Total Nuclear Annihilation Code Update v1.3.0

Posted by Scott on January 3, 2019
Posted in: Software, Total Nuclear Annihilation. 1 comment

It is finally here in all of its glory. Version 1.3.0 with many new features and bug fixes. Please see the change log below. The code can be downloaded from the link below as well. As always, let me know if you encounter any issues with the software and I can address them. Enjoy!

CHANGE LOG:
###########################################################################
v1.3.0 - 01/03/2019 - Scott Danesi

## Bugs Fixed ##
- Fixed default coil pulse time in coil test
- Fixed video lag in Burn Test
- Tweaked orbit sound effects
- Fixed issue where the shaker would not always start on critical
- Fixed sensitivity on drop error messages, they will appear less frequently
- Fixed ball save callout, now happens on SDTM shots out of the scoop
- Spelling error fixed in service mode
- Adjusted attract lightshow timings to make the transitions more smooth
- Fix put in place for ball tracking issue, once again...  :)
- Fixed hangup on bringing reactor 3 critical!
- Fixed false positive credit dots.  Now waits until 10 failures to throw the dot
- Made another attempt at fixing the extra ball getting thrown in play on certain machines during ball save
- Fixed issue with some 10 letter initials getting cut off


## Features Added / Modifications ##
- Added Beacon Test in service menu
- Added sound effects for high score entry
- Added dedicated high score reset utility in the server mode preserving other audits
- Top score entry for Co-Op games added
- Left gate now opens during attract mode when clearing balls out of the shooter lane
- Updated indication lightshows for when locked balls are waiting and multiball ready
- Massive restructuring of flipper handling logic, now runs stronger and cooler
- Credit Dot and Error Report added to the service menu
- Clear Coin Audits added
- Adjusted High Score initials down slightly for easier viewing
- Added Balls Saved audit
- Ability to disallow tilts when ball is in the shooter lane
- RAD target destroy selection logic updates based on Reactor Difficulty Setting
  - Easy Reactor Setting - RAD targets not selected for Reactors 1-3
  - Medium Reactor Setting (Default) - RAD targets not selected for Reactors 1-2
  - Hard Reactor Setting - RAD targets not selected for Reactor 1
  - Brutal Reactor Setting - RAD targets can be selected for all reactors
- Completely restructured how the slings are handled to reduce airballs

###########################################################################

Software Download and Instructions: www.tnapinball.com

Adding Light-Up Flipper Buttons to TNA

Posted by Scott on December 10, 2018
Posted in: How To, Total Nuclear Annihilation.

Hey Everyone,

I get asked this questions a bunch and figured I would do a quick write-up on what is needed to add light-up flipper buttons to TNA.  

This is actually pretty easy.  You will need 2 things.  The Accessory Power Supply for Spooky P-ROC games and a set of BriteButtons for Stern SAM/Whitestar games.  These 2 items are below:

Accessory Power Supply: 

https://www.pinballlife.com/accessory-power-supply-for-spooky-pinball-p-roc-system-machines.html

BriteButtons for Stern SAM/Whitestar:

https://www.pinballlife.com/britebuttons-illuminated-flipper-button-set-for-stern-white-star-sam-system-machines.html

Each of these items comes with instructions on how to install them.  Obviously, install the Accessory Power Supply first and then the Britebuttons.  The buttons will plug directly into the power supply using the 3 pin Molex connector.  You can then power the machine up and set the mode you want using the details from the instructions in the BriteButtons.

Done!  Have fun!

Total Nuclear Annihilation v1.2.1 Code Update Now With Speed Runs!!!

Posted by Scott on May 22, 2018
Posted in: Arcade Posts, News, Software, Total Nuclear Annihilation. 1 comment

Hey there!!!  Another TNA code update is here!  This is a short, but good one.

I have fixed a few bugs and added what I like to call “Speed Runs” to kill each reactor.  What do I mean you ask?  The game now displays reactor uptime on the display telling you exactly how many seconds each reactor has been online for.  The timer starts as soon as the reactor start scoop has been hit and stops when the reactor is destroyed.  These speed times are stored in the high score table as “Reactor X Speed Run Champ”.  There are 10 of these.  One for each reactor and one for Total Annihilation!

Every second counts when battling these reactors so be sure to skip the reactor startup animation and be sure to skip the bonus count at the end of your ball.  Your reactor uptime pauses if another player is up, but the timer does not pause until after the bonus count.

Have fun everyone!

Change Log:
v1.2.1 – 05/22/2018 – Scott Danesi

## Bugs Fixed ##
– Skillshot light stuck on is now fixed.
– Reply info in attract mode now says replay for credit and Extra Ball when award is an extra ball
– Tilt during multiball trough issue fixed

## Features Added / Modifications ##
– Added reactor uptime champs to high score boards
– Added reactor uptime to display while reactor is running
– Random performance enhancements
– Co Op now can be enabled if you forget to enable it on adding player 1

## Download Link ##
https://drive.google.com/open?id=11iirLZAPz0k-yNbEmt8AguLAuMOqbGbX

Code Update Procedure:
WARNING: Updating code on your game will reset your audits and settings on the game after the update procedure. However, these audits and settings are automatically dumped to the USB stick as a backup for your reference. I am planning to add functionality to save audits within the game in the future.

Step 1: Download the latest “pkg” file from the link above.
Step 2: Copy the “pkg” file to a USB flash drive. Do not change the name of the file, should be named “tna-gamecode.pkg”.
Step 3: Power off the game and remove the backglass.
Step 4: Insert the USB flash drive into an open USB port on the PC located on the right side within the backbox.
Step 5: Power on the machine, a message should appear saying that the software is updating.
Step 6: Once the code update is complete, remove the USB flash drive and restart the machine.

Using Optos For Your Homebrew Pinball Machine

Posted by Scott on May 2, 2018
Posted in: Arcade Posts, Hardware, How To. 3 comments

Hey Everyone, it has been a long time since I did an actual pinball related blog post, so here it is!  I have been getting a ton of questions lately on how to properly power opto transmitter LEDs and how to hook up the receivers to the SW-16 P-ROC boards.  I am going to walk through it in enough detail that you should be able to get up running on the concepts quickly.

Powering Opto Transmitters

Opto transmitters are nothing more than high powered infrared LEDs.  For this guide, I am going to be referring to the Williams/Bally style opto transmitter which can be seen here: https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-led-transmitter-emitter-for-opto-assemblies.html.  This LED emitter has no circuitry attached to it by default.  These LED emitters are also used on the small PCB and bracket assemblies seen here: https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-led-transmitter-emitter-and-pcb-board.html and other various trough board assemblies.

In order to safely power this LED, you will need to gather a few data points and make a couple small decisions.  You will need to know the forward voltage of the LED, maximum constant current that the LED can handle, decide what input voltage you would like to supply to it (5v or 12v), and decide how much current you would like to give the LED to ensure it has enough power to transmit infrared light to reach your opto receiver.

So here is our data:

  • Forward Voltage: 1.7v
  • Max Constant Current: 100ma, but I recommend you do not exceed 75ma to maximize the life of the LED.  This will be powerful enough to transmit a pretty decent amount of distance between the emitter and receiver.
  • Input Source Voltage: 5vdc is my recommendation as it is higher than the forward voltage of the LED, and low enough that the resistor does not have to dissipate too much heat.

These LED emitters will need a current limiting resistor in series with them as applying 5v or 12v directly to the LED will cause it to overload and fail.  Now, to calculate this resistor value, we will need to calculate resistance and power based on the data that we have.  Now, I could be idealistic and talk about the actual calculations, but I am going to show you how I usually calculate this using an online LED resistor calculator.  The one that I use the most is the one below.  I have already filled out the fields, but feel free to change some of the values up to see what happens.

http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz?VS=5;VF=1.7;ID=75

So as you can see above, the calculator has automatically figured out what the ohms and recommended resistor wattage should be for our emitter.  What I also like about this calculator is that it gives a nice visual representation of how to wire the circuit and what the resistor color bands are.

Important note: Please be sure to use at least the recommended resistor wattage.  You can see above that the calculator is recommending at least a 1/2 watt resistor.  Too small of a resistor and it can burn up, which is bad.  🙂

That is about it for powering an opto emitter!

Connecting Opto Receivers to the SW-16 P-ROC Board

Now for this section, I am going to be talking about the Williams/Bally style opto receivers and how they hook up to the SW-16 P-ROC switch boards.  These are the black colored opto receivers that can be fond here: https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-led-receiver-for-opto-assemblies.html.  These, just like the emitters, are also used in small PCB assemblies, and trough opto boards as well.

To connect these optos into the SW-16 P-ROC board, you will simply need to wire it directly to the inputs of your switch board.  It is really that easy.  It will act just like a standard switch as long as it is connected in the correct orientation.  Below, you will see an image from the P-ROC documentation.  The cathode/ground side of this diode is the side with the flat indentation on the black epoxy base of the opto.  Please also keep in mind that opto receivers are normally closed switches and when it detects the IR beam from the emitter, it will open.  This is opposite of a normal switch.  When a ball breaks the opto beam it will go from a closed state to an open state.

The full documentation can be found here: https://www.multimorphic.com/content/uploads/2017/07/SW-16-2_LLD_v2-0.pdf

I hope this all makes sense and helps you get your project up and running!  Please also keep in mind that some Stern and certain Williams trough boards have resistors built into them on the emitter side.  The guide above will allow you to connect to boards and directly to emitters that have no circuit logic.

Total Nuclear Annihilation v1.2.0 Code Update and Co Op!!!

Posted by Scott on April 8, 2018
Posted in: Arcade Posts, News, Software, Total Nuclear Annihilation. 1 comment

Hey Everyone,

The wait is finally over.  I have finished up version 1.2.0 of the TNA code.  This new code update contains the new co op (all players vs. the machine) and the team vs. co op (players 1 and 3 vs. 2 and 4).  There are also a bunch of other little fixes and additions.  Please see the changelog clip below for more info.

To start a game in co op mode simply hold the start button down for a few seconds when adding player 1.  The game will flash a confirmation on the LCD and a callout saying that co op mode is enabled.  This is standard co op mode, which is all additional players are working together as a team to destroy the 9 reactors.  All scores are shared, no extra balls, replays, or high score tables are enabled.  It is your team vs. the future, that is it.

If you would like to make things a little competitive in co op mode, there is another co op type that can be selected.  This other mode is team versus co op mode.  This mode can be activated by pressing and holding the start button for a few seconds after the standard co op mode is enabled.  This mode requires 4 players and will revert back to standard co op if not enough players are added before shooting the first ball.  In this mode, players 1 and 3 will be going up against players 2 and 4.  This is also called “odds vs evens” in some tournaments.  All progress and scores are shared between each of the players within their respective teams.  Just like standard co op, no extra balls, replays, or high score tables are enabled.

As with any software release, please let us know if there are any show stopper issues on your game.  Please contact [email protected] and we will get back to you asap.  Thank you and enjoy!

Change Log:
v1.2.0.00 – 04/08/2018 – Scott Danesi

## Bugs Fixed ##
– Quickshot video lag issue fixed.
– Adjusted debounce on top CORE rollovers, now will not miss hits off the upper flipper
– Fix for stuck 4x multiplier in multiball
– Lightshow stuck lamp issue fixed
– Flipper hold boost PWM patterns changed to minimize heat and noise
– Ball save issue after reactor destroyed fixed
– Fixed ball save issue during multiball
– Major performance update for lightshows – Thank you Josh Kugler!
– More secret skillshot bug fixes (now worth 100,000 points)
– Lightshow handling updates to prevent rare stuck on lights issue
– Lots of other little things that were bugging me that are not worth mentioning

## Features Added / Modifications ##
– Added target free game setting in coin op settings for operators to control advanced match logic
– Co Op Mode added!
– Team VS Mode added!
– New Jackpot voice callouts
– Kill target locations now regenerate if you hit 20 unlit kill targets – protects location
play if a target gets broken. This is also a setting in the service menu
(Critical Target Miss Threshold)
– Sound volume setting no longer in service menu
– Removed trough jam and warning messages from LCD
– Service Menu now highlights settings that have been changed from the default value
– Super spinner now gets harder to achieve each time it is earned
– Orbit combo logic and scoring reworked now with multipliers!
– Bonus tally can now be skipped to the total bonus screen by pressing both flipper buttons
– Ball save for multiball is now independently adjustable in the service menu
– Ball save on reactor destroy now adds 5 seconds to the current ball save or starts a new 5 second
ball save

## Download Link ##
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RDnDQzY5JvBZn7BVcrCvYDZcqVoa6cjJ

Code Update Procedure:
WARNING: Updating code on your game will reset your audits and settings on the game after the update procedure. However, these audits and settings are automatically dumped to the USB stick as a backup for your reference. I am planning to add functionality to save audits within the game in the future.

Step 1: Download the latest “pkg” file from the link above.
Step 2: Copy the “pkg” file to a USB flash drive. Do not change the name of the file, should be named “tna-gamecode.pkg”.
Step 3: Power off the game and remove the backglass.
Step 4: Insert the USB flash drive into an open USB port on the PC located on the right side within the backbox.
Step 5: Power on the machine, a message should appear saying that the software is updating.
Step 6: Once the code update is complete, remove the USB flash drive and restart the machine.

Total Nuclear Annihilation Code Update v1.1.0.02

Posted by Scott on February 21, 2018
Posted in: Arcade Posts, News, Software, Total Nuclear Annihilation.

Hey Everyone,

The long awaited v1.1.0.02 code update is now live!  So many changes in this version.  Below is the changelog and the download link.  Hope you enjoy!

Please also keep in mind, this update will clear your settings and audits.

As always, if you find any issues or show stopper exploits with this version, please let me know so I can get them corrected.  Thank you!

v1.1.0.02 – 02/21/2018 – Scott Danesi

## Bugs Fixed ##
– Fixed issue with attract frames loading 2 times on reset. This will slightly speed up the
game over reset process. Still working on making this faster. Michael Ocean is awesome.
– Fixed small video lag at beginning of first ball in the Welcome to the Future animation.
– Removed log file issues with bonus and PNG headers (not anything anyone cares about besides me)
– Significant video performance enhancements.
– Fixed bugs in Ball Search functionality.
– Fixed hard crash when trying to do a quick restart during the bonus count.
– Fixed bug where angry player can tilt out the next player too easily.
– Cleaned up unnecessary Ballsearch log error.
– Fixed Secret Skillshot exploit.
– Fixed attract mode ballsearch so it will not keep cycling if a player is too impatient for the balls to reset and drain.
– Fixed log error when saving data files to disk.
– Fixed tilt issue where prior player tilts after bonus.
– Jackpot lightshows improved.
– Shaker now enabled and disabled properly without machine restart.
– Shaker issue when starting mystery now disables properly.
– Destroy Reactor ballsave now active when multiball is running as well.
– Fixed Avg Ball Time Calculation.
– Fixed Avg Score Calculation.
– Fixed Avg Game Time Calculation.
– Changed Coin Drop notification font.
– Updated drop target handling logic to prevent balls from getting stuck in right scoop under specific conditions.
– Fixed some other misc font issues.
– Fixed flickering GI when lane changing the skillshot.
– Fixed coin drop issue for coins with a value larger than a single credit.

## Features Added / Modifications ##
– Significant changes to asset loading resulting is quicker boot times
– Super jackpot will now add a ball into play for up to a 4 ball multiball! This also enables up to 4x playfield multipliers. Indicated with white colored flashing ball lock inserts.
– Add A Ball is limited to 1 ball added per multiball.
– Destroyed reactors now score 1 point each to store the player’s progress in the last digit of their score. Match will ignore this last digit and treat it like a 0. For example, if a player earns 100,000 points and destroys 2 reactors their score would be 100,002.
– Reworking of display animations and notifications to clean up a bunch of things.
– Lock Quickshot display and scoring updates.
– Skillshot now displays score values when awarded.
– Adjusted orbit timer from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
– Set default coil power settings to Bryan Kelly recommended settings, so you may want to update these after the update. 😀
– Bonus now includes bonus total at end of bonus count. Also new lightshow and sound for that.
– Remastered music from the Total Nuclear Annihilation Album has been updated on the game. Also other various audio has been remastered throughout the game.
– Last game scores are now saved and recalled after a hard reboot of the game on the numeric displays. This was needed in case there was a display error that requires a machine restart so the scores are preserved.
– Locking a ball now awards 20k points.
– All LED test now can stop on specific colors when pressing the enter or start button.
– Jackpot Drop Reset Seconds is now configurable in the service menu.
– Secret Skillshot now awards a default time ball save, but allows multiple saves for the entire save time. Awesome.
– Add A Ball now enables default multiball ballsave.
– Reduced overall RAM usage of PC significantly.
– Early ball save added for cashing in a ball save on an outlane.
– Added drop target test in service mode.
– Added warning message on the display if drop target error is detected by the system.
– Added Free Game Percent to Coin Op Audits.
– Upper rollovers now advance reactor value and award a reactor shot when started.
– Added a few things to Mystery Mode
– New Tilt warning sound. Replaced the public domain missile siren with custom effect.
– Mystery awards are now stackable, meaning you can light mystery more than once and the game will keep track of it for you and you can cash it is by hitting the scoop multiple times.
– Ball save timer setting added to the add-a-ball ball save (separate from the standard ball save).
– Reactor Keypad now more evenly distributes spotted targets when targeting a new reactor.
– Ball saver will now pause for mystery award and reactor starting.
– Replay award can be selectable between Credit or Extra Ball.
– Multiball ball saver will now only save the first 3 balls drained.
– Reactor inserts now glow Orange when targeted indicating Extra Ball when applicable
– Tilt switch sensitivity added to service menu.
– Last scores now show on the LCD after game over.
– Can now scroll through the individual high score categories in attract mode.
– Music Test now tests ALL reactors. 🙂

## Download Link ##
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HjwHSLOZ_19j1hv0srQBjvt4VoFWWyk0

New Album “Total Nuclear Annihilation” Now Available on Streaming Sites

Posted by Scott on January 26, 2018
Posted in: Arcade Posts, Music, News, Total Nuclear Annihilation.

Hey Everyone,

Exciting day today!  The Total Nuclear Annihilation album just hit the streaming services this morning.  I think a few of them are lagging behind the rest, but they should follow suit today.

Thank you everyone for the support on this project.  If you would still like, the Cassettes of this album and FLAC files are still available for purchase from the links below.

This album was released on Cassette at the beginning of 2018 in limited supply.  Make sure to get one!

Pinball Life: https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=4844

Double Danger Pinball: https://www.ddpinball.com/other-items/total-nuclear-annihilation-soundtrack-cassette-and-pin-super-combo

 

No Downloads found

FLAC Lossless Audio Files for Total Nuclear Annihilation Now Available

Posted by Scott on January 21, 2018
Posted in: Music, News, Total Nuclear Annihilation.

Happy Sunday Everyone,

By popular demand, the FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) audio files are now available for purchase for the “Total Nuclear Annihilation” album!  The album will still be hitting all of the streaming services for free on Friday January 26th, 2018.

I have also made a few other of my albums available on the Music Production page of my website.

Thank you very much for your support!

No Downloads found

Total Nuclear Annihilation Soundtrack Available on Cassette

Posted by Scott on January 5, 2018
Posted in: Music, News, Total Nuclear Annihilation. Leave a Comment

IMG_20180104_171728Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to throw this out there that the Total Nuclear Annihilation Soundtrack is now available on a limited run cassette at Pinball Life.  The Cassette will also be at the Spooky and Double Danger booths at upcoming pinball shows.

The digital version of all the music will be available on all the streaming services at the end of the month in case you don’t have a cassette player.

All music was written by myself (Scott Danesi) and the artwork for the cassette was done by Matt Andrews (the original artist for the game).

More info and online purchasing here at Pinball Life

Total Nuclear Annihilation Software Update v1.0.6

Posted by Scott on November 15, 2017
Posted in: News, Total Nuclear Annihilation.

Here is another one!  This is a decent sized update for Total Nuclear Annihilation. Many bug fixes and new features were added.  Please see the changelog below for a detailed list.

Changelog:

## Bugs Fixed ##
– Spelling error for Extra Ball Reactor settings in service menu fixed
– Fixed bug where ball could get stuck behind a drop target if multiball ends at the same time
the ball gets stuck.
– Fixed flipper hold booster level bug
– Bonus credits are not stored as service credits anymore
– Replay was auto-adjusting fixed type replays, this is now corrected
– Burn in properly shuts down when exiting service mode
– Base display blanking issues fixed
– Fixed extra ball numeric display glitch issue
– Fixed issue with orbits not lighting correctly all of the time on alternation
– Fixed Extra Ball percent calculation
– Fixed D Target when it would sometimes flash double the speed of the other Critical kill targets

## Features Added / Modifications ##
– System Date/Time adjustment added to the Utilities menu in the service mode (for accurate timestamps)
– Core stand-up targets will max out reactor value if completed in order
– Shaker intensity setting added to service menu
– Massive shaker motor integration improvement
– Tilt debounce now more configurable and renamed to Tilt Bob Settle Time ms
– Added Total Coin Count to Audits
– Knocker now fires when extra ball is earned and configurable in service menu
– Bonus credits tracked separately in game audits
– Small lighting updates
– Added attract mode ball search timeout as to not unnecessarily heat up any coils if switches fail
– New Mystery Award – Light Locks only when locks are not lit
– Added initial support for interactive lighted speaker grills
– Jackpot point value displays immediately when Jackpot is earned
– Added support for failed or flaky drop target switches
– Short ball save added when reactor destroyed, can be turned off in service menu
– Secret Skillshot added (adds additional time on ballsaver and 40,000 points)
– Added shoot again text on the LCD, I forgot to add this originally

## Download Link ##
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1I4VG2ghR9FV_cEW2jpNHspmJ_OWnMPwH

Enjoy!