Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Switch Wizard for Troubleshooting Pinball Machines |
Aditya Gupta Gina Li Logan Henderson |
Pusong Li | design_document1.pdf proposal3.pdf proposal2.pdf |
|
| ## Pinball Machine Diagnostic Device - RFA Team Members: - Logan Henderson (loganeh2) - Gina Li (ginafl2) - Aditya Gupta (aditya22) ## Problem: Pinball machines are complex, multifaceted devices, needing electrical and mechanical skills to troubleshoot, but I want to make it easier. Pinball machines operate primarily through switches that tell the machine what to show on the screen, solenoids to fire, etc. The issue is, troubleshooting these switches can be tough, because these machines have about 60-100 switches that all need to function properly. Pinball machines from 1977 and newer have rudimentary switch diagnostic features, but everything produced before 1977 are designated as electromechanical, meaning there is no software, only physical relays and switches. This makes electromechanical pinball machines extremely difficult to troubleshoot. ## Solution: The "SWITCH WIZARD" as I am calling it, would consist of multiple ports that would connect to the suspected faulty switch or switches. During gameplay or other testing, the device would record all switch hits with a timestamp and send it via WiFi to a nearby laptop or phone. Gavin, of Gavin’s Game Service, (a master technician in the Chicagoland area) has demonstrated interest in the product. I simply cannot understate how much easier this would make troubleshooting, and if the product is successful, I could genuinely see it having a place in this industry. ## Subsystem 1: Switch state detection Switches are obviously either open or closed, and this subsystem would detect and process the state of the switch. Multimeters can perform this task, but this pcb would be able to track multiple switches, which is extremely useful for Score Motor debugging. The score motor is present on all electromechanicals and essentially acts as a rudimentary clock for the game. The score motor is a cammed motor and usually has 3-6 switches on each cam on the motor, with 6-8 cams depending on the game. ## Subsystem 2: Wireless Component We plan to include a wireless component on our PCB to send the signal data tracked by the multimeters to a nearby laptop or device through WiFi. On the device, the switches are coded to corresponding names. The multimeter will detect whether switches are open or closed. Theb, the device would display the name of the switch where closure was detected. This information is essential to the troubleshooter. # Criterion For Success The Switch Wizard needs to properly detect switch closures, stuck switches, and send them to a nearby device with a timestamp. The user must be able to set a specific port to a temporary name, so as to aid in troubleshooting. Electromechanicals are the main focus of this device and they run on 6 VAC, but it also needs to be compatible with modern games, which run on 5 VDC. |
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