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In Progress Chicago Coin Rodeo (Yehaaaaaa Bugger you) EM Rifle Game

Biff

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****a
Edit 11-09-22
<StartEdit:

I will add a list of videos here, as well as chronologically through the thread. The first release should be later this week concerning Minimum Viable Offering 1 or MV01 for short - the first acceptable or useable version of code, that i could realistically apply to Rodea. I probably won't apply though, i will most likely wait for MV05 before i apply to the gun game. The MVO list, which is incremental, is also placed below, and may change as i find out how to do things, or not, and or have new ideas: -

MVO List
MVO#DescriptionStartFinishComments
MVO1All FX sounds work via inputs no logic (basic input to file output sound) and a defined code structure
15/08/2022​
MVO2Program has a start and stop sequence that works with in game relays like start and game over and various kill operations to support looped background music, game over music at the end plus random in game comments via a timer, that can be halted and interrupted by other in game commentsTBATBA
MVO3Provide additional logic for taunts, comparing trigger inputs with hit inputs - doing well get encouraged, doing bad get taunted and an attract mode if the game stands idleTBATBA
MVO4More logic at game over so game knows you did well or not to give you an appropriate upbeat or taunting game over music and comments. Addition of a special adult mode (input operation TBA) that uses alternative cursing humour audio only suitable for a more mature audience and therefore needs to be activated with a means for me to override internally so it cannot be activated...TBATBA

Video List:
DateDescriptionLinkDuration (minutes)Comments
13/07/2022​
Amusing overview (with some swearing) of the plan to augment an electromechanical rifle game with a Raspberry Pi.
2​
Rufus is a character…
21/08/2022​
Rodeo rebooted raspberry pi proof of concept initial set up & some issues.
3​
Have I bitten off more than I can chew?
05/09/2022​
Two issues. The first is where audio is not heard for at least 2.5 seconds whilst the shell clearly shows the file is playing. The second is a distortion that occurs between an fx file and a music file when they are played at the same time.
7​
Issues hopefully now resolved, more testing needed and an update on what I did to resolve will be available in the MV01 video - coming soon.
09/09/2022​
Thought I solved the 2.5s audio is in the video of the 5th… turned out I hadn't. Issue was actually a problem with HDMI between the pi and my monitor - if I use a Pi USB sound card, no issues with any files!!!
6​
Relieved to find route cause, I hated not knowing for sure.
11/09/2022​
MVO1 or minimum Viable Offering 1 will comprise: All FX sounds working via inputs but no logic (basic input to file output sound) and a defined code structure.
19​
Something odd occurred, make sure you wat till the end.

EndEdit:>



Did a part ex with a nice chap on this forum for my Queens Castle, picked it up during the Fuel debacle last week - touch and go at one point if it was going to happen. If you ever pick up a gun game, get a Luton - don't try and get it in your car or you will kill it - so glad i took advice.

Anyway it was one of those that 'used to work but does work any more' -perfect for me :)

I got the schematics from the US, didn't realise that there was an instruction and part list as well, so have ordered that now as well.

I gave the schematics to my local printer along with some other stuff to create a manual for it, will add the instructions when they arrive. So right now i only have a few photos of the schematics to keep me going

I am departing from my usual rip it all apart, clean it then put it back togethor again approach as i want to take it to NLP and i only have just enough time to get it going in limp mode... :)

Power it up and the score motor just keeps on turning. Will look into that in a bit.

When i was looking at the score motor i noticed an insulating separator missing between the first contact and the rest of the stack, meaning the first contact would operate but the ones above would not because the movement wouldn't be transferred to the rest of the stack. Not checked what it does but thought what the hey, and put a stack separator in. Will check schematic in detail later and decide if it should stay in.


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Found a trapped yellow wire between the scanning disk and a metal fixing, have released it now - didn't look to be shorting, shoudl only be a return for a target knock down.: -

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The back glass has some serious flake starting in a few spots, so triple thicked that just now. Had to fanny about with tracing paper so i can trace over the intricate clear parts then temporarily stick the cut-out tracing paper in place on the glass while i spray the back of the art work so that over spray does not gum up the clear glass parts. The masking worked out quiet well. I will leave it over night before i touch it and then will have to wipe down the excess glue, confident that it wont damage the art work any further. I may touch it up, but not yet - need to get it going.
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The biggest ball ache for getting it to NLP is the stylus, the pointy bit inside the game that moves over the scanning disk when you move the gun (the magic bit), has been replaced by 3mm bolt with the scratchy threaded end making contact with the game. It shoudl be a sprung loaded, soft metal rounded or blunt point so you do not destroy the contact points on the scanning disk. If i left it alone and took it to NLP i guess it would scratch and knacker the $100 scanning disk... It might be knackered already though, not checked it yet - hoping not.

IMG_0477.JPEG

Anyway the parts are rarer than rocking horse dodo and i can get some of them, so have ordered those but they are coming via Venus so may take a while... Not in time for NLP at any rate.

So i am working on a temporary bodge...

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The stylus must not short out on the arm but the sprung loaded stylus must pass through the arm... So i am making a temporary milliput stylus holder. I will use the bolt idea for the stylus, but instead will use the rounded head end to make contact with the disk, and rather than fix it, i will spring load it with a spare williams shoe contact spring that i have. A few nuts in the right places and i can set the max depth of travel, and provide a point at which the conductor can connect to the the stylus. I will need to file down some of the threads so they do not catch on the black tube (contact insulator tube) i have running through the middle of my blob of milliput... It should at least be shootable - pew pew...

IMG_0528.JPEG

More pics later. WIth a bit of luck i should get to take a look at why the score motor is constantly running later this week :)

JB
 
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here is what the stylus should look like, got this from a kindly soul on Pinside.

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could you use a soft metal for the stylus, like from an old tilt bob?
probably too soft and to brittle, not to mention it would take ages to carve something to shape. No issues though, what i am doing should be okay for the short term :)
 
Managed to get a game :)


Found the main issue with the score motor continuously running, a busted anti cheat relay - coil connection also snapped: -
IMG_0543.JPEG

Still a few bugs to sort and check scoring etc, but i think Cinderella will be at the ball...

I made a temporary stylus with Milliput, and a 3mm screw with a blob of sodler on the end shaped into a blunt point: -

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It was realy good, worked well until i discovered the threade end of the bot was too log and snagging on cables inside, so had to shorten the bolt..

IMG_0537.JPEG
Doh!

Mark Two, tested out as well with continuity buzzer. Also had to shave the miliput down to get more throw on the movement of the bolt - not as good a shape as mark 1 though. Incidentally i used my plumbers torch, plumbers solder and flux to create the blob, then ground it down on the grinder and then smoothed it off with some wet and dry: -
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You can see the contact insulator i used down the middle to form the insulating tube: -

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I will make good the broken relay and reconnect the coil, while i await a new one ( K29-1400) / equivalent. Again it wont be here in time for NLP so will have t mend and make do.

Oh the sound works too :)

Cheers

JB
 
Got my homemade manual back from the printers. Just waiting on the instructions coming from the US, will copy and get them added to. The manual i have now includes all schematics, including the full schematic. I have everything in available in PDF if anyone has a Rodeo and needs them.

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Unlike pinballs, fruities, video games, coin pushers........ so few of these EM shooters seem to have survived.

Bravo for rescuing this one
 
Reading through the schematic last night for $hits and giggles (as you do) and i came across an adjustable feature called the 'Miss shot Adjuster'.

IMG_0581.JPEG

Looking at he schematic, it seems to be a way to factor in to the game none, two or more shots that will guarantee a miss, so if you get 10 shots, only 8 will ever hit anything no matter how good a shot you are - just like nailing down coconuts or bending the barrel of the air guns at the fair - how cool is that!

While i was looking around for this though i did find a complete and utter bastard of a mess...: -

IMG_0582.JPEG

No that's not bird $hit on the wipers it's silver solder.. i think...

But it is working and as far as i can tell it is working correctly. I can't leave it like that though, so hopefully my helpful contact on pinside (seemingly the only other person in the world with a Rodeo - it's actually in a museum) can take me a few pictures so i can see what it shoudl look like and when i do the strip down i guess i will have to make some wiper parts from scratch.
 
Mayve you can find an old unit and swap the wipers, hopefully theyre a std size across many of those stepper units?
 
hmm, rocking horse poo i suspect - hence why they are in the state. they are in... You never know though.
 
Now i fid its missing an eight track player for background music. Oh well, may have to coble someting together on that front but will try and get an eight track if I can... May have to Pied though. Which may not be a bad thing, i can probably add a few sound effects :)
 
See if you can get a download of the music the game should play, drop it onto a micro SD card and use a cheap board that will play it. Thats what I'm doing on my mishmash build.
 
A bit more digging, and it looks like mine never came with one. You just have some very small pilot holes where the 8 track player holding bracket shoudl go, but no proper screw holes.

May be mine was the professional, and the premium got the player :)

Oh well, i think it's time i had some Raspberry Pi fun then. I fancy doing my own background music and sound effects, i can combine both in one then - hehehe.

Will have to wait a bit though, too busy at mo.

Any PI experts on here point me in the right direction of what i need? I know i will need some IO, and some thing to code the IO to wav files or some such. Been a long while since i played with a Pie.

Cheers

JB
 
@AlanJ thank you.

Any ideas how flexible the ability to code duration, interrupts, priorities etc of the calls?

Can it handle playing multiple sounds (e.g back ground music, plus a 2 or three effects)

Some calls shouldn't be cut off (back ground music), some shoudl run for duration and loop etc.

Can some calls be switched off or faded out?

Cheers

JB
 
.... hopefully my helpful contact on pinside (seemingly the only other person in the world with a Rodeo - it's actually in a museum) can take me a few pictures so i can see what it shoudl look like and when i do the strip down i guess i will have to make some wiper parts from scratch.

Luke Wells used to have a Rodeo... Though I guess the lovely chap you did a trade with might also be that same Luke? 🤭
 
This one was Lukes :) I twigged that after seeing his videos on line, same stains on the schematics in the back - and missing contact spacer.
 
@AlanJ thank you.

Any ideas how flexible the ability to code duration, interrupts, priorities etc of the calls?

Can it handle playing multiple sounds (e.g back ground music, plus a 2 or three effects)

Some calls shouldn't be cut off (back ground music), some shoudl run for duration and loop etc.

Can some calls be switched off or faded out?

Cheers

JB
it can only play a single sound file at a time, but i’d just use two cards to get two sounds going at once. or three cards for three sounds.
you can set them to play a while track to the end or you can set it so it stops playing as soon as you release the signal pin. if it’s playing a track to the end, you can start another. you can also test it’s busy pin - i’m going to implement use of that in my project soon because i want some sounds to override others and some sounds i don’t want to repeat too quickly. eg when i fire a spinner i only want to start the sound of the spinner if that sound isn’t already running.
but i mean for £5 or so they are pretty amazing. the 5w amp is pretty powerful, or you can add a bigger amp off the headphone socket.

you can here my card working in this video
 
Agree, a whole lot of stuff for a fiver :)

Home brew pin looking good!

Could you have done the sound with one Rasp Pie? Especially the interrupts etc?

Shame you can't fade out on signal release. Mine are going to less frenetic than yours and far fewer sound effects.

As i say i would like a start up music, then an in game music, end of game music, shot sound effects, then a few target sounds, cows blokes etc.

I think if i was to go with these cards i would have the music on one card, start, during and end - the interrupts would be logical and would work then. I would also have to fit some relays in as my switchover will not be clean...

Probably the shot on one card, as the short will interrupt the other sound effects. Would be nice if there was a way to play one of three sound effects by random - that would be cool!

then maybe at least one more card for targets.

How do you program the sound boards?

I assume, if yo used multiple boards, that you cannot just link the line outs together into one set of speakers. I would think some sort of audio splitter would be needed to take the line out for each card, and then let the sperate amp mix the sounds with a common neg?

I did create a discord headset splitter for the PS4 that allowed yo take the audio form eth game and audio from discord and overlays them into one set of headphones - i used this: -


Might come in handy for yours. Looks like i will be buying another one... :)
 
Agree, a whole lot of stuff for a fiver :)

Home brew pin looking good!

Could you have done the sound with one Rasp Pie? Especially the interrupts etc?

Shame you can't fade out on signal release. Mine are going to less frenetic than yours and far fewer sound effects.

As i say i would like a start up music, then an in game music, end of game music, shot sound effects, then a few target sounds, cows blokes etc.

I think if i was to go with these cards i would have the music on one card, start, during and end - the interrupts would be logical and would work then. I would also have to fit some relays in as my switchover will not be clean...

Probably the shot on one card, as the short will interrupt the other sound effects. Would be nice if there was a way to play one of three sound effects by random - that would be cool!

then maybe at least one more card for targets.

How do you program the sound boards?

I assume, if yo used multiple boards, that you cannot just link the line outs together into one set of speakers. I would think some sort of audio splitter would be needed to take the line out for each card, and then let the sperate amp mix the sounds with a common neg?

I did create a discord headset splitter for the PS4 that allowed yo take the audio form eth game and audio from discord and overlays them into one set of headphones - i used this: -


Might come in handy for yours. Looks like i will be buying another one... :)
The sound card is easy to use. it has 8 track selector pins. if you only have 8 sounds (or less) you can set it to play 1-8 by simply activating one of the track selector pins. to activate a pin you just ground it. it’s that easy. if you have more than 8 sounds then you can set the card to use the selector pins together, so giving up to 255 different sounds. ie you can ground multiple pins to select a particular sound.
You could wire up a single speaker to multiple boards with a diode on each speaker output to protect each of the sound boards amplifier circuitry. or be safe and just use separate speakers. for my pin project i’ll only ever have one sound at a time, so only one card needed.
 
The sound card is easy to use. it has 8 track selector pins. if you only have 8 sounds (or less) you can set it to play 1-8 by simply activating one of the track selector pins. to activate a pin you just ground it. it’s that easy. if you have more than 8 sounds then you can set the card to use the selector pins together, so giving up to 255 different sounds. ie you can ground multiple pins to select a particular sound.
You could wire up a single speaker to multiple boards with a diode on each speaker output to protect each of the sound boards amplifier circuitry. or be safe and just use separate speakers. for my pin project i’ll only ever have one sound at a time, so only one card needed.
Thanks, so no GUI, or line by line coding? Okay, will get one and suck it and see.
 
Have a friendly person on Pinside who his providing me with pictures and may have some new wipers for me :) This is a picture of his shot count unit at zero position, i have marked it up as i see it form the schematic, i have not tested it yet so if there is a later image, in a later part of this thread d it will probably be amended.

Shot count disk.png
 
Well it held up really well at the show. It took a real kicking but kept on ticking!

I changed the stylus for my spare home made stylus and the second one lasted all Sunday, and still has some use left - so am pretty pleased with that - Dead easy to swap too. So i think i will make one more and see if i can re-tin the one i took off - renewable stylus :)

The next thing i want to get stuck into before i strip it down, is to figure out how I bring RUFUSS to life...

Raspberrypi
User
Familiarisation
Utility
Sound
System

Rufuss will be a Pi augmentation probably using PyGame. The plan is that i will record quite a few sound effects as well as a bit of music here and there. Using the Pi and driving the GPIO with contacts from the game i will create sound effects that will play when:

WhatWhenFiles / ActionNotes
Some witty quip at power upthe game is powered up for the first timePlay file from random set of three Power up files
Attract sound effectsWhen start relay not energised and once every three minutesPlay file from random set of three Attract sounds including tunes
Intro Music and short speechthe start button is pressedPlay start up file
In Game Background musicintro has finishedPlay file from random set of three in game rootin tootin music and an easter egg or two maybe
Gun shot sound effectthe trigger is pressedPlay file from random set of three different gun shot sounds
Rufus complainingRunning man target on hill is hitPlay file from random set of three running man hit effectsI will need to re wire the rolling target to separate hit for cow and hit for running man across two separate outputs
Cow ComplainingRunning cow target on hill is hitPlay file from random set of three running cow hit effectsI will need to rewire the rolling target to separate hit for cow and hit for running man across two separate outputs
Bullseye effectWhen bullseye is hitPlay bullseye file
Complaining Male voicesWhen lower targets are hitPlay file from random set of four static man target hit effects
Complaining Bull SoundsWhen any of the flashing bull targets are hitPlay file from random set of three static man target hit effects
Idle TauntWhen game in play but no shots firedPlay files in sequence set of five idle taunts
Miss Tauntwhen two or more misses in a rowPlay file from random set of three miss taunts
Hi score TuneWhen the Hi score is reachedPlay hi score effect
Angry sound effectWhen the slam is activatedPlay slam tilt sound effect
Game over tuneWhen the game over really is activatePlay game over tune

Oh well i better get reading up on how to do it...

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:)

Will be back with some scripts and a video or two when i start to make progress.

JB
 
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Bloody hell, Raspbery pi with desktop on start-up, built on MS office clone and recommended software portal (app installer). Wow, plenty changed there since i picked one up.

I'm glad i go the integrated keyboard version i can surf the net from it and download what ever I need - very cool.

Will still be a while longer before you see any results i am afraid, come back another time...

Okay well i'll give you a taste of what Rufuss will sound like...



View attachment Intro.mp3
 
This was lovely surprise at Play Blackpool. The curiosity factor drew us in, and then we kept returning.

I really should have asked about it at the time, but of course, I didn't think...

A few of us had a little high score competition between is, which was great fun. It quite a bit of depth when you started to learn how it played.
 

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