Mike R / Mbed 2 deprecated Pinscape_Controller

An input/output controller for virtual pinball machines, with plunger position tracking, accelerometer-based nudge sensing, button input encoding, and feedback device control.

Dependencies:   USBDevice mbed FastAnalogIn FastIO FastPWM SimpleDMA

/media/uploads/mjr/pinscape_no_background_small_L7Miwr6.jpg

The Pinscape Controller is a special-purpose software project that I wrote for my virtual pinball machine.

New version: V2 is now available! The information below is for version 1, which will continue to be available for people who prefer the original setup.

What exactly is a virtual pinball machine? It's basically a video-game pinball emulator built to look like a real pinball machine. (The picture at right is the one I built.) You start with a standard pinball cabinet, either built from scratch or salvaged from a real machine. Inside, you install a PC motherboard to run the software, and install TVs in place of the playfield and backglass. Several Windows pinball programs can take advantage of this setup, including the open-source project Visual Pinball, which has hundreds of tables available. Building one of these makes a great DIY project, and it's a good way to add to your skills at woodworking, computers, and electronics. Check out the Cabinet Builders' Forum on vpforums.org for lots of examples and advice.

This controller project is a key piece in my setup that helps integrate the video game into the pinball cabinet. It handles several input/output tasks that are unique to virtual pinball machines. First, it lets you connect a mechanical plunger to the software, so you can launch the ball like on a real machine. Second, it sends "nudge" data to the software, based on readings from an accelerometer. This lets you interact with the game physically, which makes the playing experience more realistic and immersive. Third, the software can handle button input (for wiring flipper buttons and other cabinet buttons), and fourth, it can control output devices (for tactile feedback, button lights, flashers, and other special effects).

Documentation

The Hardware Build Guide (PDF) has detailed instructions on how to set up a Pinscape Controller for your own virtual pinball cabinet.

Update notes

December 2015 version: This version fully supports the new Expansion Board project, but it'll also run without it. The default configuration settings haven't changed, so existing setups should continue to work as before.

August 2015 version: Be sure to get the latest version of the Config Tool for windows if you're upgrading from an older version of the firmware. This update adds support for TSL1412R sensors (a version of the 1410 sensor with a slightly larger pixel array), and a config option to set the mounting orientation of the board in the firmware rather than in VP (for better support for FP and other pinball programs that don't have VP's flexibility for setting the rotation).

Feb/March 2015 software versions: If you have a CCD plunger that you've been using with the older versions, and the plunger stops working (or doesn't work as well) after you update to the latest version, you might need to increase the brightness of your light source slightly. Check the CCD exposure with the Windows config tool to see if it looks too dark. The new software reads the CCD much more quickly than the old versions did. This makes the "shutter speed" faster, which might require a little more light to get the same readings. The CCD is actually really tolerant of varying light levels, so you probably won't have to change anything for the update - I didn't. But if you do have any trouble, have a look at the exposure meter and try a slightly brighter light source if the exposure looks too dark.

Downloads

  • Config tool for Windows (.exe and C# source): this is a Windows program that lets you view the raw pixel data from the CCD sensor, trigger plunger calibration mode, and configure some of the software options on the controller.
  • Custom VP builds: I created modified versions of Visual Pinball 9.9 and Physmod5 that you might want to use in combination with this controller. The modified versions have special handling for plunger calibration specific to the Pinscape Controller, as well as some enhancements to the nudge physics. If you're not using the plunger, you might still want it for the nudge improvements. The modified version also works with any other input controller, so you can get the enhanced nudging effects even if you're using a different plunger/nudge kit. The big change in the modified versions is a "filter" for accelerometer input that's designed to make the response to cabinet nudges more realistic. It also makes the response more subdued than in the standard VP, so it's not to everyone's taste. The downloads include both the updated executables and the source code changes, in case you want to merge the changes into your own custom version(s).

    Note! These features are now standard in the official VP 9.9.1 and VP 10 releases, so you don't need my custom builds if you're using 9.9.1 or 10 or later. I don't think there's any reason to use my 9.9 instead of the official 9.9.1, but I'm leaving it here just in case. In the official VP releases, look for the checkbox "Enable Nudge Filter" in the Keys preferences dialog. (There's no checkbox in my custom builds, though; the filter is simply always on in those.)
  • Output circuit shopping list: This is a saved shopping cart at mouser.com with the parts needed for each output driver, if you want to use the LedWiz emulator feature. Note that quantities in the cart are for one output channel, so multiply everything by the number of channels you plan to use, except that you only need one of the ULN2803 transistor array chips for each eight output circuits.
  • Lemming77's potentiometer mounting bracket and shooter rod connecter: Sketchup designs for 3D-printable parts for mounting a slide potentiometer as the plunger sensor. These were designed for a particular slide potentiometer that used to be available from an Aliexpress.com seller but is no longer listed. You can probably use this design as a starting point for other similar devices; just check the dimensions before committing the design to plastic.

Features

  • Plunger position sensing, using a TAOS TSL 1410R CCD linear array sensor. This sensor is a 1280 x 1 pixel array at 400 dpi, which makes it about 3" long - almost exactly the travel distance of a standard pinball plunger. The idea is that you install the sensor just above (within a few mm of) the shooter rod on the inside of the cabinet, with the CCD window facing down, aligned with and centered on the long axis of the shooter rod, and positioned so that the rest position of the tip is about 1/2" from one end of the window. As you pull back the plunger, the tip will travel down the length of the window, and the maximum retraction point will put the tip just about at the far end of the window. Put a light source below, facing the sensor - I'm using two typical 20 mA blue LEDs about 8" away (near the floor of the cabinet) with good results. The principle of operation is that the shooter rod casts a shadow on the CCD, so pixels behind the rod will register lower brightness than pixels that aren't in the shadow. We scan down the length of the sensor for the edge between darker and brighter, and this tells us how far back the rod has been pulled. We can read the CCD at about 25-30 ms intervals, so we can get rapid updates. We pass the readings reports to VP via our USB joystick reports.

    The hardware build guide includes schematics showing how to wire the CCD to the KL25Z. It's pretty straightforward - five wires between the two devices, no external components needed. Two GPIO ports are used as outputs to send signals to the device and one is used as an ADC in to read the pixel brightness inputs. The config tool has a feature that lets you display the raw pixel readings across the array, so you can test that the CCD is working and adjust the light source to get the right exposure level.

    Alternatively, you can use a slide potentiometer as the plunger sensor. This is a cheaper and somewhat simpler option that seems to work quite nicely, as you can see in Lemming77's video of this setup in action. This option is also explained more fully in the build guide.
  • Nudge sensing via the KL25Z's on-board accelerometer. Mounting the board in your cabinet makes it feel the same accelerations the cabinet experiences when you nudge it. Visual Pinball already knows how to interpret accelerometer input as nudging, so we simply feed the acceleration readings to VP via the joystick interface.
  • Cabinet button wiring. Up to 24 pushbuttons and switches can be wired to the controller for input controls (for example, flipper buttons, the Start button, the tilt bob, coin slot switches, and service door buttons). These appear to Windows as joystick buttons. VP can map joystick buttons to pinball inputs via its keyboard preferences dialog. (You can raise the 24-button limit by editing the source code, but since all of the GPIO pins are allocated, you'll have to reassign pins currently used for other functions.)
  • LedWiz emulation (limited). In addition to emulating a joystick, the device emulates the LedWiz USB interface, so controllers on the PC side such as DirectOutput Framework can recognize it and send it commands to control lights, solenoids, and other feedback devices. 22 GPIO ports are assigned by default as feedback device outputs. This feature has some limitations. The big one is that the KL25Z hardware only has 10 PWM channels, which isn't enough for a fully decked-out cabinet. You also need to build some external power driver circuitry to use this feature, because of the paltry 4mA output capacity of the KL25Z GPIO ports. The build guide includes instructions for a simple and robust output circuit, including part numbers for the exact components you need. It's not hard if you know your way around a soldering iron, but just be aware that it'll take a little work.

Warning: This is not replacement software for the VirtuaPin plunger kit. If you bought the VirtuaPin kit, please don't try to install this software. The VP kit happens to use the same microcontroller board, but the rest of its hardware is incompatible. The VP kit uses a different type of sensor for its plunger and has completely different button wiring, so the Pinscape software won't work properly with it.

74HC595/74HC595.h@46:d60fc88eb7fd, 2016-02-15 (annotated)

Committer:
mjr
Date:
Mon Feb 15 23:19:56 2016 +0000
Revision:
46:d60fc88eb7fd
Parent:
34:6b981a2afab7
Child:
40:cc0d9814522b
Fix USB compatibility problems introduced in USBHAL_KL25Z overhaul

Who changed what in which revision?

UserRevisionLine numberNew contents of line
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 1 /* Copyright 2014 M J Roberts, MIT License
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 2 *
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 3 * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 4 * and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 5 * restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 6 * distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 7 * Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 8 *
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 9 * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 10 * substantial portions of the Software.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 11 *
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 12 * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 13 * BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 14 * NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 15 * DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 16 * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 17 */
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 18
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 19 #ifndef HC595_INCLUDED
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 20 #define HC595_INCLUDED
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 21
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 22 #include "mbed.h"
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 23
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 24 // 74HC595 Interface
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 25 //
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 26 // We require four GPIO pins:
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 27 //
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 28 // sin - serial data
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 29 // sclk - serial clock
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 30 // latch - the LATCH signal, which transfers the internal shift register
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 31 // bits to the physical output pin states
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 32 // ena - the Enable signal
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 33 //
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 34 // Note that the physical !OE (output enable) pin on the 74HC595 is active-low.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 35 // To allow for orderly startup that guarantees that outputs won't be pulsed
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 36 // (even briefly) during power-on, we require the !OE pin to be wired with a
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 37 // pull-up resistor to Vcc, and connected to our ENA GPIO pin via an inverter.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 38 //
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 39 // Recommended wiring: connect the GPIO pin to the base of an NPN transistor
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 40 // through a 2.2K resistor, connect the collector the !OE pin on the 74HC595,
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 41 // and connect the emitter to ground. This will pull !OE to ground when we
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 42 // write a digital 1 to the ENA GPIO, enabling the outputs.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 43 //
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 44 // We use simple bit-banging through plain DigitalOut pins to send serial
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 45 // data to the chips. This is fast enough for our purposes, since we send
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 46 // only 8 bits per chip on each update (about 4us per chip per update), and
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 47 // we only update when we get a command from the PC host that changes an
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 48 // output state. These updates are at USB speed, so the update interval is
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 49 // extremely long compared to the bit-banging time. If we wanted to use
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 50 // these chips to implement PWM controlled by the microcontroller, or we
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 51 // simply wanted to use a very long daisy-chain, we'd probably have to use
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 52 // a faster transfer mechanism, such as the SPIO controller.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 53
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 54 class HC595
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 55 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 56 public:
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 57 HC595(int nchips, PinName sin, PinName sclk, PinName latch, PinName ena) :
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 58 nchips(nchips), sin(sin), sclk(sclk), latch(latch), ena(ena)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 59 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 60 // turn off all pins initially
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 61 this->sin = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 62 this->sclk = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 63 this->latch = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 64 this->ena = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 65
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 66 // allocate the state array
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 67 state = new char[nchips*8];
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 68 memset(state, 0, nchips*8);
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 69 dirty = false;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 70 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 71
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 72 // Initialize. This must be called once at startup to clear the chips'
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 73 // shift registers and enable the physical outputs. We clock a 0 bit (OFF
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 74 // state) to each shift register position, latch the OFF states on the
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 75 // outputs, and enable the chips.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 76 void init()
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 77 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 78 // set the internal state of all inputs
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 79 memset(state, 0, nchips*8);
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 80 dirty = false;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 81
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 82 // clock a 0 to each shift register bit (8 per chip)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 83 sin = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 84 for (int i = 0 ; i < nchips*8 ; ++i)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 85 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 86 sclk = 1;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 87 sclk = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 88 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 89
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 90 // latch the output data (this transfers the serial data register
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 91 // bit for each pin to the actual output pin)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 92 latch = 1;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 93 latch = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 94
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 95 // enable the outputs
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 96 ena = 1;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 97 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 98
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 99 // Set an output state. This only sets the state internally; call
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 100 // update() to apply changes to the physical outputs.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 101 void set(int idx, int val)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 102 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 103 if (state[idx] != val)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 104 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 105 state[idx] = val;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 106 dirty = true;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 107 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 108 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 109
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 110 // Apply updates. This sends the current state of each pin to the
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 111 // chips and latches the new settings.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 112 void update()
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 113 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 114 // if we have changes to apply, send the changes
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 115 if (dirty)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 116 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 117 // Clock out the new states. Since the outputs are arranged
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 118 // as shift registers, we have to clock out the bits in reverse
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 119 // order of port numbers - the first bit we output will end up
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 120 // in the last register after we clock out all of the other bits.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 121 // So clock out the last bit first and the first bit last.
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 122 for (int i = nchips*8-1 ; i >= 0 ; --i)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 123 {
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 124 sclk = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 125 sin = state[i];
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 126 sclk = 1;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 127 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 128
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 129 // latch the new states
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 130 latch = 1;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 131 sclk = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 132 latch = 0;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 133
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 134 // outputs now reflect internal state
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 135 dirty = false;
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 136 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 137 }
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 138
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 139
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 140 private:
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 141 int nchips; // number of chips in daisy chain
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 142 bool dirty; // do we have changes to send to the chips?
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 143 DigitalOut sin; // serial data pin
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 144 DigitalOut sclk; // serial clock pin
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 145 DigitalOut latch; // latch pin
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 146 DigitalOut ena; // enable pin
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 147 char *state; // array of current output states (0=off, 1=on)
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 148 };
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 149
mjr 34:6b981a2afab7 150 #endif // HC595_INCLUDED