Inspired by a build at CMK16, I decided to build my own cardboard pinball game. It took me only a few hours, with a few improvements added in the following days.
The flippers are build around pencils, a piece of balsa wood, tongue depressors, and rubber bands. The balsa is glued to the inside of the box (I managed to give myself a second degree burn with the hot glue attaching this piece). This piece helps keep the pencils properly aligned.
The tongue depressors are attached to the pencils with rubber bands. An additional rubber band pulls the flipped toward the player, so there is a return to the flipper when they are flipped.
The marble launcher is built around a chopstick, a spring, and another piece of balsa. It is super powerful!
My boss suggested adding a flap since the marble had the tendency to end up back in the chute.
A small flap of cardboard catches the marbles that the player misses as they roll off the platform.
This was a fun and easy build that has me excited to perhaps build a wood version of the game over the holidays.
Comments
I have a DXF on this to test out. I'll be putting it together over winter break or January
https://woodshopcowboy.com/2016/12/12/the-home-makerspace-how-to-build-your-own-pinball-machine-with-working-launcher-flipper/