Digital Pinball Machine (2012)
This isn't a complete build—it focuses on the challenges I encountered and lessons learned from my own experience building a digital pinball machine.
Parts list
| Main unit | |||
| Playfield monitor 40” - sharp LC40F22E (55.1cm x ) | PC World |  |
£399.00 |
| Lockdown bar (dimensions to be added) | eBay USA imported |  |
£26.00 |
| Coin door with 2x 10c coin mechanisms (dimensions to be added) | eBay USA imported |  |
£48.41 |
| Coin door lock (dimensions to be added) |  |
£8.00 | |
| Playfield glass (reinforced) 3/16" x (dimensions to be added) | Taylors glass - Reddish, Manchester UK |  |
£42.00 |
| Playfield glass insert (rear moulding) – never really needed this | pinballheaven.co.uk |  |
£7.31 |
| 4x PC fans for ventilation (Gelid Silent 12x12cm) | eBay |  |
£24.20 |
| Dust covers for fans (3x Dustproof 12cm Case Fan) | eBay |  |
£3.68 |
| Legs, bolts & levelers | pinballheaven.co.uk |  |
£61.23 |
| 4 Rubber feet for legs | pinballheaven.co.uk |  |
£4.74 |
| Side rails | pinballheaven.co.uk | £47.94 | |
| USB I-PAC button controller to PC | Ultimarc (USA) |  |
£35.00 |
| Main box buttons | |||
| Launch button - red round illuminated arcade button #18 60mm | eBay (Arcade World UK) |  |
£7.25 |
| Yellow (start button) chrome effect illuminated arcade button with LED | eBay (Arcade World UK) |  |
£3.35 |
| Green (buy button) chrome effect illuminated arcade button with LED | eBay (Arcade World UK) |  |
£3.35 |
| Red (Escape/quit) chrome effect illuminated arcade button with LED | eBay (Arcade World UK) |  |
£3.35 |
| 2x Jamma/Mame arcade machine illuminated red buttons (Flippers) | eBay (Arcade World UK) | £5.76 | |
| Additional 12v LED's - to fit coin door | eBay (Arcade World UK) |  |
£5.25 |
| Back Box | |||
| (Backglass monitor) HANNS.G HH281HPB - 28" widescreen | eBay - 2nd hand |  |
£152.51 |
| (DMD monitor) 17" - unknown make (DMD dimensions 13 3/4" by 4 1/4") | eBay (had faulty sound) | £35.00 | |
| (Backglass) Perspex - (dimensions to be added) | 3 ways DIY - Denton MCR | £10.00 | |
| 2x Front speakers 4" x2 | eBay | £12.00 | |
| Backbox side hinges - to lower box when transporting (none fitted) | |||
| Backbox locking hinges (in back) - to hold backbox upright x2 | 3 ways DIY - Denton MCR | £2.66 | |
| Backglass lock (None fitted) | |||
| PC Parts (Purchased 2011) | |||
| CIT 750w PSU | Microdirect UK |  |
£30.00 |
| PC case (could probably manage without this) | Microdirect UK |  |
£22.00 |
| Motherboard Gigabyte (model to check) | Microdirect UK | £82.00 | |
| Core i5 3.3Ghz quad | eBay |  |
£149.99 |
| 4 gig DDR3 memory | Microdirect UK |  |
£40.00 |
| Graphics card 1 - 460GTX SE (1GB memory) | eBay |  |
£120.00 |
| Graphics card 2 - 9800 GT (1GB memory) | eBay |  |
£52.50 |
| Hard drive (upgraded to SSD 2018) | eBay |  |
£29.99 |
| DVI male to HDMI female Display Adapter x2 | eBay | £3.50 | |
| Misc (wood parts etc) | |||
| Screws (bag of 100) | 3 ways DIY - Denton MCR | £1.20 | |
| MDF Cabinet wood ¾" - Main box back and front (coin door) | 3 ways DIY - Denton MCR | £4.00 | |
| MDF Cabinet wood ¾" - Main box left hand, right hand and base | 3 ways DIY - Denton MCR | £12.00 | |
| Cabinet wood - Top box, all wood | 3 ways DIY - Denton MCR | £13.40 | |
| 3 way mains power socket strip (already had!) |  |
||
| Aerosol spray paint - Black (approx 8 cans) | Wilkinsons (mostly) |  |
£30.00 |
| Electrical connector blocks (for speakers, buttons & fans) | Pound shop |  |
£1.00 |
| L brackets | 3 ways DIY - Denton MCR |  |
£6.00 |
| Total PC cost | £529.98 | ||
| Everything else | 1015.25 | ||
| Grand total | £1,545.23 | ||
Lockdown bar |
|
| At the design stage, one of the first decisions is whether to include a lockdown bar—the steel bar on which you rest your hands during play. The challenge with lockdown bars lies in their fixed widths, meaning you cannot choose a custom size. Therefore, you must plan ahead to ensure that the playfield screen, wood edge, and metal side rails all fit within the predetermined dimensions of the bar. | |
|
|
 |
2011-04-04 This particular lockdown bar is a 22-inch version; however, its internal dimensions actually measure 22¼ inches (56.5 cm).
|
 |
If I remember correct, this is my Sony 40" monitor, when set in portrait mode and de-cased, has a width of 55.1 cm, and each wood edge is 1.90 cm thick (approximately ¾”), adding up to a total of 58.9 cm. Clearly, this is too wide to fit inside the bar as originally planned. The solution was to use a router to trim the excess wood from each side of the pinball cabinet, thereby creating the additional space needed. |
|
Although it required considerable effort, routing out sections of the wood to widen the gap proved to be a highly effective solution. The remaining wood, at just about 5mm thick, is still remarkably robust and unlikely to break off accidentally. This process was replicated on the opposite side, and the technique also provided enhanced support for the monitor. |
 |
|
| Another benefit is that this approach minimizes the border between the screen and the cabinet edge, creating a more seamless look. | |
|
|
| After routing was completed, the LCD screen and lockdown bar now fit together perfectly. Below an image clarifying dimensions. | |
 |
|
|
Coin door and mechs |
|
 |
These parts can be expensive and are not strictly necessary. However, they do enhance the pinball's authentic appearance. I was fortunate to acquire a second-hand unit from the USA for around £10. Even with postage increasing the cost to nearly £50, it was still more economical than purchasing one in the UK. The unit came with two coin mechanisms configured for 10-cent coins, which were easily adjusted for 10p and 20p coins. I already had a barrel lock, and I purchased 12V LED lights for the coin slots. Additionally, I reprinted the coin value labels to match the new setup. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Buttons |
|
 |
|
Consider the number of buttons carefully. I opted for the bare minimum to preserve the authentic feel of an original machine. The buttons include START, EXTRA BALL, and EXIT, along with controls for launching the ball and operating the flippers. Additionally, I installed an extra button on the underside to power the machine on and off—an extension of the PC’s power button. After some troubleshooting when the PC would intermittently shut down, I discovered that twisting the wires together resolved the issue. Note: Ensure that all screens are powered on before starting the PC; otherwise, Windows may reset its three-screen configuration. |
|
Fans |
|
| The main pinball cabinet is nearly a sealed unit once fully assembled. Since it houses a PC, a 40-inch LCD TV, and two power-intensive graphics cards, I strongly recommend installing fans for proper cooling. My design incorporates airflow by drawing cool air in through the bottom and venting it out the back. Test runs revealed that the unit runs alarmingly warm without this ventilation. | |
|
|
LCD installation |
|
| It felt counterintuitive to invest in a £400 TV only to dismantle it on day one and voiding its warranty. However, before disassembling it, I confirmed that it could output a true 1:1 pixel ratio—a crucial check, especially in 2012 when not all TVs offered this feature (many relied on scanning). Please exercise extreme caution if you decide to open your TV; take proper safety measures against electrocution. Additionally, note that once removed from its original housing, the LCD frame can twist slightly, potentially leading to pixel failure. In my experience, after removing and reinserting the unit around 15 times, 3–4 pixels eventually turned permanently green. | |
|
|
Backbox |
|
I constructed custom supports for the screen (as shown in the picture). Where the TV chassis fixes to a wall bracket, the metal framework now rests securely on robust struts, with the side indents providing additional—though partial—support.
Installing the screen in the backbox was relatively straightforward. While some builders install the screen sideways to serve as both a backbox image and a dot matrix display, I opted for a dual-screen setup. I was fortunate to acquire a small, budget-friendly TV for the Dot Matrix Display (DMD), as it had faulty sound. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Finalizing |
|
| Once I reached the stage depicted above, it was time to disassemble the entire unit to incorporate new elements: adding legs, installing side rails, testing the glass, and fabricating a speaker plate. I've provided only an overview of these construction details for now, but I plan to elaborate further when time permits. It's essential to thoroughly research the software you intend to use and verify that it meets your requirements before buying components, as there are several options available. | |
 |
|
|
The dimensions are shown below. |
|
|
|