Adaptive flipper controls
Our Origin
Invented, designed and distributed by a pinball technician/player who suffered a debilitating stroke that hindered the use of one side of his body. This system allows for flipper control for almost every player with almost any type of physical hand control challenge. To help with the acceptance of pinball owners and manufacturers the system is designed for easy installation in almost any existing pinball machine.
Capabilities
With the variety of pinball machines and electronic designs to run them, finding that "one size fits all" solution hasn't been found yet. But we are very close. We have installed and tested the system on over 30 machines spanning 60 years with great success. The games that we currently do not have a solution for are those with multiple staged flippers and those where buttons control multiple switches. We are continuously working on finding solutions to allow for more games to be added to our list of compatible machine designs.
GAME COMPONENT
Several design parameters were the guiding factors for the system design. The most important parameters were simplicity, consistency, cost and non-destructive to the cabinet. The game components consist of a standard 1/4" stereo jack, support plate, and insulated wiring.
The 1/4" jack is installed through the bottom of the cabinet at the front left corner. One pair of wires are attached to the left flipper and a single strand wire is attached to the right flipper. Wire connections are made with out soldering. A non-permanent sticker is provided that can be placed on the coin door or any location of your choice indicating that the game is now "AFC Equipped". Installation takes approximately 8 minutes and requires a drill and a Philips screw driver.
Hoping for wide spread adaption, one of the goals of the design was to make the installation of the game components quick, non-destructive and inexpensive . Multiple game bundles are available at a discounted rate so all of your pinball machines can be accessible by the physically challenged.
The most difficult step in the installation process is drilling the mounting hole. A 1/8" drill bit be will be required. Some machines have a metal protective plate under the front end of the cabinet and for these we suggest a stepper bit be used. Additionally, a small drill bit may be required to facilitate the installation of the support screws. The installation instructions included with the kits go through great detail to make the installation as easy as possible.
PLAYER CONTROLS
Controller design is virtually unlimited to meet the vast array of physical challenges beset upon so many people. Currently we have 2 different options for controllers that fit the most common disabilities. However, we will be happy to work with you to design a controller for you and add it to our list of available controllers.
Pinball machines require at least 2 switches to be activated, one for each flipper. While a design with only one switch would be less complex, having both flippers operate at the same time would give the player a disadvantage in the game. Our first design consisted of a small box that could be held (or strapped) to a hand two buttons activated by the index and middle fingers. From this original design prototype are developing other controllers.
Cost per controller is based on the type of controller as the materials and time required can vary greatly. We try to keep controllers in stock so they can be shipped out to players as quickly as possible.
PRICING
Cost shown is prior to taxes and shipping.
Machine Component - Simple ($15.00)
Single Hand Controller ($20.00)
Big Button Controller ($20.00)
Arcade Bundle
10 Machine Components and 2 Single Hand controllers and 2 Big Button controllers ($180.00)
Collector Bundle
5 Machine Components and 1 controller of your choosing ($90.00)
Home Bundle
2 Machine Components and 1 controller of your choosing ($45.00)