17 replies to this topic

[ProtWarWTF]

Hi all!

I wanted to start a thread to cover my cabinet build and hopefully get some information flowing. So first off I want to say sorry I'm going to have a lot of questions. I am a newbie not only to MFME but fruit machines in general. I knew I wanted to make a slot machine cabinet and MFME seems to the coolest and most active emulator for this out there. A little information about my current plan for a build. I am planning on using some kind of FrontEnd like mgalaxy, hyperspin, or launchBox. I haven't quite decided yet since none of them are running quite the way I would like. I am also planning on using RockerLauncher as it is helping with fullscreening and resizing the desktop. My first round of question go as this.

- How do you fullscreen MFME? I have read that it requires the desktop to be at 1024 x 768 resolution but that isn't quite enough. I am currently planning on using RocketLauncher which helps with this but I am curious how others are doing this.

- How do you read payouts for coin hoppers? Can you read the payout while the player is actively doing a payout or can you only do it when MFME closes?

- How can you read for what buttons or LEDs are active?

- Is there a general breakdown of all MFMEs features somewhere?

- How can I change the target win % of a layout?

- Is anyone else having problems with there front end not being focused after closing MFME?

 

Sorry for all the questions (and probably bad grammar ) I am quite knew to MFME and I couldn't find the place on the forums that answers these. I am really excited to get this build started and the other builds are looking awesome!

[Reg]

So the first comment is "good luck" with what you do - it really is a rewarding experience.

 

It really is a case of walking before you can run.  Do you have a cabinet shell in place yet - that has to be the first thing - decide on what you want to put it into.

[ProtWarWTF]

Hey Reg thanks for the advice.

 

I have a design based of what I think MFME requires for buttons and such. It isn't made yet though just some blueprints for cutouts atm. I understand where your coming from but I'm still having trouble just using MFME and understanding what can be done with it.

[Reg]

Hey Reg thanks for the advice.

 

I have a design based of what I think MFME requires for buttons and such. It isn't made yet though just some blueprints for cutouts atm. I understand where your coming from but I'm still having trouble just using MFME and understanding what can be done with it.

 

Hmm - ok - I am going to answer all your questions so far where I can - but my advice here is play with MFME and learn MFME first.  You are diving off at the deep-end without even understanding the emulator and wanted to build a cabinet for it.

 

Anyway, here goes.

 

Buttons - this is what I have used on mine...

 

 Setup.jpg   188.51KB   3 downloads

 

...layouts have to modified to use them as people use different shortcuts, but it woks fine.

 

- How do you fullscreen MFME? I have read that it requires the desktop to be at 1024 x 768 resolution but that isn't quite enough. I am currently planning on using RocketLauncher which helps with this but I am curious how others are doing this.

 

It does any resolution you ask of it dependant on the layout - it can work in full screen as shown above on my picture.

 

- How do you read payouts for coin hoppers? Can you read the payout while the player is actively doing a payout or can you only do it when MFME closes?

 

By this statement, I don't think you're as new to MFME as you make out.  Anyway, I don't have coin mech working on mine - other cabinet designers to - speak to them.

 

- How can you read for what buttons or LEDs are active?

 

Configured with the PacDriver.

 

- Is there a general breakdown of all MFMEs features somewhere?

 

These forums, http://www.desertislandfruits.com, http://www.fruitemu.co.uk, http://dadsfme.co.uk

 

- How can I change the target win % of a layout?

 

Within the Configuration tab or via checkboxes in some cases.

 

- Is anyone else having problems with there front end not being focused after closing MFME?

 

Can't help here.

 

So what blueprints did you do so far - what designs did you come up with for your buttons etc ?

[ProtWarWTF]

Whew! Sorry for the long pause. Thank you Reg for your help on all this. I have a cabinet build nearly complete and will be putting together a breakdown of what I did later this month April 2019. Since that is coming down the line I was also wondering something. I ended up writing quite a bit of code to get my cabinet's software all in order. This community is really great and it's time I give back to it what I can. My question is, would it be useful if I posted my code here. Most of it is in c# and purpose built to solve the problems I was having. Mostly things like focus problems between launching different programs, or more where the bigger lift was, in getting my arduino to work a coin hopper.

What I can write now is the 3rd party software I used to get games launching. I use hyperspin as a front end. Then rocket launcher to hold the game database and launch\exiting scripts. Will post a more thorough breakdown in the near future!

[ProtWarWTF]

Back again. I thought it would be a good time to drop all of the hardware I am using. Now that I can claim you can make a working cabinet out of these pieces. First images....

 IMG_20180603_134354.jpg   103.86KB   1 downloads

 IMG_20180622_205440.jpg   100.15KB   1 downloads

 IMG_20180622_205503_WithHopper.png   2.56MB   2 downloads

 

 

Cabinet hardware

 

Control Stick:

https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hopper:

https://www.ebay.com...497.m4902.l9144

 

Buttons:

https://www.ebay.com...EyABEgKKmfD_BwE

 

IPac: Hardware button to software input

https://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

 

PacDrive: Led Controller

http://www.ultimarc.com/pacdrive.html

 

Arduino: Interface with hopper, Counts signal changes hopper optical coin sensor, Relay to control wall power to hopper.

https://www.amazon.c...0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

Coin Acceptor:

https://www.amazon.c...0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[frig]

Cabinet is looking good:)

You might need some 5/12v relays though, for the coin mech and hopper signals (Power to hopper) + (coin throughput) if you are using the Ipac.

Good luck with your project. It will be well worth it when it is finished:)

Edited by frig, 14 August 2019 - 03:41 AM.

[prospero]

Great looking build. 

 

Hope to see more.

 

Good luck.

[stricterpolicy]

So i was curiously reading along with this thread but cannot find howto fullscreen mfme properly. Is there any kind of tutorial on how to do this ? I would be very thankfull. For example: i'm using mfme version 19.5 with different tables. But i cannot seem to manage to howto fullscreen them. My setup uses a 1920x1080 resolution. Maybe there is a way of trimming the existing layouts ?

 

Greetings Hans

[abispac]

did you manage to use the arduino with the hopper? i know theres a fruit squeeser topic about it, but its not automatic so its not cab friendly, thanks for any help.

[ProtWarWTF]

Yeah I did get to use the arduino with the hopper. There is a signal wire coming from the hopper. You can count the amount of coins output by the changes of signal on that wire. Also the arduino has a serial connection to a computer. You can communicate in text over serial. So I sent a coded message something like. Coin:10. The arduino would read that message. Start the hopper. Then count 10 signals from the hopper and turn the hopper off. I regulated power to the hopper using an extension cord I cut myself and put a relay on it. Connected the relay to a pin on the arduino. When the arduino puts power on the pin the relay closes and gives power to the hopper. Lastly if the hopper takes more than 3 seconds to spit out a coin. I assume the hopper is empty and turn it off.

I don't know if there is a better way to share this on this site. So here is a paste of my arduino hopper code.
https://pastebin.com/xeAdEqxZ

Edited by ProtWarWTF, 05 May 2020 - 09:03 PM.

[ProtWarWTF]

If you want any of the rest of my code. Like reading the coins to output after the MFME closes or even my rip on the sniffing the emulators memory to find realtime payouts I don't mind sharing. I do warn you it is all purpose built for my cabinet. Just let me know!

Shout out to majoris for that idea and his awesome fruit squeezer. https://www.fruit-em...zer#entry320465

Edited by ProtWarWTF, 05 May 2020 - 09:08 PM.

[ProtWarWTF]

 Capture.PNG   1.1MB   2 downloads
Here is a pic of my final setup. In the dark, with the buttons lighting up with the FM
 

[Luukvg]

@ProtWarWTF Looking good man. IS it possible to use a hopper directly interfacing with the ipac and/or pacdrive?

[ProtWarWTF]

Hey Luukvg. I'm sure anything is possible. From what I have seen the ipac\pac drive is for reading signals. So you could read the coin out signal through the ipac\pac drive. However you still need something to pwm your hopper. As with mine if the hopper has power it is spitting out coins.

[No1Stoney]

What coin mech have you got? If you have a cashflow parallel coin mech (the mech will have 16 pins in one line) then I can send you a wiring diagram i drew to use your coin mech with your cabinet. Does require an ipac (or similar device) and a 12v power source.

Your mech will then work properly and accept coins. You then tell the ipac which keyboard shortcut to use for each coin type.

P.s I made my cabinet a few years ago with full working coin entry and hopper payouts

P.p.s mfme can be setup with a pacdrive and ipac to payout directly from the emulator exactly when you hit collect on the machines. My first build did what yours does and reads MFME memory etc. The new way is much better but requires a fair bit of setting for each machine

Edited by No1Stoney, 08 May 2020 - 04:43 PM.

[ProtWarWTF]

The coin hopper I have is a really basic generic one. I got it with the intention of rolling my own solution. Its just a motor that turns a disk with holes the size of coins. Then an optical sensor where the coins get pushed out.

 s-l1600.png   700.28KB   1 downloads  s-l1600 (1).png   665.7KB   0 downloads

[frig]

The coin hopper I have is a really basic generic one. I got it with the intention of rolling my own solution. Its just a motor that turns a disk with holes the size of coins. Then an optical sensor where the coins get pushed out.

s-l1600.png s-l1600 (1).png

I have one of them, but it is only 110v, so I had to use an adapter. One problem I found (Maybe because it is only 110v) is that it can only hold 150ish coins before it is too heavy to spit coins out. I use a bigger 240v one for my main coins, that has tons of power and can hold 1000's of coins.

Very easy to set up with MFME through the Pacdrive and Ipac using the onboard 5v out. (I use Cheap 5v relays with hi/lo triggers)