Author Topic: Questions - Custom Built / Bastardised Pinball  (Read 3544 times)

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Offline metalthrashinmad

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Questions - Custom Built / Bastardised Pinball
« on: January 14, 2012, 11:33:23 AM »
Hey all,

I'm new here and havn't had much time to look around yet.

For a while I have been tossing around the idea of "customising" an existing machine, ie new artwork.  Have no issues with stripping down and rebuilding an existing machine and removing all of the artwork, applying the new, thus creating a "new" game theme with all the existing playfield parts and rules and logic.

Was wondering though if anyone out there knows how to customise the sound.  ie music and speech to suit the new theme.

Is it possible to buy and burn new ROM chips with different sounds to replace the existing?
Are "blank" chips avaliable?
What gear is required to read/burn ROM's?
Is there a specific "file format that sounds need to be recorded in?

Just a few questions I am searching for answers to before I go and destroy a piece of pinball history.

Have seen the Bill Paxton pinball, which is way out of my league, but also the ramones which has just revived the urge to tackle this project.

Any help, info or experience in building a machine would be much appreciated.

Also don't appreciate sarcasm, I do understand that this is a year + project and am not so deluded that I think it can be done over a long weekend.

Cheers MTM
« Last Edit: March 26, 2012, 11:00:51 PM by swinks »

Offline Cow Corner

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Re: Custom Built/bastardised pinball
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2012, 11:56:40 AM »
Hi and  %)%

I have seen the Bill Paxton pin but was unaware that there is a custom Ramones pin....I'd like to see that, it would be one cool sounding pin.
I have nothing but admiration and respect for anyone undertaking a task like this....way out of my league to even contemplate let alone do.
Best of luck with your project, I hope it all goes well and please post some pics of your progress if you want, I'm sure the other members would love to see the progress as the project takes shape. ^^^
" It's not the right time to be sober, now the idiots are taking over"

Offline pinnies4me

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Re: Custom Built/bastardised pinball
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2012, 03:15:14 PM »
Love the Ben Heck Bill Paxton effort, and his latest is a "Lost" themed game, which I'm keen to see too.

I think (no expert) you need the software tools that they made the ROM with to be able to recompile changed software. We built Coconut Island http://www.users.on.net/~spaners/Coconut%20Island/ from scratch and as was PC based, were not up against trying to make software compatible with old hardware.
“If you wanna escape, go up to a pinball machine. There’s a magic button on the front that takes you to a world under the glass and makes the the rest of the universe disappear.”

Marty Machine

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Re: Custom Built/bastardised pinball
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2012, 09:54:16 PM »
Howdy and congrats on wanting to go down the custom avenue.....

From all my research, i've found a LOT of dead ends with regards to audio/speech rom info, file formats, size/mapping within the rom etc. (not that there many sites or forums openly discussing audio-rom mapping & info anyway).

I gave up, and developed my own addon speech board which co-exists with the original roms, allowing you to replace ALL sounds with my board, or choose a mix of "original" AND "new" sounds etc.
(some people might find only 1 or 2 effects or speech to be overly annoying and replace it with something else, or mute it entirely).

At this stage, my board isn't completed or ready for sale as i recently had a new brainstorm for expansion, so it's being redeveloped (slowly, with interruptions called work & life).

The recent 'brainstorm' also unleashed a new development, being a controller to replace the DMD graphics with your own custom stuff, very similar principle to my FX/Speech board. (DMD graphics/rom info also being HARD to obtain).

When both these boards are upto scratch, it'll unleash a new level of hobbyists and custom pins that can finally come to life !

MM.

 

Offline ktm450

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Re: Custom Built/bastardised pinball
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2012, 10:19:31 AM »
 %)%  Good luck with your project


I have seen the Bill Paxton pin but was unaware that there is a custom Ramones pin....I'd like to see that, it would be one cool sounding pin.

Here is the pinball news article on the Ramones pin http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/ramones/index.html

Offline Cow Corner

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Re: Custom Built/bastardised pinball
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2012, 11:23:41 AM »
%)%  Good luck with your project


I have seen the Bill Paxton pin but was unaware that there is a custom Ramones pin....I'd like to see that, it would be one cool sounding pin.

Here is the pinball news article on the Ramones pin http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/ramones/index.html

Thanks for that it was a very good read, geeez there are some very talented people out there.
" It's not the right time to be sober, now the idiots are taking over"

Offline Homepin

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Re: Custom Built/bastardised pinball
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2012, 12:17:10 PM »
I wouldn't be trying to modify the sound/s in a standard pin board. That is a very long, difficult (if not close to impossible) and probably unrewarding way to go.

There are many more modern options such as MP3, memory card readers etc that would be faster to incorporate, give better quality sound and be far more flexible to change and modify than sound derived from EPROMS - IMO.

Replacement Pinball PCBs that remain faithful to the originals

Offline ScottoKong

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Re: Questions - Custom Built / Bastardised Pinball
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2012, 09:30:49 AM »
G'day

I stumbled across this ages ago and was really impressed.

lowlife