata consists of the playing deck and framing to hold the pachinko machines in place.

    The upper strata has room for battle counters, related wiring, and the upper ball feed reservoir.

    The intention is to as clearly separate design concerns between the strata as much as possible. Building each strata can be considered its own sub-project.

    Building Materials:
    The framing of the cabinets is specified mainly as lengths of 2x2 wood, with 2x4's being used in some areas to provide extra support for the pachinko machines.

    Most of the sheathing is specified as 1/2" (finished width) material, with 1/4" material being used for some finish panels. Any cabinet-grade wood should be able to be used. I'm planning to build mine using MDF, with a black laminate for finished surfaces to give an arcade cabinet feel to the system.

    Most fastening will be done using wood screws.

    User-accessible storage:
    Each cabinet unit will function as a storage cabinet with a single, half-depth adjustable shelf. Half-depth shelving was chosen due to anticipated difficulty inserting and removing a full-depth shelf.

    Leveling:
    The base of the unit will have furniture levelers installed on all 4 corners, to facilitate leveling each unit and make the joining of multiple units possible.

    Electrical raceway:
    Beneath the play deck is a 3.5" raceway designed to run wires supplying power to each machine.

    Pachinko Framing and Support:
    Pachinko machines will be supported underneath by 2 2x4's running perpendicular to the machine beneath the play deck. On the sides, Pachinko machines will be supported by 2x4's running the height of the machine. (These 2x4's may need to be sanded down for some pachinkos, as there is only 0.25" extra clearance between these supports over the standard 20.75" machine width. A top 2x2 crossbar across the top of the machine stabilizes the side supports without interfering with the payout hopper.

    Upper Ball Feed Support:
    The upper ball feed area will be supported by the side supports of the pachinko machine, as well as two additional sets of 2x2 supports with cross-bracing.

    Comments and suggestions are welcome. I will update this thread as new details emerge.
    Last edited by DukeOfDelmar; 11-10-2013 at 11:57 AM.

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    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    Adventures and Misadventures in Cabinetbuilding, Week 1

    So, now I'm actually trying to build what I have planned out. For this past weekend, I set out with the initial goal of building the entire lower strata of one cabinet. This turned out to be a bit ambitious a goal for an amateur woodworker with limited tools.

    I started out by buying all needed materials during my lunch hour on Friday. I decided to have Home Depot cut the MDF panels, and am very glad that I did. They say that they charge $0.25 for each additional cut beyond the second, and the associate did point out that sign to me, but after all was said and done and the guy had made probably 10 or so cuts, I asked him how many cuts I owed for, and he said he didn't keep track and not to worry about it. Of course, YMMV on this. I decided to cut the 2x2 and 2x4 pieces myself.

    On Saturday, I began cutting the 2x2 and 2x4 pieces, and quickly discovered that the grade of wood I bought was just not going to cut it. Also, I found myself unable to cut straight enough cuts with my not-often-used sabre saw without a guide of some sort. I tried to make it work, but the wood was so warped and the cuts were very off-square, so the resulting base was not satisfactory. I managed to get in about 2 hours of work, and decided that this was a practice and learning day, and that I would research what I could do differently and approach it again the next day.

    Early Sunday morning, I made the rounds to Lowe's, Home Depot, and Harbor Freight to get new tools, better sawblades, and better wood. Instead of the standard stock 2x2s, I opted for pine 2x2 finish boards. They cost a lot more (Around $1/ft as opposed to $0.20/ft), but while being 5x more expensive, these boards were 10x better! The manual for my saw recommended a 20 tooth-per-inch blade for smooth cutting of wood, so I got some of those. I also got a "universal square" that could clamp to the wood that would help keep my saw straight, even, and true for the length of the cut. It may be a crude solution, but it works:
    20131117_154636-1.jpg

    After brunch and some Sunday chores, I had another three hours to work with. I tried to start cutting the wood again, only to discover that I had accidentally bought saw blades that were too short and did not penetrate the full width of the wood! So, I took another drive to Home Depot to get different blades, only to find that 20TPI blades in the length that I needed were not available or are not made. I settled for some 12 TPI blades of the correct length that were labeled for a smooth cut, and hoped for the best.

    Armed with my square and the correct blades, I did a smashing job on all cuts! The cuts left by the 12TPI blade were plenty smooth and barely splintered, and identical parts could be stacked with barely a seam palpable between the pieces.

    So, what I actually accomplished this weekend was to practice woodworking, and to successfully cut or have cut all wood pieces for the lower strata of the cabinet:
    20131117_213626.jpg

    The next step will be assembly of these pieces, which will involve countersink drilling of all pilot holes and attaching screws and brackets. I hope to post an update in another week!

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    Pachi Puro pachiwall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    Mot sure how Bender 3d works. Downloaded it...Tried to view plans. All I could see was a lot of crazy symbols! Guess I'll have to wait for the pics!

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    if your planing on making more or doing more projects a cheap circular saw would be a great investment.. even something from a yard sale will save you a boat load of time and provide you with better and straighter cuts...

    consider geting a speed square as well i have several and i have them in different sizes.. but the small one will make straight lines and cuts allor better then the jig pictured... i have seen that jig befor but dont see the reason to buy it..

    Finding pitch using a speed square - YouTube
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    Quote Originally Posted by pachiwall View Post
    Mot sure how Bender 3d works.
    Yeah, it's actually more a tool for creating 3D graphics for games and such, and is not the easiest thing to use. I think an airplane cockpit may have fewer controls. Here is a crash course on some basic commands (for Windows systems) to move the camera:

    Hold down scroll wheel button and move mouse: Rotates the camera.
    Hold down Shift and scroll wheel up/down: Moves camera up/down
    Hold down Ctrl and scroll wheel up/down: Moves camera left/right
    Scroll wheel up/down by itself: Zooms in/out

    I used this program only because it was the handy tool that I had at my disposal for creating a 3D mockup of the cabinet.

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    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    Quote Originally Posted by Moparformances View Post
    if your planing on making more or doing more projects a cheap circular saw would be a great investment.. even something from a yard sale will save you a boat load of time and provide you with better and straighter cuts...

    consider geting a speed square as well i have several and i have them in different sizes.. but the small one will make straight lines and cuts allor better then the jig pictured... i have seen that jig befor but dont see the reason to buy it..

    Finding pitch using a speed square - YouTube
    Thanks for the tips! I'll look into getting a speed square instead, looks a bit easier to wield. I'm not too sure about a circular saw though with my level of experience. My understanding is that one of the tradeoffs for the increased efficiency of a circular saw over a sabre saw is the difference between an injury requiring stitches and an injury requiring reattachment surgery. Once I feel more confident in my skills, or someone invents something similar to SawStop for non-table based saws, I'll consider a circular saw. Right now, I don't mind the extra time as this is purely a relaxation activity.

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    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    Adventures and Misadventures in Cabinet Building, Week 2

    Much was accomplished yesterday, however I will be pretty busy today and tomorrow and likely will not have another chance to work on the cabinet this weekend.

    The most complicated part of my work yesterday was keeping all the various parts and their orientations correct during pilot hole drilling and assembly. I just proceeded slowly and cautiously, taking time to lay out the pieces after each step. Despite my cautions, I ended up with two "bonus" holes, one of which was actually used in a later step, and another that I hid in the back that will be covered by an MDF panel. There are also two bonus countersinks that are completely hidden as they are butted up against another piece of wood.

    20131122_150547.jpg

    Someone had given me a tip that car wax will make your screws go in more easily. I think I may have gone one better with some Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish, as I thought maybe the car wax had some more chemicals that the wood wouldn't want. A quick dip of the screw shaft in a dixie cup of the wax really worked to help smoothly drive those longer screws in the solid framing boards. Just keep it away from your MDF because the oils in the wax will stain it.

    Once the 3D complexity of the framing board layout was sorted, everything else was a piece of cake, except that I managed to snap both my 7/64" and 3/32" drill bits toward the end, and will need to replace them before I continue. I was drilling 7/64" pilots, but when that bit gave, I switched to the 3/32" and just went over the holes a couple of times, the heat from which probably caused that bit to snap. In a pinch, I risked it and used my 1/8" bit with a really quick and light drilling action for the final couple of holes, and it worked out fine.

    The cabinet looks fantastic so far, and already seems really sturdy! As you can see, it holds my model A quite nicely:

    20131122_172252.jpg

    I was really worried that with my lack of woodworking skills that I would build something that would be really off-kilter and wonky looking, but you can only find two spots that are off by a little less than 1/8", and all of that should be hidden once the cabinet is clad in laminate. Once I learned the basic techniques, I found that I was able to do very accurate and precise work as long as I move slowly and patiently.

    I have a couple of 1/4" MDF panels left to attach, but after that the bottom of the cabinet will be complete, and I will need to spec out the parts required for the upper part of the cabinet.

    I may take a moment to build myself a work table in my basement before continuing. Winter is coming and that garage is going to get really cold soon. Besides, I really don't have a proper work table now. I've been making do with a 2x10 across two sawhorses for everything, and really feel that I could use a bigger workspace than that.

    I'm not sure how much progress I will make over Thanksgiving week, we'll have to see. There's a chance my father-in-law and brother-in-law may get excited upon seeing the protocabinet and will want to help, but if not I will be otherwise entertaining them.

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    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    With the colder weather and holidays and other unforeseen circumstances, I only have limited progress to report.

    I did attach the sides to the bottom of the cabinet, and I am about to pick up the laminate. It is a black laminate with a "crystal" finish, so the cabinet should have an arcade-style feel, yet the faceting of the laminate texture should reflect light and give a shimmer to the cabinet, which I thought was appropriate with the flashy pachinkos that will inhabit it.

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  17. #9
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    Ah. It's a pain when real life gets in the way of pachi playing/progress. I'm looking/budgeting to get 4 CR units sent over so I can remove the innards and install the daverob circuit boards.
    Ian #UKPachinko

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    Pachi Puro pachiwall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pachinko Cabinet System Plans

    I love it when someone tries something, and learns that they CAN do it! It is SO much more gratifying to build something than to buy it! Plus you generally get much more for your money...in spite of the mistakes. The more you learn, the less mistakes you make! Plus you can design in features that are not available on off the shelf products! Keep up the good work and keep posting pics!

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