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Whirlwind Rewrite - Update

Some updates.

First up, some info regarding the continued development of the hardware controller board. This is the other main part of this project and something that is as important as the software and dmd graphics if not more important. A reliable and sturdy hardware platform is super important and is something i've been working on in the background fro multiple years. The indy rewrite project also uses the technology. Recently over the last few months i have been refining the board layout, fixing bugs and also improving some aspects of the firmware on it. This is also super important.

I have today, just completed version v0.3 of the firmware and fixed the last major bug i think. This update is also going to be rolled forward into the indy board firmware to improve that board to.

Here is the latest layout of the v0.2 proto boards. Some layout positions needed to be moved to allow better alignment with existing cable lengths and also i needed to adjust the mount hole positions alittle. A few tweaks here and there were also done with some part solder pads and a mistake with 2 lamp columns being reversed was fixed.

fullsizeoutput_12d3.jpeg

And so on to something rather exciting, the first full game play video. Multiple games played here, hopefully give you a flavour of hoe the game is looking with the graphics, sounds, rules in etc. Video is 17 minutes long and i played (badly) a number of times to get the first multiball started. I managed to show a fair amount of variety i think inc the new combos on the right ramp/loop, storm chase direction collection, tornado grows, skyway, cellar awards, drop target sweep, multiball lock, multiball start, quick multiball start and play, bonus count up, game start, game end, attract mode etc

Hope you like it. :)

 
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Like them both Jim. The top one sets it aside from the original with a nod to the playfield and shows in case you were in any doubt it’s for the rewrite

I also like the bottom one as it’s subtle and looks original.
If any I’m slightly leaning towards the bottom one 51/49 in favour
 
Spandangler said:
Like them both Jim. The top one sets it aside from the original with a nod to the playfield and shows in case you were in any doubt it’s for the rewrite

I also like the bottom one as it’s subtle and looks original.
If any I’m slightly leaning towards the bottom one 51/49 in favour
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Cheers mate. Yeah the top one i was trying add some extra stuff to match the windy feel that the playfield bottom has and like the idea of making it alittle different from the original but still with a factory feel
 
The next revision of hardware board blanks are ordered and being manufactured. Should have them in a couple of weeks. Most of updates as i was mentioning before were to do with better connector positioning to reduce any cable strain, adding open slotted screw mounts at the bottom of the board for easier install, adding a dedicated dmd power connector and fixing a lamp matrix column reverse error from the first rev. I've also improved the options for mounting of the on board amp ic and added some audio ground improvements to.
 
Posting an update i shared on pinside in case anyone uk based fancies joining in the early adopter/self build camp we have going now. See below for details. Requires some soldering skills but has proved popular for people and adds a very cost effective way to get the new game updates. Can get a friend to assemble if you are not soldering happy to etc. We have a private slack discussion area for the self builders and access to all the documentation , bom files etc etc

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I also want to share another idea for kits that would make things quite alot easier for me to get the first beta games out there running and allow me to concentrate more on the software side rather than the hardware assembly. The hardware design is pretty much done now.

I am wondering if some people would be interested in a self assembly pcb kit, where i supply:

2 x Blank PCB (main cpu and lcd controller)
1 x Programmed Main Board Hardware Controller
1 x Programmed LCD Hardware Controller
1 x Programmed SD game card for rPi4
1 x Mouser/Element14 BOM sheet with part order codes and notes on where to source any other parts needed.
1 x LCD mount 3d printer file access
1 x Instructions doc and notes on various assembly requirements needs etc

This would save us both alot of money (as i would not have to purchase generic parts just to bill you the same or add on the assembly costs) and so i could reduce the costs of the kit to £300 plus vat & shipping for whoever wanted to assemble their boards themselves. Of course you need some soldering skills to do this, or maybe a friend could assemble them for you etc. It is obviously a more involved process and probably not for everyone but it would speed up the development of the testing, playing and feedback etc

If you are interested in this idea please get in touch via pm or reply here. There are 10 pcb blanks to begin with and so 9 slots available for this idea. I can get more as needed no problem (once the rev2 pcb is verified) and fully assembled pcb are still an option in the longer term.

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kev a said:
Im very tempted, what sort of cost is the dmd on top of the kit?
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The dmd controller pcb blank and programmed controller ic is included. The frame is a 3d printed one which you get access to the files along with the files for the wood frame and also both designs for my speaker plastic.

The actual parts needed to assemble the lcd controller pcb and the 2 led panels are around £40-45 altogether i think before you add shipping on

Looks like this once assembled

IMG_7345.jpg
 
Oh cool! was thinking it would need a colour dmd or something ontop, in that case put me down for one
 
You know I’m gagging to get this Jim. But I think it’s just above my pay grade. Regrettably I’m going to have to wait for an assembled plug and play
 
Pick Holder said:
Like the DMD plastic, looks 'stock'.

Can your main board be used to run STOCK software on other system 11 games ? or is it a plan in the future?
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It doesn't run pinmame system 11 emulation currently, but it could be made to do this in the future possibly, though then you'd not be taking advantage of the dmd add ons. It wasn't developed to be a sysem 11 cpu replacement particularly

It would fit into any system11 or de game and allow you to make a new game/rewrite an old one and add dmd graphics to it. As a basis you could start from a basic game shell taken from the whirlwind project potentially that would allow you to play a simple game with scoring then you work on adding your own stuff on top, but its not a simple endeavour hence why i make these boards for my own projects primarily.

Also the current hardware boards are self assembly for people with the time and inclination to source the bom list and assemble them themselves. Currently working pretty well and i have around 15 people building their own game boards. 2 of which have just been finished and are working nicely with no dramas.
 
myPinballs said:
It doesn't run pinmame system 11 emulation currently, but it could be made to do this in the future possibly, though then you'd not be taking advantage of the dmd add ons. It wasn't developed to be a sysem 11 cpu replacement particularly

It would fit into any system11 or de game and allow you to make a new game/rewrite an old one and add dmd graphics to it. As a basis you could start from a basic game shell taken from the whirlwind project potentially that would allow you to play a simple game with scoring then you work on adding your own stuff on top, but its not a simple endeavour hence why i make these boards for my own projects primarily.

Also the current hardware boards are self assembly for people with the time and inclination to source the bom list and assemble them themselves. Currently working pretty well and i have around 15 people building their own game boards. 2 of which have just been finished and are working nicely with no dramas.
Click to expand...
IF I can ever find a 'Radical' then I would be into this as a longer term project. :)
 
Pick Holder said:
IF I can ever find a 'Radical' then I would be into this as a longer term project. :)
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Cool, I reckon you could get up and running on something fairly quickly using my hardware but making the dmd graphics does take time. I have tools available though for converting png frame graphics to dmd formats and will map colours to your chosen 16 colour palette

I always thought robocop would be a good dmd game to :)
 
v0.2.7 now released. Update notes below. This project in terms of software is an iterative process so i work on updates as i get feedback along with my own test playing and improve things as i go. Much like the other software projects i have written. This was the reason to invite people to build hardware and test things out on their own games. More feedback = more stable software

v0.2.7
Ball Search - Vastly improved balls each routine now taking into account a stuck ball under the lift ramp. Ball search routine now runs in full regardless of other reset switches are activated during the run. Pop and sling switches if close could activate and cancel the run before.
Compass - Ramp lifter now has checking built in to make sure the event actually happened. logs an error if 10 tries result in no success.
Cellar - Added tracking of completed awards to progress to mega door bonus
Cellar - Added mega door bonus feature
Cellar - Added graphics for mega door bonus started and mega door bonus is ready
Compass - Fixed a bug with the virtual_lock flag that was messing up ball release for the second ball lock after the first multiball had been played.

Video of the mega door bonus feature

 
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