Pinsetter Controller
A pinsetter controller built by Rumix, for machines that no longer have one. We design and manufacture the control boards, the power stage, and the enclosure ourselves, so an old machine with a dead or unobtainable controller can be brought back into service, and a custom-built pinsetter can be given a controller designed around it.
When the original control unit fails and no spare exists, the machine usually still works. Our controller replaces the electronics and drives the same motors, solenoids, and sensors, so the mechanical side of the pinsetter keeps earning its place.
If you build your own pinsetter, the control logic is the hard part. We develop the controller around your machine: your cycle, your sensor set, your motor count, with the timing tuned on the real equipment rather than a generic profile.
Schematic, PCB layout, firmware, power supply, and sheet-metal enclosure are all designed in house. That means we can change a board when a machine needs something different, instead of working around a fixed third-party product.
Sensor inputs are opto-isolated and outputs are relay and driver protected, so switching noise from motors and solenoids stays out of the logic. The controller is built for the electrical reality of a pin deck, not a bench.
The controller connects to the Rumix scoring system over Ethernet, RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485. Ball detection, cycle triggers, and machine status pass between the machine and the scoring software as one system.
Status LEDs per channel, screw terminal wiring, and modular boards mean a fault can be found and a board swapped by a technician at the centre, without sending the whole unit away.
What it controls
The hardware
These are our own boards and enclosures, from the control electronics through to the motor drivers that move the machine.
The complete controller ships as a mounted unit with all connections on the panel. It bolts near the machine, takes mains power and a network cable, and wires out to the pinsetter through screw terminals.
Machine I/O runs along one side, communication and power along the other. Each channel has its own LED, so a technician can see which sensor or output is active while standing at the machine.
Inside, the logic board, isolation stage, relay outputs, and power supply each sit in their own area. Boards come out individually, so a repair is a board swap rather than a rebuild.
The control board, DC motor drivers, and supplies are designed together and sized for the machine they drive, instead of assembling a controller from parts that were never meant to share an enclosure.
Machine wiring lands on labelled screw terminals rather than proprietary connectors, so an existing loom can be adapted on site and a replaced sensor can be rewired with normal tools.
Respot and deck motors run from our own driver boards, with current limiting and thermal protection sized for the motor. Because we make them, a machine with an unusual motor is a change we can actually make.
Driver boards are developed and verified on the bench with the motors they will run, checking current, switching behaviour, and thermal performance before anything is installed in a centre.
Each machine's cycle is mapped as a timing diagram of inputs, outputs, and counters before the firmware is written. That is why sweep, table, and respot land in the right order and scoring is captured at the right moment.
Common questions
That is the main reason this product exists. If the mechanical machine is sound, we can replace the control electronics rather than the machine. Send us photos of the existing controller, the machine model, and the sensor and motor list, and we will tell you what a replacement involves.
Yes. We develop controllers for custom-built machines, including the board design, firmware, and cycle logic. We work from your mechanism and sensor arrangement, and tune the timing on the real machine during commissioning.
The controller is adapted per machine rather than sold per brand, so it is not limited to one manufacturer. Tell us what you have, including string and older chain-driven machines, and we will confirm what is needed before quoting.
It works best with the Rumix scoring system, since the two are developed together. The controller also exposes standard serial and Ethernet interfaces, so integration with other systems can be discussed case by case.
Yes. Wiring is on labelled screw terminals, each channel has a status LED, and boards are individually replaceable. We provide wiring documentation and support your technician during and after installation.
Tell us what you have
Send us the machine model, the existing controller, and your sensor and motor list. We will tell you what a replacement or a custom controller involves.