Awesome Pinball

Scott Sloan builds 1:6-scale digital pinball machines that are fully playable. The 3D-printed systems can play many games using Visual Pinball X and are powered by a GMK 5105 mini-computer. They have a 7″ playfield and a 5″ backglass display. Want one? Contact Scott on Facebook. Glen’s Retro Show has a demo video here. Images courtesy of Scott Sloan.

Play all your favorite pinball games on one cabinet with a virtual pinball machine from The Pinball King. Their premium models have a 43-inch 4K playfield, an HD backglass, an analog plunger, a shaker motor, haptic feedback, a real DMD (dot-matrix display), and more. They also make a 32″ model. Save $300 on any Kings Choice system with the code “awesomer”.

Ten years ago, we visited Stern Pinball in a small suburban Chicago factory that made up to 100 pinball machines a day. Since then, interest in pinball has grown substantially, and they’ve moved twice. Between the two buildings of their new factory, they now have almost 250,000 square feet of space and are the largest pinball factory in the world.

There’s a good reason that pinball machines are so expensive. These hand-assembled games incorporate multiple circuit boards, complicated wiring harnesses, and hundreds of parts. Technology Connections starts with a brief look at a 1990s pinball machine, then dives in deep to explain the amazing engineering of a vintage electromechanical machine.

AtGames teamed up with developer Zen Studios to create a home pinball machine with a 32″ 4K playfield, a 24″ digital backglass, and an 8″ scoreboard. It’s got a plunger, tilt and nudge sensor, and optional SSF. The Addams Family machine drops first, with 15 games and access to a download store. Pre-orders start 9.22.23 with a deep early-bird discount.

Robotime’s wood kit gives you everything you need to build your own working mini-pinball machine. Its 482 pieces come together to form a circus-themed machine with a plunger, bumpers, and flippers. The playfield and backbox have built-in lighting, and it also plays sounds. Save $40 for a limited time with code PINBALL40.

This movie dramatizes the story of Roger Sharpe, an NYC journalist who escapes from his stress by playing pinball, only to realize that the game is still illegal in the city. In 1976, he helped mount a campaign to overturn the 34-year ban and prove that pinball is a game of skill, not a game of chance. In theaters 3.17.23.

A modern pinball machine needs computer circuits, electromechanical components, and a power supply to work. Magnet Tricks shows how it’s possible to build a playable mini pinball machine using only magnets and pyrolytic graphite. It takes advantage of the repulsive forces between the two to bounce a washer around its playfield.

Modern pinball machines have hundreds of electronic components and complex wiring harnesses. But back in the day, pinball relied on gravity and simple obstacles made from nails and bent metal. Old Things Never Die got their hands on a time-worn 1930s pinball table and painstakingly restored it to like-new condition.

We’ve seen how pinball machines are made. Now, thanks to Gavin of The Slow Mo Guys, we can see exactly how they work as they kick steel balls around. He spent some quality time with Jersey Jack’s tricked-out Willy Wonka pinball machine to observe how its electro-mechanical playfield components work.

The makers of Skee-Ball present a uniquely-styled digital pinball machine. It’s not cheap, but it does come ready to play with 96 pinball machines, powered by Zen Studios’ Pinball FX3, and has a 55″ full HD playfield, arcade-quality sound, authentic launch and flipper buttons, haptic feedback, and undercabinet LED lighting.

Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity runs on the Multimorphic P3 pinball platform, which combines mechanical components with video screens. The game is packed with wacky levels inspired by his music. Obstacles include a hamster wheel and ball run course, and it plays 17 of Al’s novelty tunes and over 2000 voice clips.

Several years back, we came across some coffee tables made from pinball machine parts, but you couldn’t actually play them. BuildXYZ wanted a playable machine in the space of a coffee table. So he took one of our favorite classic pinball machines, Bally’s Centaur, and completely rebuilt it into a more compact form factor.

Do you enjoy pinball? Whether you play the real machines or virtual ones, Stellar Factory’s handy notebook provides a great place for you to jot down high scores so you can track your history over time. The 50-page notepad is printed on the front and back, tracking up to 100 machines along with their locations and notes.

Red Bull just built the world’s largest pinball machine. Then they turned freerunner Pasha ‘the Boss’ Petkuns into a human pinball, sending him sliding, swinging, and flipping his way through the 65-foot tall playfield which they set up at a 45° angle for an added challenge.

Boutique pinball machine maker Spooky Pinball created this sweet limited-edition pinball machine inspired by the classic Japanese Kaiju series Ultraman. The machine is covered with awesome artwork, and has interactive elements inspired by a monster-filled Toyko. Sadly, all 500 of the machines have already been sold.

What you’re looking at here is an old digital pinball game that dates back nearly four decades. TysyTube found the yellowed and badly-scratched handheld system on an auction site, and painstakingly restored it to like-new condition. Using that ice cube tray as a screw sorter is a brilliant lifehack.

Stern Pinball’s latest machine is loaded with images, sounds, and characters from The Mandalorian. Among its gimmicks is a sculpt of Grogu that wields Force powers to control the pinball. The Premium and LE add a mini-playfield, while the 750-unit LE also gets a “Beskar steel” mirrored backglass and other upgrades.

BuyStuffStore is working on something truly awesome – a TV stand that can transform from an arcade machine with a 50″ screen into a horizontal pinball table in seconds. It’s shown here with the AtGames Legends Gamer Pro. It’s not in production yet, but they are accepting a small number of participants for their beta tester program.

The Pacific Pinball Museum is home to thousands of vintage pinball machines. Video producer Eddie Codel toured their warehouse and shot some awesome aerial stills and videos of the collection. Some machines are kept for archival purposes, while others will be repaired and placed in the museum for the public to enjoy.

Arcade1Up expands into the realm of digital pinball. This 3/4-scale version of the classic Attack from Mars plays just like the original, complete with haptic touch flippers and a tilt sensor. It has a 23.8″ LCD playfield, working scoreboard, and light-up backglass. It plays 10 other Bally/Williams classics by Zen Studios.

Tyler Bower loves to make things from K’NEX construction toys. His masterpiece: a fully-functional, life-size pinball machine. It features ramps, automatic scoring, a digital scoreboard, and mechanical features like trap doors, chain lifts, and multiball. The whole thing shakes a bit, so it’s a good thing there’s no tilt sensor.

Do you or someone you know love pinball? The guys at gcpinball make these nifty keychains that look just like a real flipper from a pinball machine. Since they’re individually 3D printed they can be personalized with up to three initials, and come in a dozen color combinations.