Project: 'Gluttony' -
ArtPrize 2013 Entry Work Log
On the off chance anyone had been wondering why
the site or more specifically the pinball machine work log hasn't
been updated in forever... I have been busy designing an entry for
this years ArtPrize competition. With a design inspired by my
previous modding builds this art project mixes old school with new
style by showcasing my first ever dual image work with an overload
of LED's (600 planned, 900 if needed) and cool lighting techniques.
Project: 'Troy's
Pinball' - Scratch Built Digital Pinball Machine
Before I ever plunked a quarter
into any video game as a kid I had already played a fair amount of
pinball, but it wasn't until I found a
Williams
Whirlwind machine in the early 90's that I truly realized how much I
loved playing.
This article served as inspiration for my latest project, a
proper sequel to my bar top video arcade build. Based off a Williams
wide body machine, my build is nearing completion, it's almost a
finished pinball machine.
Pinball has long been a passion of mine and since the
beginning of this year I've invested a lot of time and hard work
into creating the ultimate pinball machine. Besides pinball
machines, I have a keen interest in arcade games, skill cranes, slot
machines, online casino games
and home console video games. The bright lights, fun sounds and
colorful displays are a big part of what attracted me to this scene
at a very early age. If you want to take a look at some of the most
recent work on my digital pinball machine, please watch the video
below.
Project: 'Troy's
Arcade' - Scratch Build Bar Top Video Arcade
I have wanted to build my own arcade machine for quite some time,
with no room in my home for a full size stand up cabinet I decided
to create something smaller. The only plan I had for building the
cabinet consist of an idea and a couple Google SketchUps - so I've
been designing and refining some stuff on the fly. I've been working
on this project for a long time and I thought it was finished, but realized there still were a few things I could do to improve on the design.
I had originally planned on building an arcade
style machine, but early into the project I decided that the parts I
had on hand were better suited for a small and modular living room
entertainment PC to connect to my 46" 1080P LCD TV. I had also
planned to include the building of a home brewed joystick with the TroyBox project log, but decided better to use those parts in the above MAME project instead.
I made a five minute video which showcases some of the
features and fine details of the Hellusion case mod and covers all the stuff that
just doesn't come across quite as well in pictures. It concludes with a
brief explanation of the illusion and a demonstration of the "tool free" case removal and reassembly. If a picture is
worth a thousand words then this case mod video must be
worth a thousand pictures or like a million words.
Sequels as a rule suck, especially horror movie sequels. HellRaiser is
the exception because HellBound is every bit as good as the first movie
- so in the tradition of HellRaiser I set out to create a non-suck sequel case mod.
I
completely concealed the
computer using an optical illusion to make the whole thing appear as
though it's nothing more than an empty box containing a levitating
HellRaiser puzzle cube. From initial sketch to completed project,
follow along as the case mod comes together in this in depth and easy to
follow work log.
Here's your chance to own something awesome, a one of a kind, fully
functioning and wonderfully unique work of tech infused art.
Professionally designed and hand built, this completely self
contained, fully upgradeable (water-cooled) PC has over the top
features that include a built in
LCD monitor, remote controlled
UV eyes and
lasers
that shoot out of the head. This heavily modified computer has
seen media exposure spanning numerous web sites, print publications
and even
television - transforming an already kick
ass mod into an historically relevant item.
This was my first go around with 6"
LCD modding and the finished mod resides in my daily driver PC MOBY2.
Having a small LCD in the computer case that can be used as a secondary
display without having to mirror your main monitor opens up a lot of
possibilities, it works so well that I have added a 6" LCD monitor to
every mod I've done since. Making a six inch monitor fit into and slide
out of a 5.25" bay is no easy feat... but it is really sweet, if you
decide to build one for yourself then this guide should help.
You have by now probably seen many different drive stealthing guides on
a lot of other modding sites with difficulty ranging from fairly easy to
downright ludicrous. This guide is guaranteed easy and will show
what I consider to be the hands down absolute best way to stealth a
drive. The end result looks awesome, is entirely functional and
it's completely removable... this mod won't even void your
warranty.
If you have more
than one light in your case and are tired of having to reach around to
the back of your case to turn them on or off you need to read this modding how-to guide. This is a very simple and affordable mod that adds
functionality and class to a 3.5" floppy bay cover, plus the guide
contains a template layout for up to four switches.
There are a lot of really cool bay devices on the market, whether they
have a finish similar to your case or are completely different - as in
the case of the Zalman fan controller I used - this super simple guide will show
you how to make it precisely match the rest of your case. The
Zalman ZM-MFC1 is transformed from something ordinary into something
awesome with an easy mod that takes just over an hour to do.
