Pinball Machine

Research

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Scoreboard/Background

The video above shows an example of a scoreboard we liked. This pinball machine is World Cup themed, so the background is directly related to the theme which we liked. The function of the score board is to keep track of the player's points & ball count.

Scoring System/Rules Board

I really liked this scoring system/rules board because it was straight to the point & can clearly be seen on the pinball machine. The purpose of this rules board is to inform the player on how the pinball machine works & how they can earn points.

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Launcher

Most of the launchers we saw while on the trip were ones that we liked. All of them were very sturdy, but also easy to pull. I like how this one is hidden. The function of the launcher is to put the ball in play

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Flippers

We played lots of pinball machines & observed many flippers, & all of them used colors linked to their themes & moved pretty easily. I liked how these weren't too loose, but not too stiff either. The function of the flippers is to keep the ball in play & be used to hit targets.

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Targets

The targets of this pinball machine were SO unique & there were also so many that aren't even shown in the video. I like how they were all soccer related & made you feel like you were really a part of a soccer game. The targets are what the players hit to receive points.

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Bumpers

The bumpers in the video above were my absolute favorite ones out of all the pinball machines because they had a quick reaction & actually bumped the ball away in a different direction. The function of the bumpers is to set the ball of into a different direction to make the game more interactive.

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Ball Counter

The actual ball counter is right below the flippers & once the ball is lost from the flippers, you've essentially lost a ball. I liked this ball counter specifically because on the screen it also had special effects & reminded you of your score before the ball count.

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Rotating Component

This pinball machine is obviously soccer related, so I really like that the rotating component was a soccer ball because in real life a soccer ball rolls. Not only did this component spin, but it spun fast & also made noise.

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Unique Mechanical Component

This mechanical component is also a target, but I liked how it imitated a goalie in real life & moved from side to side. It was a very unique component that is directly connected to the pinball machine's theme which I appreciated. A unique mechanical component can elevate your pinball machine & make it more fun or interactive.

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Ball Guides

The ball guides were very popular within the pinball machines, but I liked how you can see this one clearly going through the game board & it's not too confusing to look at. The purpose of the ball guides is to guide the ball to a new place on the game board.

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Sounds of Gameplay

This specific pinball machine had many different sounds incorporated into its gameplay. It had sounds that imitated a crowd if you scored, & grunting as if a player is tired. Using sounds on your pinball machine can really make the player feel apart of the game.

Overall Board Layout / Lighting / Overall Theme

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Overall, all of the components in this pinball machine connected back to theme & made sense during the gameplay. I really liked all of the lights throughout the board & how interactive the board is for the player. I think it's appealing to the eye & draws the player in which is very important. I think I will be drawing lots of inspiration from this pinball machine.

Pinball Machine Project

While in Engineering Applications, our year long project is to build our very own pinball machine! Usually we work in partners, but I am in a group with 2 other people, which causes our pinball machine to be a little different from the other groups. Below you will be able to learn about the different components within our machine & the process we went through to complete them.

Engineering Design Notebook

Above is a link to my Engineering Design Notebook. Within this notebook is my documentation of my yearly Pinball Project. It goes into detail of what I completed each day, challenges I encountered, & photos/videos. Click above to view!

Launcher

The launcher was our first component. It begins the gameplay of our pinball machine by launching the ball onto the gameboard. My team & I's goal was to have a strong launcher that would be reliable, but also fits our space themed machine. We decided to make the knob of our launcher a rocket, & the end squared shape for the ball to rest on.

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Video of Launcher functioning

Scoreboard

The scoreboard was our first component that required coding. We not only need to incorporate a welcome screen, but also a screen that shows the player's score & ball count. The mount of our board was supposed to relate to our overall theme of our pinball, so we created a rocket to hang off the side of it with clouds of puff surrounding the scoreboard.

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Videos of scoreboard functioning

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Process Photos

Onshape/Planning Design

The planning of our overall pinball machine layout was the most tedious of this process. First, we had to decide how many components would actually be apart of our gameplay, & then had to decide on the placing of those components. After, we had to determine which components required holes & within our Onshape, we made sure that the holes were the right measurements for the CNC machine to cut out everything. I specifically was in charge of the Onshape & spent a very long time perfecting our layout. I used tools within Onshape like mirroring, rectangles, center point circles, linear pattern, & the dimension tool often.