Home Projects

DMD Day Custom Pinball Machine

My dad and I had been learning the inner workings of pinball machines for several years. A couple of years ago we decided to build one from scratch. I was in charge of 3D printing all of the pieces that are now on the playfield. There are at least 16 vital pieces on that machine that I designed and 3D-printed. One of my favorite things to CAD was the entire playfield because I got to use all the individual parts I previously made and put them together to create a clear image of what the pinball machine would look like when it’s complete. This image also helped us to determine where to drill the holes for parts that need to be attached to the machine.

I also designed a mechanism for a solenoid that would allow the rod to stay in the up position without continuously drawing power from the solenoid. My solution was based off the clicking mechanism inside a pen. I figured out how to create this part by CAD-ing and printing numerous designs until I finally created a successful working prototype.

Ringer

This is a 1970 Ringer horseshoe throwing machine. It had been left in a shed about 30 years and, based off the damage, probably endured multiple floods. The bottom was worn out and the relays were super rusty. I had to replace every single relay on the bottom board, unsoldering the wires and move them over to a new base and soldering them back in place.

Rusted out stepper motor
Example of a rusty relay that need replacing
Front view
How we found it buried in a shed along with countless other machines
The bottom panel completely replaced and cleaned out
The entire circuitry from the back side

3D printer projects

These are a bunch of various projects I’ve 3D printed over the years. Captions on each picture for information.

Model Plane
T-Rex Skeleton and other various prints
Painted model of a Magnemite
3D printed Catan board game
Master ball containing Switch games
? block containing Switch games
Model of the master sword from the Legend of Zelda
Model of the Hylian shield from the Legend of Zelda
Opened model of the Hylian shield from the Legend of Zelda revealing Switch games inside
Modeling off my sword and shield

1910’s telephone

This is an old 1910’s telephone that has been partially gutted to work on a modern day landline using a “modern” 1990’s phone and some pinball parts. More details in the video.

Useless Box

This is one of my first projects dating back to my middle school days. It’s relatively simple but it’s always fun to mess around with from time to time. This box was designed to unsuspectingly just turn itself off.

Honorable Mentions

A couple of other things I’ve worked on that deserve a shout out.

An old Pitch and Bat that is currently undergoing repair.
A Defender Machine Gun coin operated shooting gallery game. As you can see, it didn't quite fit into our car.
The head of an old Golf Champ game. Unfortunately I couldn't finish repairing this machine, as someone had made a very sizeable offer to pick it up in whatever condition it was currently in.
The body of an old Golf Champ game. Unfortunately I couldn't finish repairing this machine, as someone had made a very sizeable offer to pick it up in whatever condition it was currently in.
Two 1940's gumball machine that were cleaned out and are currently in the process of repainting.
I dubbed this garbage truck bot, it was a robot I built for fun while at Duke TIP.
This was by far the worst condition machine we've ever seen, which is saying something because I have seen multiple mice nest in some machines. This machine (Laser Wars) was left outside by a pool with no cover, for over a decade. It was to far gone to repair, so I stripped it for parts hoping to use some of the hard to find parts to save other broken machines.