Congratulations to VPinWorkshop on the release of the virtual Total Nuclear Annihilation pinball machine! This game is a complete reproduction of TNA that can be played in VR, desktop, and virtual pinball machines. I provided VPinWorkshop the assets and they recreated authentic gameplay. Head over to link below to download. They put so much work into this game and I am excited for everyone to experience it!
https://vpuniverse.com/files/file/14359-total-nuclear-annihilation-spooky-2017-vpw/
I get this question pretty frequently, so I figured I would post a how to guide on getting the most out of the audio system on your Total Nuclear Annihilation pinball machine.
Do this at your own risk as this has the potential to damage your amp and/or speakers if set too high. But please do not do this unless your amp settings get totally out of whack.
Warning, this setup procedure is going to be loud, so warn the people around you.
You may notice some strange distortion coming from the subwoofer… These subwoofers are interference type speakers which means that upon loud use, the speaker cone extends beyond the mounting bracket plane. This will cause the cone to come in contact with the speaker grill and potentially the edge of the bottom of the cabinet. You can get a 10 inch speaker spacer online from various places that will make sure the speaker has enough space to move freely.
A pinball machine makes a TERRIBLE subwoofer cabinet for a number of reasons, but here are a few. The main reason being that every subwoofer has a recommended cabinet volume specification. These pinball cabinets are MUCH MUCH larger than what the subwoofers call for. The next reason is that pinball cabinets are full of crap that can rattle around upon vibration from the subwoofer making terrible sounds. Another big reason is that pinball cabinets are basically the most leaky thing ever. Porting subwoofer cabinets is important, but having the sound leak out from ever little hole and crack is awful.
OK, so what do we do about this…. In TNA I created a Sub Chamber in the cabinet. This is basically a box that goes around the subwoofer that is pretty close to what the subwoofer wants for volume. This box idealistically will push all of the bass out the bottom of the cabinet. This is great, but unfortunately, it is not perfect in production. The production sub chambers leak a bit as they were not sealed with silicone sealant.
Easy fix though. While you are in there putting a spacer under your subwoofer, it is a great time to pick up some silicone sealant and seal up the inside of the box. I recommend pulling all the screws out from the bottom of the cabinet and removing the Sub Chamber completely. You can then squish this silicone sealant into every join on the inside of the chamber. Once you go to reassemble it, put a bead of silicone on the bottom side where the chamber attaches to the bottom of the cabinet. This will ensure a great seal and improve the sound of the subwoofer.
Step 1: With the game on, take the backglass out and press the volume up or down button on the back of the LCD and bring the pre-amp volume down to 11. It will show on the screen. This is probably set high from the factory, but I found reducing this made the audio quality slightly better.
Step 2: Put the backglass back in.
Step 3: Turn every knob on your amp all the way down until it stops.
Step 4: Go to Music Test in the service menu and select reactor 3 by pressing the start button a few times.
Step 5: On the coin door, press the volume up button until it reaches 11.
Step 6: On the amp, turn the second knob from the left (sub crossover) up about 1/8 turn.
Step 7: On the amp, turn the treble just past half way up.
Step 8: On the amp turn the Bass knob up about 1/8 turn. Keep this low as this is controlling the bass output to the upper speakers and could damage them or the amp if set too high.
Here is where it is going to get loud…
Step 9: On the amp, turn up the sub volume very slowly until just before you hear a bit of distortion. This will be pretty loud.
Step 10: On the amp, turn up the Volume knob slowly until before you hear distortion or you feel that is the loudest you would ever have the machine. This is also the time where adjusting the treble up or down should be done.
Important note! If the amp cuts out during any of these last 2 steps, you went too high with the volume and/or Bass knob. Bring these back down so the amp does not cut out as this could damage it.
Step 11: On the coin door, turn down the volume back to a reasonable level and enjoy.
Again, please do this at your own risk. You can damage your amp and/or speakers messing with this stuff. I am not an expert audiophile or whatever it is called, I am just knowledgeable enough to be dangerous here. Don’t blame me or Spooky if you break something. 
If you just cannot get your subwoofer sounding awesome, the easiest thing to do is install an external sub. These are pretty affordable and I recommend using the Polk Audio PSW10. All you do is disconnect the amp output wires on the internal subwoofer and run a new set of wires down to the PSW10s Speaker Level Inputs. You can then do that amp adjustment procedure again without the internal sub hooked up.
Conclusion:
I hope this helps you getting your TNA to sound awesome. If you have any questions or find any errors or better ways of doing this, please contact me and let me know. Enjoy!
Final note: I put a few Amazon links in this blog post that are linked to the Danesi Designs Affiliate Program. I did this to hopefully help generate a little bit of passive income. Thank you everyone very much!
It is here! v1.5.0 has finally arrived. This new version contains some exciting new stuff including a brand new Jukebox Mode, even more Scorbit integrations, and a Spinner Rip counter with dedicated high score table. This version and all future versions are fully compatible with all versions of the Total Nuclear Annihilation pinball machine.
Below is the full changlog for this release.
#################################################################################### v1.5.0 - 10/05/2022 - Scott Danesi ## Bugs Fixed ## - Fixed issue with music resetting at the end of multiball when it was not necessary to restart the song - Slight sound effect mix balancing - Scorbit misc bug fixes - Fixed bug where the game would not allow you to completely erase your name on the high score name entry screen ## Features Added / Modifications ## - Added support for the upgraded core numeric display - Lightshows updated to include new RGB LEDs in upgraded core display - Jukebox mode added (hold both flippers for 5s in attract mode) - Jukebox mode settings to enable/disable the mode (for operators, on by default) - Jukebox mode settings to enable/disable beacon (off by default) - Added new song for when reactor is started AND value is maxed out - Spinner Rip Count added to LCD - Spinner Rip Count high score category added with default of 30 (so please lube your spinners!!!) - Scorbit handling completely restructured and now will attempt reconnects when the connection is lost - Scorbit now reports bonus x and reactor temperature ####################################################################################
Click here to get the latest code!
And as always, please contact me if you find any issues with this release and I will address it as soon as I can. Thank you!
Another update??? Yes!
Hi Everyone,
I have yet again made another update to the TNA code, this one has a few feature requests and some new functionality added. Oh yeah, I did also fix some bugs… 🙂
The biggest feature update of this release is the ability for TNA to fully interact with the Scorbitron Hardware from Scorbit. Basically, the Scorbitron is a piece of hardware that allows the game to fully integrate with the internet and post scores, leaderboards, and current game statuses online! I have set up a few customized leaderboards here for Total Nuclear Annihilation, Rick and Morty, and my other games in my collection. This is still pretty new tech, so most of my games do not have scores submitted as of the time I am writing this. You can find more information about them at scorbit.io.
Some other cool features added in this release is the ability to show scores on the LCD, show your super spinner status, and have the ball auto-launch when left unattended! These 3 things have been heavily asked for by the community and I am glad to have been able to get them in. 🙂 Enjoy!
Below is the full changelog for this release:
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v1.4.2 - 10/25/2020 - Scott Danesi
## Bugs Fixed ##
- Fixed reset issue on ball 2 with orbit status not resetting
- Fixed double flip issue during reactor start eject lightshow
## Features Added / Modifications ##
- Scorbit functionality added
- Added service menu option to show scores on LCD.
Machine (Standard) -> Scores On LCD
- Added ability to turn off backbox LED during gameplay.
Machine (Standard) -> Backbox LED On During Game
- Added Super Spinner progress on main screen
- Added ability for game to autolaunch balls if left unattended.
Machine (Standard) -> Unattended Launch Time
['Off','30sec','1min','3min','5min','10min'] - Default is Off
- More ball save grace period on right scoop eject if STDM.
##################################################################
Hi Everyone! Well, another software version has dropped. This one is exciting in different ways than usual. This version has a few minor fixes, including a bit of shaker code re-writing and a weird crash was fixed during Co-Op. Now, for the exciting stuff. This version of the code has 2 different outputs that modders can use to make their mods more interactive with the game. If you are a modder and want to void your warranty, please keep reading, if not, just install the new version in the changelog below and enjoy! 😀
What the heck does that mean? Well, this new setting, if set to yes, will turn off the backbox LED unless you are on the last reactor and that last reactor is Critical. This driver can then be used to trigger other external things if you know what you are doing. This setting can be found under the Gameplay (Feature settings). Please to not connect anything to this driver that pulls over 1 amp, or you are in for a bad time.
There is an open position on one of the PD-LED boards on TNA where people have been plugging in extra insert lights for their lit drop targets. Well, there is one position that was unused…. Until now. This LED output will send a signal from the PD-LED on one of the RGB lines of this LED output depending on the status of the current reactor.
Reactor Online/Ready will trigger the Blue channel of this LED.
Reactor Started will trigger the Green channel of this LED.
Reactor Critical will trigger the Red channel of this LED.
This output has been requested many times as people want to build more interactive mods for the game. Any modder that uses this outplut will need to make a transistor driver to do anything with this as the output is only designed to handle a 20ma load at 3vdc on each channel. If you exceed this, you risk damaging your PD-LED board and you will have to buy another for $70 USD. If you are planning on just running an LED (with no resistor) from the circuit, it can handle that no problem.
Please keep in mind that using these access points for mods is completely your own responsibility and voids your warranty on your game (I think these are up anyway). Spooky Pinball, LLC., Danesi Designs, LLC., and myself take no responsibility if you blow up a board in your game because of something hooked up incorrectly to one of these outputs. If you blow up a board, you will have to replace it yourself.
Please also keep in mind that I can answer basic questions about these outputs, but I unfortunately do not have time to help design your mod.
OK, now that the warning is out of the way, here is the changelog! Download link is at the bottom. Enjoy!
############################################################################
v1.4.1 - 08/15/2020 - Scott Danesi
## Bugs Fixed ##
- Fixed warnings text displaying over the top of teh Total Annihilation kill screen
- Shaker intensity calmed down a tiny bit due to popular demand
- Fixed crash when playing Co-Op with a final reactor set < 9
## Features Added / Modifications ##
- Added ability to use the Backbox LED Strip driver as a trigger for final reactor critical
- Added extra LED Driver dedicated to show only the reactor status
############################################################################https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s_tzHURjs7QVl6NKX5u2zAogMKJh4hKT
Version 1.4.0 of the TNA code is now up! Check out the changelog below.
################################################################# v1.4.0 - 04/10/2020 - Scott Danesi ## Bugs Fixed ## - Modified sling logic to hopefully stop multiple hits - Sling modifications to stop occasional sticking - Fixed CoOp taking away reactor scores from previous players if additional players sneak in - Fixed lag issue when replay triggered during reactor explosion - Fixed score display dimming issue that randomly occurs - Tilt bug fixed when ball falls into shooter lane after a tilt - Fixed shaker not pulsing every time on ball lock - Fixed Co-Op abort issue - Ball search now disabled in service mode... oops - Fixed Crash after game over in Co-Op with TA reactor < 9 - Fixed disabling coils on game abort via start button - Fixed insert lighting issue with left targets on new ball start - Fixed double hit on shooter switch issue - Fixed certain settings not being saved when exiting service menu - Shaker motor intensity fix... again. - Fixed Super spinner activating twice on certain occasions - Fixed lightshow logic error that would rarely lock up a lightshow when more than 1 was running at once ## Features Added / Modifications ## - Start button now constantly on when no credits are in the machine - Added ability to hold down up and down buttons in service mode to scroll automatically - New multiball GI colors added to service menu for the fluorescent green plastic protectors (default now blue) - Reworded Bonus Credit After to "Bonus Credit After X Credits" in service menu - Beepgate Update - Mystery Goodness - Added support for Danesi 2.0 shoot again timer (with RGB lights) - Added support for new clear drop LED add-on - All lightshows cleaned up - Added Tilt Warnings to LCD - Added utility for clearing coin audit info - Significant LED performance improvements - P3-ROC Firmware update to v2.14 - 2 New attract mode lightshows! - Updated flash speed and coloring of critical destroy targets #################################################################
Hey Everyone! Within the next 30 days I will be transitioning my album release “Total Nuclear Annihilation” to a new distribution company. During this time, the original album will come down from all streaming services and be replaced with a brand new “Expanded Edition” of the album. This album will have new remastered versions of the original songs, plus an additional song named “Scarlett” that never made it on the original album. This song is a dedication to the life of the main character in Total Nuclear Annihilation.
So if the release comes down before the new one is up, no fears, the Expanded Edition is right around the corner. The official release date of the new album is September 19, 2019.
I will also make the new track available as a free FLAC download on this site for all to enjoy once the album goes live on September 19th, so no need for anyone to buy anything extra.
As many of you may or may not know, if you end up defeating reactor 9 in Total Nuclear Annihilation, you have successfully destroyed everything. This includes yourself. The game ends, killing your flippers and giving you a “Total Annihilation Bonus”. This bonus is a accumulation of all the destroy values that you earned throughout your journey defeating all 9 of the reactors, including the multiplier values while destroying. This bonus value will be very substantial. Since you have killed everything, including yourself at this point, any balls or extra balls that you have left over will be drained as well, but will give you the “Total Annihilation Bonus” for each left over ball. Again, this is huge.
This brings me to my next fun bit of information. In the TNA service mode, there is a setting called “Annihilation After Reactor” and this is set to 9 by default. This will allow the operator to adjust after which reactor when Total Annihilation occurs.
For 1 reactor battles against your buddies, simply set this service menu setting to 1. This will make reactor 1 the last reactor needed to beat the game. This will force you to play more efficiently than your opponents. The key thing to winning 1 reactor battles is you want to max out your reactor value, destroy the reactor in multiball, and do all of that on your first ball. Whoever can do this the best wins.
Have fun!
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
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:
https://www.pinballlife.com/accessory-power-supply-for-spooky-pinball-p-roc-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!
Hi Everyone! All of my software, sample packs, and instruments on this website are provided for free! However, if you would like to help keep my projects going, please consider donating below. I truly appreciate it!
