This page consists of frequently asked questions regarding the pinball machine and links to coding or tutorials for different software and devices.
Q: What tools or software do you need?
A:The tools and software needed to construct the pinball machine consists of basic construction tools such as a saw and drill for the wood components and metal layer, the software for the Arduino which can be found using this link Software Download for Arduino , a soldering kit and a computer in order to upload the codes for the Arduino. A soldering kit is optional but recommended since it makes connecting the sensors to the breadboard or Arduino easier.
Q: About how long will it take to create the pinball machine?
A: If things are done exactly like this pinball machine with no modifications, it shouldn't take more than 5 weeks. This is estimated for work 3 days a week but if construction time is greater the time it takes should be a lot less.
Q: Do you need any prior software knowledge before you make the machine?
A: Not really. The Arduino is really easy to program and with this link Programming the arduino for beginners you can easily make any changes to the codes created if you want to add something to the pinball machine. Otherwise all the coding for the pinball machine can be found here Pinball Machine: Programming the Machine.
Q: Why did you chose this project?
A: This project was chosen so that they could work with software and devices that they never used before. The result was that they learned many new skills that can come in handy with other engineering projects or their careers. The pinball machine also incorporated all the software and lab techniques they learned their first year at Drexel University so it shows how they retained the information they learned and used it to create a new product.
Q: I've ran out of input spaces on the Arduino, what do I do?
A:It's recommended that you get a breadboard for the electronic components. Using that you can solve the problem. There are a limited amount of spaces on the Arduino but a lot of the inputs are for scoring and since some of the sensors will be the same and have the same score value, using a breadboard you can connect the all those sensors to just one input on the Arduino. This will allow less inputs to be used and in order to learn how a breadboard works click this link How to use a breadboard.
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