User Guides
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Congratulations on your purchase of a VPCabs Virtual Pinball Machine, the best virtual pinball machine in the universe!
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS IN FULL BEFORE SETTING UP YOUR CABINET.
Always use the under cabinet power button to turn on and off this unit, and avoid shutting the unit off while the solenoids, flashers, or shaker are running. This machine contains a high-end gaming computer and will best benefit from a proper shutdown. If the machine does lose power avoid running Windows Startup Repair; always select Start Windows Normally. Leave all automatic updates OFF for best performance. It is highly recommended to have a backup copy of your hard drive made before adjusting any software or doing any experimenting with this unit. VPCabs assumes no liability for any software adjustments made that may cause poor performance or damage to this unit.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- 4 legs with leg levelers & retaining nuts (on legs or in parts bag)
- Located inside parts bag :
- Remote control(s) for main display and/or backbox TV if applicable
- Keyboard and mouse touchpad combo
- Hex wrench for securing the head (backbox)
- 8 leg bolts (these bolts may also instead be attached to the cabinet)
- Power cord
- Key(s)
- Info sheet with free Steam account, email and passwords.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
YOU WILL NEED:
- Your own 5/8 wrench or socket
- Hex wrench for head (included)
- 4 legs with levelers attached (included)
- 8 leg bolts (included)
- A helper or sawhorse to hold up the back of the machine while installing the rear legs.
- Cut the straps off of the box and remove the top and sides. Leave the head shrink wrapped to the cabinet at this time.
- Install the 4 legs on each corner of the machine with two leg bolts each and secure tightly with the 5/8 wrench or socket driver. Install the front legs first. (Use the taller legs for the rear and the shorter legs on the front.) Take care not to let the head swing into the open position while installing the legs.
- With the machine standing on all four legs, fully remove the shrink wrap.
- Slowly raise the head into position, taking care not to bind or stress the wiring harness.
- Using the supplied hex wrench, follow the instructions on the head sticker to fully secure the latch.
NEVER OPERATE THIS UNIT WITHOUT THE HEAD SECURELY LATCHED IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION.
NEVER LET WINDOWS, NVIDIA OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE PERFORM ANY UPDATES. VISUAL PINBALL IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH VIDEO DRIVER UPDATES AND WINDOWS UPDATES. ALL AUTOMATIC UPDATING SHOULD BE DISABLED.
NEVER TRANSPORT A PINBALL MACHINE WITHOUT THE HEAD FOLDED DOWN AND SECURED.
- Plug the power cord into the back of the cabinet, then plug into a wall outlet or grounded power strip.
- Your machine is now assembled.
TURNING YOUR MACHINE ON/OFF
- Locate the momentary contact power button under the front of the machine by where the player stands.
- Push and release this button momentarily. Be patient as there are several systems for the computer to initialize on bootup. Wait for the machine to fully power on. Depending on your model, the machine will boot up to the Zen Pinball FX2 menu, the PinballX menu, or the Windows desktop.
- If your machine is equipped for both PinballX and Zen, there will be a PinballX shortcut on the desktop. When switching between platforms this shortcut may be used. NOTE : The mini keyboard/mouse touchpad combo may have a power switch on the top. You may also have to press few keys on the keyboard initially to “wake it up.”
- For Zen Pinball only (ST) cabinets, navigate the PinballFX2 menu using the four flipper buttons on either side of the cabinet, as well as the Exit and Launch Ball buttons on the front of the cabinet, or use the provided keyboard/mouse combo. The keyboard/mouse combo has a power switch on the top edge. You may need to press a few keys on the keyboard unit to “wake it up.”
- For PinballX, navigate the menu by using the flipper buttons, and use the LAUNCH button to select the game to play. Use the EXIT button to return to the menu.
- Play pinball!
- To power off the machine, push and release the momentary contact button again. Avoid shutting the machine off during the middle of a game.
- If Steam pops up any windows, use the supplied mouse/keyboard combo to navigate through them. The first time you power up your machine you may see the following window:
You can click on “START IN OFFLINE MODE” to play pinball. If you later wish to connect to Steam for updates or to purchase more pinball games, use the Steam shortcut on the desktop, and connect to your wireless internet. Your VPCabs virtual pinball machine comes pre-equipped with Wi-Fi.
VOLUME CONTROLS
On a full size, the volume control knob is located on the outside of the coin door. On other models, the volume control is inside the coin door, or on the coin door divider on the amplifier, depending on the system. The small keyboard has volume controls for Windows that can also be used on any model. On upgraded models there is an additional separate subwoofer level control knob located inside the coin door, mounted on top of the coin box divider.
LED LIGHTING CONTROLS
For models equipped with speaker grille lighting and/or under cabinet lighting, the control box for the LED lights is located inside the coin door. The desired lighting mode can be selected with the buttons on the control box. On upgraded cabinets, speaker and under cabinet lights are automatic and there is no adjustment.
COMPUTER ACCESS
There is a remote USB port located inside the coin door on most models.
Any computer service or modifications should be performed by an experienced professional. It is HIGHLY recommended that the user make a physical, external copy of the hard drive before executing ANY and/or ALL software or hardware changes. VPCabs assumes no liability or responsibility for hardware or software changes that may damage the systems in the machine and/or render the software unusable.INSTALLING STEAM and PURCHASING NEW PINBALL GAMES
To install your initial set of Zen pinball tables, use the Steam gift card (if provided) to add funds to your Steam wallet by logging in to your provided Steam account, or if you have a set of game codes, select “Activate a Product on Steam” under the Games tab on your Steam login window. This is only applicable if your machine did not ship with your Zen tables already unlocked.
ADDING CREDITS TO PINBALLX (VISUAL PINBALL) GAMES
To add credits to older Visual Pinball games that don’t support a Free Play setting, either use the green $ button if your cabinet is equipped, or depress the left coin reject button on the coin door (see picture below.) Other visual pinball keyboard command information is available at www.vpforums.org.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Note that PinballX and Visual Pinball are free software distributed by enthusiasts and contributed to by a worldwide group of hobbyists. Information is available online for support. If USB support is disabled in your BIOS it should remain so. The nudge board may initialize as new hardware upon startup otherwise and will prompt a Windows Startup Repair. AVOID RUNNING WINDOWS STARTUP REPAIR/ERROR RECOVERY as VP configurations can be reset. Vpcabs assumes no liability for software changes made that render the machine unusable or damages any hardware. VPCabs does not give tutorials for adding games to Visual Pinball. This information is available online at www.vpforums.org and www.vpuniverse.com.
NUDGE AND PLUNGER ADJUSTMENTS, SHAKER INTENSITY ADJUSTMENT (LE, LE-X)
The nudge and tilt sensitivities for Visual Pinball are located on the Preferences>Keys tab within the Visual Pinball editing application. The hardware calibration for the nudge is located in the Control Panel under “Set up USB Game Controllers” and shows up in the list as the “Pincab Controller.” The physical intensity of the shaker motor can be adjusted by the potentiometer located on the VPCabs driver board just to the left of where the shaker plugs in. There is NO perfect setting for nudge in Visual Pinball that works on all tables across the board due to non-standardization across Visual Pinball platforms. Nudge is therefore preset from the factory in a conservative range.
WARRANTY INFORMATION:
This unit is warranted against defects in parts and workmanship for one (1) year from purchase date.
REMINDER: NEVER ALLOW WINDOWS, NVIDIA, OR ANY COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE TO PERFORM ANY UPDATES.
Most updates are incompatible with one or more of the multiple open source applications related to Visual Pinball and/or PinballX.
ERROR MESSAGES:
Occasionally, Windows, Visual Pinball, PinballX, and/or other related software will fail to initialize or crash and pop up an error window. This is normal for this open source software that has been designed by a worldwide community of hobbyists and is non-standardized. Simply cancel or click ok through the error(s) and exit out and reload the game, or conversely reboot or log off and back on to Windows on the machine to clear other errors. It is highly recommended that upon purchase of your unit, a copy is made of the solid state hard drive as a physical backup.
FAQ’s:
Q: Some of the drivers show up as missing in the device manager?
A: That is normal; some of the devices used in a virtual pinball machine are not recognized by Windows.
Q: How do I add credits?
A: Use the left coin reject button as shown in the picture on the previous page.
Q: How do I add extra games to my machine?
A: There are several online sources for adding hundreds of Visual Pinball games to your cabinet. VPCabs does not support any tutorials for adding or adjusting games. Downloading of any kind of ROM files is the end user’s responsibility.
Q: How do I play 2 or more players on a PinballFX2 game?
A: PinballX does not support launching of multiplayer (Hotseat) PFX2 games. Multiplayer PFX2 games can be launched outside of PinballX directly through the PinballFX2 application.
Q: How do I adjust the sensitivity of the nudge or the tilt?
A: There is information online on how to adjust the nudge settings on multiple pinball emulation platforms.
Download Guide -
Congratulations on your purchase of a VPCabs Vertigo, the best combination virtual pinball / multi-gaming machine in the universe!
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS IN FULL BEFORE SETTING UP YOUR CABINET.
Always use the top rear power button to turn on and off this unit. This machine contains a high-end gaming computer and will best benefit from a proper shutdown. If the machine does lose power, make sure on the subsequent startup, if Windows runs Error Recovery, always select Start Windows Normally. Leave all automatic updates OFF for best performance. It is highly recommended to have a backup copy of your hard drive made before adjusting any software or doing any experimenting with this unit. VPCabs assumes no liability for any software adjustments made that may cause poor performance or damage to this unit.
To set up your Vertigo, locate the power cable supplied with the unit, plug it in, and then press and release the power button located at the top rear of the cabinet. Be patient as your Vertigo has several systems to initialize upon startup.
Your Vertigo is setup to boot directly into PinballX, the menu program used to select a game to play. The very first time you use your game you will need to use the supplied keyboard/touchpad to break into Windows and log in to your home WiFi, in order for pinball games to load properly. (If you do not connect/have access to WiFi, your Vertigo will need Steam started in OFFLINE MODE every time you turn it on from a shutdown in order for pinball games to load properly.)
FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE BELOW TO CONNECT TO WIFI and STEAM
- Use the keyboard/touchpad to press and hold the Windows key as you press “D” to break into the Windows desktop. Locate the cursor and move it toward the left to place it on the main screen.
- Locate the PinballX icon in the bottom system tray, right click and select “Close window.”
- Log on to your home Wifi, and connect to Steam using the supplied account and password. (Steam can be started via the shortcut on the desktop.)
- Close all Steam windows and restart PinballX by using the PinballX shortcut on the desktop.
To start Steam in Offline mode, type in your account name and password, wait for Steam to fail to connect, and you will see the following error window:
Click on “START IN OFFLINE MODE,” close all Steam windows and restart PinballX. If you later wish to connect to Steam for updates or to purchase more pinball games, use the Steam shortcut on the desktop, and connect to your wireless internet. You do not need to have WiFi enabled to play your Vertigo.
VOLUME CONTROLS
Just inside the coin door is the amplifier for your Vertigo sound system. The small leftmost knob is the subwoofer volume, and the larger rightmost knob is the volume level for the top two cabinet speakers. There are also tone controls available to the user on the front of the amp.
COMPUTER ACCESS
Your Vertigo contains a Windows gaming computer and can be accessed via removal of the rear panel.
Any computer service or modifications should be performed by an experienced professional. It is HIGHLY recommended that the user make a physical, external copy of the hard drive before executing ANY and/or ALL software or hardware changes. VPCabs assumes no liability or responsibility for hardware or software changes that may damage the systems in the machine and/or render the software unusable.
INSTALLING STEAM and PURCHASING NEW PINBALL GAMES
To install your initial set of Zen pinball tables, use the Steam gift card (if provided) to add funds to your Steam wallet by logging in to your provided Steam account, or if you have a set of game codes, select “Activate a Product on Steam” under the Games tab on your Steam login window. This is only applicable if your machine did not ship with your Zen tables already unlocked.
ADDING CREDITS TO VISUAL PINBALL GAMES (VERTIGO PLUS USERS ONLY)*
*ONLY APPLICABLE IF YOUR CABINET DOES NOT HA VE A SEPARATE “$” or “COIN” BUTTON:To add credits to Visual Pinball games on your Vertigo+, use the left coin reject button as shown in the picture below. Other visual pinball keyboard command information is available at www.vpforums.org.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Note that PinballX and Visual Pinball are free software distributed by enthusiasts and contributed to by a worldwide group of hobbyists. Information is available online for support. VPCabs does not support installation of new Visual Pinball games. NEVER RUN WINDOWS STARTUP REPAIR/ERROR RECOVERY or VP configurations will be reset. Vpcabs assumes no liability for software changes made that render the machine unusable or causes damage to any hardware.
WARRANTY INFORMATION:
This unit is warranted against defects in parts and workmanship for one (1) year from purchase date.
REMINDER: NEVER ALLOW WINDOWS, NVIDIA, OR ANY COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE TO PERFORM ANY UPDATES.
Most updates are incompatible with one or more of the multiple open source applications related to Visual Pinball and/or PinballX.
ERROR MESSAGES:
Occasionally, Windows, Visual Pinball, PinballX, and/or other D3D related software will fail to initialize or crash and pop up an error window. This is normal for this open source software that has been designed by a community of hobbyists and is non-standardized. Simply cancel or click ok through the error(s) and exit out and reload the game, or conversely reboot or log off and back on to Windows on the machine to clear other errors. It is highly recommended that upon purchase of your unit, a copy is made of the solid state hard drive as a physical backup if any changes are to be made.
FAQ’s
Q: My Vertigo plays arcade games okay but some of the pinball games won’t load?
A: Break into Windows using “Win-D” on the keyboard and log in to your home wireless, then using the supplied info sheet, log into your provided Steam account. If you do not have wireless access, simulate the login, let it fail to connect, and select “START IN OFFLINE MODE.” See detailed instructions above.
Q: My joystick is 4-way and I would prefer it to be setup 8-way, or vice versa?
A: Remove your control panel using the 2 side and 2 top hex screws with the supplied hex key, and keeping the control panel near the unit to avoid stressing or loosening any wires, remove the e-clip, turn the bushing 180 degrees, and reinstall the e-clip. Carefully reinstall the control panel.
Q: How do I add extra games to my machine?
A: There are several online sources for adding hundreds of both MAME and Visual Pinball games to your Vertigo. VPCabs does not support any tutorials for adding or adjusting games. Downloading of any kind of ROM files is the end user’s responsibility.
Q: My Player 2 Start button doesn’t seem to work on some games?
A: Some MAME roms are based on real arcade cabinets that were only 1 player machines. This is normal. Additional MAME roms and MAME adjustment information is available online.
Q: How do I play 2 or more players on a PinballFX2 game?
A: PinballX does not support launching of multiplayer (Hotseat) PFX2 games. Multiplayer PFX2 games can be launched outside of PinballX directly through the PinballFX2 application.
Download Guide