AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for Ben Heck

Ben Heck

Pinball For All!

By

Pinball should be enjoyed by all. For those of us that love pinball we take it for granted that we can stand at a machine and flip using our arms and hands/fingers. For people with disabilities, like someone with one arm or losing the use of their hands or being in a wheelchair, playing the game they love can be somewhat challenging – but it doesn’t have to be!

Necessity is the mother of invention, especially when there are brilliant people out there that come up with awesome ideas to ensure that pinball can be played by all – without exclusion. From Dutch pinsider Sascha’s simple and yet genius Zaza Ability Device + 1 (ZAD+1) contraption for people with one arm, to the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Iowa’s Wheelchair Accessible Pinball, it seems that there are ingenious inventions out there for pinball to be loved and enjoyed by everyone, no matter their ability and/or mobility.

Pinball is an inclusive game, and now it is even more so by clever people creating ingenious inventions to ensure people with disabilities can enjoy playing the silverball game! Here are a few absolutely mind-blowingly brilliant pinball playing inventions for wizards with disabilities:

The Zaza Ability Device (ZAD+1) – simple but brilliant!

icanswim70’s – Big Ol Sunction Cup Band

Yonkiman’s Doohickey design

Ben Heck’s – Single Handed Pinball Mod  

U Can Do It’s Adaptive Pinball that can be played with feet, fists, one handed, wrists and elbows

Wheelchair Accessible Pinball

image source: Links within story / title image source: Cary Carmichael via Pinside

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pinball Press
Pinball Press the coolest PR & Social Media engine that drives awareness to your pinball related products, events, news, podcasts and streams!

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook

 

 

 

Things That Go Bump in the Night: The Spooky Pinball Story

By

From little things, big things grow. This is definitely the case with Spooky Pinball.

In a little rural Wisconsin town called Benton where the population is a smidgen under 1,000 people, we witness what the power of family, friends and community can achieve when they all work together towards a common goal. Charlie Emery’s vision of making his own pinball machines was a big risk, but he was never going to be swayed by all the people that told him he was mad for leaving his secure job of 20 years to pursue his dream.

Joel and Dana Reeves’ Things That Go Bump in the Night: The Spooky Pinball Story chronicles the story of how Spooky Pinball came to be, from its very humble beginnings with their podcast, its hardships in starting up the manufacturing of pinball machines to its eventual and continued success.

With unprecedented access to the Emery household, key folks from Benton and pinball industry luminaries, this documentary weaves a narrative that keeps you glued from start to finish. From Chuck’s re-theming of Firepower II to Godzilla and chance meeting with DIY extraordinaire Ben Heck (Heckendorn) at the Midwest Gaming Classic in 2011, to America’s Most Haunted, Domino’s Pinball Adventure and Rob Zombie Spookshow pinball table productions, you live through the ups and downs of being a pinball manufacturer.

If you are into documentaries that delve into the resilience and determination of people that strive to succeed in the boom-or-bust world of pinball manufacturing no matter what, then Things The Go Bump In the Night: The Spooky Pinball Story cannot be missed! Get on Vimeo right now and rent (or buy) this film – you will love it!

Oh yeah, we have our fingers crossed that Spooky Pinball will produce Ben Heck’s dream machine, Bible Adventures with its numbered modes; Adam and Eve 2-ball multi-ball where every shot scores except for the apple, 40 days and nights of flood, 40 years in the wilderness, 7 deadly sins, 10 Commandments and the 10 Plagues of Egypt – what’s there not to like!

Film: Things That Go Bump in the Night: The Spooky Pinball Story
Where: Vimeo
Released: June 30, 2017
Duration: 1 hour 4 minutes + bonus features
Price: Rent AUD$5.20 or Buy AUD$11.72

source: Things That Go Bump Movie

 

Tips And Tricks To Get The Most Out Of Your NES Console

By

Be warned peeps, this tips and tricks video will void your old console’s warranty!

The Ben Heck Show team go under the hood of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) for a complete teardown with tips and tricks on how to breathe new life in the venerable Ninty console.

The team start by disabling the lockout chip (yay!) and also give the cartridge loading bay care and attention as it’s one of the common failures, partly because it functions like an old VCR player! Ben also provides anecdotes from his time at Funcoland (now Gamestop) and also gives us other possible mods for the NES.

So what are you waiting for, grab the screwdriver and start taking apart that grey Nintendo shoe box!


source: The Ben Heck Show


Ben Heck’s Mini Pinball Kit

By

We are huge fans of Ben Heck’s creations, from the giant Game Boy to the awesomely cool portable Atari 2600. This time around, Ben and his team have hit the mark with the Mini Pinball machine, which they aim to turn into a kit for us to use and enjoy! Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long.

After watching this update video, we must say we are quite excited about the prospect of having a mini pinball machine in our games room! We eagerly await future updates on this amazing bit of kit.


source: The Ben Heck Show

 

Ben Heck’s Portable Atari 2600

By

Atari 2600 featured 2In this episode of The Ben Heck Show, Ben makes an awesome hand-held Atari 2600 by pulling apart the original chips and wiring the entire circuit manually, 3D printing a custom case, and adding a screen and rechargeable battery – wow! Check out the video to see just how he did it.

Atari 2600 3

Atari 2600 2

Atari 2600 4

Atari 2600 1

Source: The Ben Heck Show via Technabob

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

 

 

Ben Heck’s Giant Game Boy: The Game Man

By

Giant Game Boy 2Ben Heck and co. from Element 14’s The Ben Heck Show made this amazing 670 percent scaled-up Game Boy (aptly named ‘The Game Man’) in just 4 days! It runs off an actual Game Boy connected to a VGA monitor and is awesome, see exactly how they made it in the video below.

Ben Heck Show

Video source: The Ben Heck Show on YouTube

Giant Game Boy

Source: Element 14’s The Ben Heck Show via Technabob

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter