Design and Programming of Pinball Machines

About

I had the pleasure of taking this Honors Seminar course in the fall of 2023. It was an absolute blast getting to learn the history behind some of my favorite arcade machines, and then learn about the mechanics underneath them. The class culminated in a team project in which we built our own themed Pinball machine using the principles we had learned in class. Our team decided to build a Phineas and Ferb themed pinball machine, fit with a Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated tower that acted as a ball trap and target.

Take Aways

One of the biggest takeaways from this class was the importance of teamwork and communication. Our team had to work together to design and build our pinball machine, and we had to communicate effectively to make sure that we were all on the same page. I learned a lot about how to work with others and how to communicate effectively, which are skills that I will be able to use in the future.

I also got a lot more hands on experience with soldering, programming, and general electrical engineering. I had done hobby projects involving Arduinos and Raspberry Pis, but this project was the first I had done with others to reach a final goal.

Pictures

The final functional pinball machine