Virtual Pinball: How to install a sainsmart usb 8 channel relay board for mechanical toys

[@thogar1]

Haven't said thank you yet for this series.Thank you!! I'm using this series pretty much simultaneously for my build. We are almost at the same stage as i'm a little behind. This series should be considered "must see' companion to Mr. Roberts' Bible.

[@wayofthewrench]

You're welcome! Thank you for your kind words, they are much appreciated! Yeah MJR's bible is amazing and I used it a ton during my build. Cheers!

[@douglasdeoliveirasouza1025]

Thank you very much friend! Thanks to your videos, I finally managed to assemble my table. I was watching videos from other KZbinrs and I couldn't, and to make matters worse I burned two kl25z cards. But following your videos, everything went well. Thank you very much. God bless you!

[@wayofthewrench]

That's awesome! Glad I could help you get your vpin cabinet together, you should send me some pics or a video to my Instagram! If you deem me worthy, I'd really appreciate it if you could share out my channel on your social media so I can help more people and a donation to my Movember would be awesome! Cheers!

[@sprayberry88]

"Why don't you come on up? We'll have some poutine , and you can bring some of these boards up; it'll be great!" Don't tempt me, haha. I'm in the process of tweaking my Game Room Solutions arcade cab to use your monitor mounting method instead of their included VESA mount. Keep up the good work!

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah I don't know why everything has to be so expensive just to bring it to Canada.... it's a joke. Someone's making a ton of money and it ain't me. Cool! How's the build quality on that GRS cabinet? Thanks for the watch!

[@sprayberry88]

@@wayofthewrench it's pretty good for the most part. The construction of the control box could be better, but it's passable. The IKEA style assembly makes taking individual parts off a bit annoying. It'll do though.

[@wayofthewrench]

I may never see the inside of one of those. Thanks for the review.

[@sprayberry88]

@@wayofthewrench I could snap some photos of you'd like a closer look?

[@wayofthewrench]

Sure if ya get the chance. Cheers!

[@gutog5801]

I love your videos and i thank you for that, i would like to make a correction if you don’t mind You can use 16 channels board with ledwiz and it works fine, this is what i have on my cabinet Again, thanks a lot for lot for your videos, 👍

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Guto! Sorry if it didn't come across clear, I meant to say that this usb 8 channel relay didn't go with the ledwiz. There are actually a lot of different ways to hook up mechanical toys. I will be adding an ledwiz later so I can show other set ups too. Thanks for the suggestion! Cheers!

[@alltradesart]

Excellent as always.

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Jon! Cheers!

[@scottzimmer8336]

Another great video - thank you.

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Scott! Lots more coming too! Cheers!

[@Chinu306]

Again, great Video! I would love to see a new Video with some parts of arnoz - i dont really understand which board does what - i guess you could replace the sainsmart board with one of arnoz boards? But than i read that Virtuapin KL25Z Controller will lose their firmware because u have to install from the pinscape-project.

[@wayofthewrench]

You're very welcome! Yeah I've been thinking about making another cab different parts so I can help people with the other parts you can get. Keep your eyes peeled! Thanks for the watch and your support for the channel!

[@nerdrocklives]

Thank you so much - your videos rule. Sweet dad joke at the beginning lol. 👨🏻

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Christopher! Cheesy but good right? Cheers!

[@WingburenArcade]

Great video boss. I have a LEDWiz allready and have 12v Siemens 12c contractors but bought 12v starter motors which need more amps than the board can give. You talked about a mosfet booster board. Would a D4184 do?? Would be super inexpensive ❤

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks! I'm not familiar with that board but as long as it can handle the amperage and voltage your starter motor uses, then it might work. I know you can make the boards yourself too and will be very cheap. Good luck and thanks for the watch!

[@thogar1]

i'd love to see a tutorial by you on installing PUPPacks.

[@wayofthewrench]

Will do, just probably not for a while as I need to get this cabinet torn down and sanded/painted/vinyled. Thanks for the suggestion and the watch!

[@davidandambergarber6074]

I wish you could get together with Phil from Cleveland design to do a instructional video on using that board with his solenoid life extenders.

[@wayofthewrench]

Sounds like a good idea. I'll look into it once I get my vpin back together (painting/vinyl) Thanks for the watch!

[@Hidyman]

It's great to see this video right now. I literally have 10 tabs up researching which way to go with outputs. Is there a noticeable delay using these relays? I wanted to use them for flipper solenoids.

[@wayofthewrench]

I'm not sure if there would any delay for flippers and I could see how that would be really important. For the gear motor and shaker motor I have installed already, I haven't noticed any lag. Thanks for the watch!

[@CuddaBrown]

Very cool my man... i really wish i could get into all the bellz n whistles...

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Cudda! Why can't you get into them? Money? Or just not into all of the extra vpin toys?

[@CuddaBrown]

@@wayofthewrench maybe bro..we shall see...i converted an arcade1up vpin table with 32 inch playfield and 22 inch backglass monitor with custom pc..

[@wayofthewrench]

The SSF alone is worth all of the money......

[@courtneybchild]

Thank you SOOOOO MUCH for your in depth videos on vpinball !!!. Youve helped me get through alot of problems. So problem i have now, is I have the exact same sainsmart relays. They both are disconnecting and clicking nonstop. One guy said they need a separate power feed from the 12v "toys". You have any issues with this??

[@wayofthewrench]

Glad I could help! I do not have that problem at all. You could test it out with a known good power supply to see if the power is not getting to the board properly. The other thing it could be is a bad usb cable or bad usb port. Good luck!

[@masonmcderp2485]

Time for me to see how bad my wiring is again compared to others. I put one of these in my modded arcade1up a couple of years ago

[@wayofthewrench]

Lol, If I wasn't filming this build....it probably would be a mess. I tried to keep it clean as I went but I also plan on cleaning it up a lot for the final tear down/assembly after painting/vinyl. Thanks for the watch!

[@Teckno77]

Did you use yours for 12V solenoids flippers etc? I notice he didn't mention fitting diodes to stop back voltage just wondered if you did?

[@wayofthewrench]

​@@Teckno77on everything I put in, I put a diode in for flyback voltage. You put a diode right on the toy you're putting on. No I did not install flippers on mine. My ssf rocks!

[@Teckno77]

@@wayofthewrench Thanks man loving going through your videos at min, so helpful! I'm now venturing into DOF world and I fear the DOF haha. I'm thinking of using the solenoids for bumpers now instead tbh as I think it would make more sense in my build, can you assign multiple bumpers to the same solenoid? Cheers

[@wayofthewrench]

​@@Teckno77dof is easy....I got you. Videos are there in the playlist. Yes you could assign any amount of toys to a single output if you wanted.

[@DJLunarImpact]

How do I set this up in DOF? Do you have a video that shows the process or would you please make one? Recently I bought a virtual cabinet setup (I am totally new to this) and when I was adding a couple of table to Future Pinball I noticed afterward that my solenoids no longer pop when I am playing. They do still do the test pop when I first power the cabinet on though. It seems that I have somehow disabled them though I did not tinker with Direct Output Framewrok (I don't even know how to). I'm not sure if there is a button combo on the cabinet that disables them or if I accidentally hit a button on the keyboard that may have disabled them. The first thing I am going to do is replace the USB cable that runs from the USB hub to the Cleveland Software Designs 8-Channel Relay Board because it was mounted in a way that awkwardly bends the cable right at the connection to the board so it could have ruined the cable. Otherwise the hardware looks like it is all still connected properly so I suspect it is something on the software side. Maybe the issue is in DOF or PinUP. The solenoids no longer work in Future Pinball, Visual Pinball X, Adult 18+ pinball games or the JUKEBOX app that came installed on the machine. I'm not sure where to go from here and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[@wayofthewrench]

I do! There is a whole playlist of videos to learn from. Watch all of the addressable led and cabinet file videos. They are all in order so if you watch it in order, you'll be golden! Cheers!

[@lordjules]

So you haven’t seen the KL25Z expansions offered by Arnoz or Cleveland software? IMHO,any new build should have a pinscape with an expansion board. Prices are pretty similar $100USD. But it’s one board that drives 8 high power outputs in addition to all the buttons you need. Each offering can be further expanded to support a ton more inputs. The beauty is that is just one usb connection and everything is located in the pinscape software for which there is ample documentation even in the software itself. BTW, you’ll need a diode across the motor and probably a capacitor to reduce noise (emi) when the motor spins down. Same for any future solenoids/ contactors.

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah I know about both of these options but there are lots ways to build these vpins so this time I went with Virtuapin. I might make more vpins and use other options like these later. I would definitely try a kl25z with pinscape next time plus a different plunger set up. Thanks for the suggestions though. Yes I have already made a bunch of videos with mech toys and have already added the diodes. Thanks for the watch!

[@judenihal]

Whats the use for the relay to control this pinball machine? The only useful thing these relays do is turning computers on/off or powering on/off power strips.

[@wayofthewrench]

It's in the video. I am controlling higher voltage devices like gear motors and shaker motors with my PC using 5 volt usb power. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!

[@rsb3609]

Tried to download the manual,but It had nothing (server down), tried several times...but nothing all other manuals are available.I think they have stopped making the 8 channel 12v USB.

[@wayofthewrench]

No it's still there. Here's the link. www.sainsmart.com/products/8-channel-12v-usb-relay-module?variant=32641034387535&currency=USD&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxLKxBhA7EiwAXO0R0OP5k3vSVG6aS4yAYNbKjQGPac5r5NajwEm5ISXOv49rK-QrMpLwMhoCzqgQAvD_BwE

[@rsb3609]

@@wayofthewrench still got probs with downloading the manual,no server.Is there an alternative board,that is compatible with dof?. P.s all other manuals for different relays download fine.

[@wayofthewrench]

hrmmm not sure then. You could use Arnoz boards like Walter and Mos8 boards to control toys too.

[@Leroys_Stuff]

You need to go to the punitentiary for that pun. I use one of these on my cnc router.

[@wayofthewrench]

It was cheesy but I went with it.....it's hard to come up with interesting filming ideas sometimes. Thanks for the watch!

[@Leroys_Stuff]

@@wayofthewrench you always have good content

[@wayofthewrench]

I do try to make the very best for you guys and hopefully improve with every video I make. It's a lot of hard work though and I sometimes get burnt out.....

[@Leroys_Stuff]

@@wayofthewrench take a break from the treadmill of the world do the stuff you have a joy for. I stumbled on your channel didn’t know I needed an arcade machine now I have one thanks to you brother didn’t know I needed an virtual pinball cab but atlas now I do lol but I have a cnc router to finish first. Take it easy brother

[@wayofthewrench]

oooohhhhh CNC router eh? You making it from plans? I need one of those in my life too. Honestly, there are too many projects I want to do.....I need to do this KZbinr thing full time. Hopefully it is heading there someday.....

[@dmoehling]

Are you universally using 16 awg wire for all your connections?

[@wayofthewrench]

I am using a lot of 18 gauge for all of my wiring. It could be a bit overkill but it will be safe. Plus I'm sticking to my colour code of red is 5V, black is common/ground, yellow is 12 volt and brown is 6.3V. Thanks for the watch!

[@rsb3609]

Hi,how much power does the pinball machine consume?

[@wayofthewrench]

Dunno but even if it was a lot.....it would still be worth it. Thanks for the watch!

[@jasonwywal2077]

Great video! I'm curious, do you find the SSF and transducers don't provide enough of the mechanical feedback that you're wanting to use this relay setup to supplement?

[@masonmcderp2485]

I've never experienced SSF, but solenoids are very loud and make vpin much more realistic

[@jasonwywal2077]

@@masonmcderp2485 same here. As someone who has an actual pin cab, I think I'd really be missing the tactile feedback of the coils firing in a vpin if I just used transducers.

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Jason! Not at all!! I love my SSF and if anything it can be way louder and more power felt it I want it. I actually have it turned down to feel more realistic. I made this video for people who wanted to add real mechanical toys to their vpin cabs. Now that I have added some to mine, I feel like they add a sense of realism in a way because you hear/feel a different gear or shaker motor than before. With SSF and mechanical toys, the experience is pretty awesome! Thanks for the watch!

[@lezbriddon]

random relay chatter at boot from usb relay board causing motors etc to twitch, add a relay with a 5 second delay on motors power line / psu

[@wayofthewrench]

That's a good idea. I kinda like how my cabinet makes all of the different beeps and noises when it's powered on. Plus I can hear that everything powered on correctly. Thanks for the suggestion and the watch! Cheers!

[@jasonwywal2077]

​@@wayofthewrench my 'real' pin cab goes through all the bootup twitches too as it checks to make sure everything is reset to where it needs to be before you can start a game. I think it adds an element of realism.

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah I love it when mine does that too! I almost want to add more just to weird people out......

[@user-sx7kk1jk5e]

Hi. I'm running multi SainSmart boards and I'm having an issue with one of my DOF ini (configured for my solenoids) files triggering both of my boards. Even though I've used the VPuniverse DOF tool to generate separate ini files. I've checked and they have different serial numbers and comm ports assigned, so I'm kind of stumped. Any ideas?

[@wayofthewrench]

So when one sainsmart board is supposed to trigger a relay another sainsmart board gets triggered too?

[@user-sx7kk1jk5e]

Hi. That's correct. It's a complicated issue. Technically I'm trying to run 3 Sainsmart boards at the same time. The first two I got up and running with no issues. The first is configured for my solenoids, using .40ini file. The second board is a Cleveland Sainsmart clone & it has my knocker & gear motor attached, using .41ini. Both boards work great in conjunction. It's when I add the 3rd Sainsmart board to the mix, I encounter issues. This board has a chime unit attached & is configured to use the .42ini file. When I plug in the 3rd board, my Cleveland board no longer works in VPX. Only the board running my solenoids works correctly. And you can watch the relays fire off in the solenoid pattern on the Chime board. As far as I can tell, each has a unique comm port & serial number assigned. And each appears to initialize in the DOF output file. So there's something about introducing the 3rd board that blocks the Cleveland board, along with not responding correctly itself. I've also got a light strip running on a pinone board that works fine regardless what's plugged in at the time. So it's got to come down to having 3 of the same style board? Also, I do not have a cabinet or global file that I'm using. The .ini files are run directly from the root DOF folder. DOF 64bit, VPX 10.8.5. I took a look into the cabinet tool you recommended but it was geared towards LEDs, so I gave up on making a cabinet file. I know it's a lot to take in. I'm just hoping someone smarter than me will find this & know a solution.

[@wayofthewrench]

I wonder if the clone sainsmart board is messing you up. I vaguely remember reading that somewhere.

[@oliverplunkett3943]

Can i put a 5v power source on this for lesser powerd toys?

[@wayofthewrench]

Sure can, those sainsmart relay boards have a very wide range on them. Thanks for the watch and your support for the channel!

[@oliverplunkett3943]

@@wayofthewrench thank you for the quick response

[@wayofthewrench]

no worries!