New update:
https://www.facebook.com/silvercastlepinball/posts/1158138707606533"It's been a while since our last post and a lot of progress has been made since then! Before getting into that however, let us answer the question that many have been asking: “When do we get to see the finished prototype?”.
As you know, our development cycle has turned out to be longer than anticipated. There are two main reasons for that:
One, we do not accept pre-orders until there is a finished prototype, and as a result have a limited pool of resources to work with. The reason for taking this approach is that we feel that our customers should not be the ones to carry the risk that comes with developing a pinball machine. The market as of late has indicated that this has been the right decision
And two, no matter how close the computer game comes to the real thing, not a single object in the whitewood could be left the same as in the game. That, together with all changes Dennis Nordman made, meant going through many playfield iterations and taking a lot of time to get to the point where we are now; a well flowing playfield layout that we’re very happy with.
As of now, we plan to have a playable prototype ready within a year.
So, back to progress! These are some of the major things that have happened with the project lately:
- Danny joined the team as our mechanical engineer.
- Micha joined the team as our electrical engineer
- Jean-Paul finished the cabinet artwork package
- The playfield shot layout and placement was finalized.
- The 10-ball trough was developed and prototyped
- The moving scoop mechanism for the Crystal was prototyped
- Single and Multi-insert LED boards were developed
- The driver and opto boards for the Crystal movement were engineered
- And last but certainly not least, a lot of time was put into documentation like wiring diagrams, power distribution, PCB schemas, parts lists, assembly instructions etc. to already prepare for a production phase.
Right now, electrical engineering is working on the audio/DSP boards while the mechanical department focuses on optimizing the Crystal mechanism and upper level of the playfield. All ramps and wireforms need to be modified and re-manufactured to accommodate the playfield changes.
Rest assured solid progression is made and we can’t wait to finally shoot you guys a video once those new parts have arrived :)"
