How to Install the Entire Whirlwind 2.0 Total Chaos Kit!

Cary Hardy·video·17m 36s·analyzed·May 30, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.023

TL;DR

Cary Hardy installs Whirlwind 2.0 kit, identifies instruction documentation problems, recommends installation sequence improvements.

Summary

Cary Hardy provides a detailed installation guide for the Pedretti Gaming Whirlwind 2.0 Total Chaos kit, demonstrating the complete process while identifying multiple issues with the official instructions including unclear labeling, incorrect visual references, missing steps, and poor documentation of cable connections. He reorganizes the installation sequence for clarity and also covers translite and art blade installation, noting that pre-cut holes for backbox hinge bolts are missing from the art blades. Hardy indicates the kit is an improvement over the original Whirlwind and plans a full review.

Key Claims

The official Pedretti Gaming Whirlwind 2.0 kit instructions contain labeling inconsistencies (missing blue arrows, X-marks not visible in pictures)
high confidence · Hardy demonstrates specific examples from the instructions where visual references don't match the actual pictures provided, particularly regarding blue arrows and X-marks on cable labels.
The kit instructions skip over important installation steps, particularly for the soundboard orientation and board mounting
high confidence · Hardy notes the instructions jump from removing components directly to connecting cables without explaining how to install the boards themselves: 'it just completely skips past that. The orientation of what the soundboard should be, you just need to look at the picture and know by that.'
The HDMI cable connection instruction contains incorrect directional language (right/left vs top/bottom) that doesn't match the picture provided
high confidence · Hardy points out the instructions say 'the HDMI cable connects to the right HDMI port in the pin sound. Unlike this picture' and notes the language is ambiguous and the picture doesn't clearly show which is 'right' or 'left.'
The art blades for the Whirlwind 2.0 kit lack pre-cut holes for the backbox hinge bolts, requiring the installer to cut them manually
high confidence · Hardy states: 'one of the big complaints that I have about the art blades is that there are not already holes for the cabinet hinge bolts for the back box. They're not in there so you're basically going to have to mount these and then cut the holes yourself.'
Hardy believes the Whirlwind 2.0 Total Chaos is better than the original Whirlwind
high confidence · Hardy provides a 'teaser' at the end: 'i don't hate this i think it's better than the original whirlwind so there's a little bit of a teaser of what i've got in place for the review'

Notable Quotes

“So having me scream out loud WTF a bunch of times here and there while I'm installing this and then hearing my wife go honey or whatever to remind me that I am in fact recording this and it's supposed to be helping people, I didn't think that was going to be a good video.”
Cary Hardy@ 1:22 — Explains why he re-recorded the video, indicating frustration with the original instructions that he felt would be unprofessional to share.
“I'm not seeing anything on any of the pictures or anything on the next page with X-marks or anything like that. So there's a little bit of a bit of confusion right there I think some people may have.”
Cary Hardy@ 2:41 — Identifies a specific documentation error where visual references in instructions don't match the actual images provided.
“If the picture is wrong, update the picture. Don't. Okay, well that's just, I feel like that's poorly done right there. Unlike the picture we provided, do it this way. No, how about you just provide a correct picture.”
Cary Hardy@ 5:02 — Criticizes the instruction manual for telling users to ignore incorrect pictures rather than fixing them, indicating poor quality control.
“I foresee people with little knowledge and pinball having problems with this.”
Cary Hardy@ 4:34 — Assessment that the unclear instructions could be problematic for less experienced installers, raising accessibility concerns.
“The point and reason why this kit was sent to me is for me to be able to help pedretti by improving this product and by hopefully helping all of you out there that are interested in purchasing this product.”
Cary Hardy@ 0:56 — Explains his role as providing constructive feedback to Pedretti Gaming to improve the product before wider release.

Entities

Cary Hardyperson Pedretti GamingcompanyWhirlwind 2.0 Total ChaosproductWhirlwindgame PinSoundproductFAST CPUproduct

Signals

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community_signal: Content creators like Cary Hardy providing detailed technical documentation and troubleshooting support for aftermarket conversion kits to help the community make informed purchasing decisions
high · Hardy creates comprehensive installation tutorial and review process, noting 'If this video was informative to you and even helped you make a decision on whether or not you would like to purchase this product' and plans full review after extensive gameplay testing
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design_philosophy: Whirlwind 2.0 art blades lack pre-cut holes for backbox hinge bolts, requiring manual cutting by installer
high · Hardy identifies this as 'one of the big complaints' about the art blades: 'there are not already holes for the cabinet hinge bolts for the back box. They're not in there so you're basically going to have to mount these and then cut the holes yourself'
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product_strategy: Cary Hardy providing detailed installation guidance and feedback to Pedretti Gaming to improve kit documentation and user experience before wider market release
high · Hardy explicitly states: 'The point and reason why this kit was sent to me is for me to be able to help pedretti by improving this product' and demonstrates correct installation sequence superior to official instructions
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product_concern: Whirlwind 2.0 kit documentation contains multiple errors including missing visual references (blue arrows, X-marks), incorrect picture labels, skipped installation steps, and instructions that tell users to ignore incorrect pictures rather than correcting them
high · Hardy demonstrates specific examples: missing blue arrows on cable labels, instructions referencing non-existent X-marks, HDMI port direction labeled as 'right' when the picture shows it differently, and instructions stating 'Unlike this picture' rather than providing corrected imagery

Topics

Installation instructions quality and clarityprimaryPinball machine conversion/upgrade kitsprimaryAftermarket pinball hardware (PinSound, FAST CPU)primaryArt blade installation and designsecondaryPedretti Gaming product quality and documentationprimaryDIY pinball machine modificationsecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.55)— Hardy is frustrated with the documentation quality and identifies multiple problems with the instruction manual, but holds a positive view of the actual Whirlwind 2.0 Total Chaos conversion itself. His tone is constructive and professional despite the issues he identifies, and he ends on an encouraging note about the product's quality relative to the original.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.053

Okay, we're going to be installing the Whirlwind Total Chaos kit, and I'm going to be following these instructions as close as possible to how they actually read to make sure that they're correct and there's not going to be any issues with anybody else. Spoiler alert, there was. now this is actually my second revision of this video the original was going to be the entirety of me going through their instructions and installing this game kit just how it is and i did some editing on it but i wanted to show some of the frustrations that i had and some of the issues within the instructions along with me figuring it out and getting it up and going but that video was going to be way too long and i felt that it was definitely going to be a lot of not helping in my opinion so the point and reason why this kit was sent to me is for me to be able to help pedretti by improving this product and by hopefully helping all of you out there that are interested in purchasing this product. So having me scream out loud WTF a bunch of times here and there while I'm installing this and then hearing my wife go honey or whatever to remind me that I am in fact recording this and it's supposed to be helping people, I didn't think that was going to be a good video. So I instead decided today to uninstall and revert back to the original Whirlwind and then re-record a bunch of items and just show you how I believe this kit should be installed and it's going to make it easier in my opinion because it's going to be much more straightforward. The order of operations is much better. They've got a video up online on YouTube that shows you how to install this kit and even even though if you were to follow that you would install it successfully I feel that my way is better. Along with installing all the hardware I'm going to be showing you how I install the trans lot as well as the arc blades. Now I will have time stamps available in the video description so if you're looking for a particular point in this video then feel free to look down below because I'm going to start out with some of the footage of a little bit of my frustrations. But something it states on the instructions, it says once you label the below cables, and then in parentheses it states all may not be X-marked, but this is the idea. I'm not seeing anything on any of the pictures or anything on the next page with X-marks or anything like that. So there's a little bit of a bit of confusion right there I think some people may have. You will also have two extension cables that came with your kit. They are marked with blue arrows above, and I'm not seeing any blue arrows on the pictures that they have provided. I'm seeing some white arrows that are pointing to different sections, but they do not have blue arrows. I mean, come to think about it, it doesn't even go over installing these boards. It just completely skips past that. The orientation of what the soundboard should be, you just need to look at the picture and know by that. And installing the board, it's one of those, just, there's a picture of it, that's all you need. I feel like there may need to be some more information there for a lot of people out there. Because it goes from removing, and then it goes right into, You will also have two extension cables that came with your kit. They are marked with blue arrows above. There are no blue arrows. Step five, it's telling me that I can screw in my pen sound board and fast CPU. So what am I just gonna have this board just free dangling right here in between these steps? That doesn't make much sense. I said I was gonna follow these instructions. How they state them. So that's what we're gonna do. Now you can remove all cables from your display and tuck them into the cabinet as they will not be needed other than your grounding cable, which will connect to the same spot on your new display board. Okay, well, I'll set this to the side then until we are ready to mount it. So I almost don't want to plug this in yet because they haven't really gone over the importance of the red stripe. So I'm gonna hold on to see if they specify that within the instructions because that important Just the pictures to figure out where this stuff goes Seems a little messed up if true I guess that something there I can go by Is that I going to have to look at the image Yeah there a little bit of room for interpretation on these instructions that I'm not liking. I foresee people with little knowledge and pinball having problems with this. Next, it's time to hook up your new display and speakers. Please follow the color-coordinated arrows for where the cables go from and to. That sentence could be a little better. Okay. Also note that the HDMI cable connects to the right HDMI port in the pin sound. Unlike this picture. So, if the picture is wrong, update the picture. Don't. Okay, well that's just, I feel like that's poorly done right there. Unlike the picture we provided, do it this way. No, how about you just provide a correct picture. That also doesn't make sense when it's talking about the HDMI cable connects to the right HDMI port. unlike this picture. The thing is, even on the picture, even on this picture, I wouldn't specify it as being right or left. It would be top or bottom. So which one is it, the top or the bottom? It looks like on this picture, it's on the bottom and they're pointing to the top and this picture is on the top. So I'm going to go for the top on this. Okay. So now that I'm looking at the system, it doesn't explain this very well in here. Now this is going to go relatively quick. So if you're watching this while you're installing it, feel free to pause it whenever you need to but trust me my instructions are going to be much better than what is currently available. So let's get right down to installing the hardware. Okay first thing is that we're going to completely open up our backbox and lower the display panel. We're going to be getting rid of everything that we are no longer going to be utilizing on the 2.0 kit. Remove all connections to your display. Remove the grounding wire. Remove the front speaker audio connection. Your display is now ready to be removed from the machine. Let's get it out of the way. Remove this long ribbon cable. j21 from the cpu and tuck it away for now this is the only ribbon cable you will be using for the 2.0 kit remove this cable from the sound card remove cn5 here and tuck it away because those go to the old front speakers and we will not be using those. Remove this ribbon cable that connects these two boards. Tuck all the cables from the display down into your cabinet. Okay, everything that you will not be needing should be out of the way. Now it's time to properly label all connections on your MPU and your soundboard. Please keep note that 1J19, it's two different connectors and the orange wires are on top. Once you have everything labeled, you may now remove all connections from the MPU. Now remove all mounting screws. Remove the board from the backbox. After properly labeling all connectors on the soundboard, remove all connectors and remove the soundboard. Install all the mounting screws for the pin sound You can slide the pin sound into place and then tighten it down Now connect these connectors Follow the labeling you did earlier. Let's start prepping the fast CPU. Go ahead and install these extenders provided in these exact locations. Go ahead and connect the mini USB cable to the fast CPU. This is easier to do when it's outside of the machine like this. Install the fast CPU and begin screwing in all the mounting screws. Do not tighten them down all the way until you have all the screws in place. Now it's time to connect all of your connectors to the new board. Just follow all of your labeled connectors and match them to the board and remember that is two different connectors with the orange wires on top. These extenders are here because these connections would normally be too short to reach the fast CPU. Once all connectors are in place grab that ribbon cable we tucked away way earlier and connect that to the fast CPU with the red stripe on the left. The USB cable from the CPU will connect to the USB port on the pin sound. Now it's time for the display. Your display has three types of connections, audio, video, and power. This connector is your audio to the front speakers and will go here. Find this connector and connect it to the other two pin connector here. Next up is video. Connect the HDMI here on the display and then the other end goes to the pin sound board up here. Finally, is the power. The display gets power from here. Then reattach the grounding wire to your left speaker like this. Then just reinstall the new panel like this and feel free to do wire management. Your Whirlwind 2.0 kit is now installed. Power on the machine. Once it boots up you can select either Whirlwind Original or Total Chaos using the flipper buttons. and that was how to install all the hardware to make your whirlwind into a whirlwind 2 now let move straight on to the trans light which is pretty straightforward All you have to do is remove the protective film over the trans light and then slide all of the four pieces around the perimeter of it and then just put it onto your game. It's pretty straightforward guys. I mean I shouldn't need to go into great detail on how to go about doing that now the tricky part about this whole install is the art blades especially since the game that i'm borrowing from a friend to do this entire project he already has art blades so as much as it killed me to do this but he gave me the approval is that i had to remove his art blades clean then install these but i did this for you guys i'm doing this for you so that way I can give you the information that you may need in order to make a decision on purchasing this product. Because System 11s are already difficult as it is to install Artblades on because the playfield is not able to be easily removed or get out of the way for you to like clearly access the entire side of the cabinet. So I removed the entire playfield which is not something I recommend everybody does but that is a method to go about doing that and if you're going to do it that method then by all means use help I mean at one point I even had the wife help me so I'm not above getting help to make sure I don't hurt myself or the machine now when it comes to the forgivability of this side art because there's times where you may press the art down you think you're good to go and then you get further on like you're going to see me do here and then you're going to need to make an adjustment by lifting the art back off the cabinet so this type of material is forgiving now may not be as great as others that i've done but it definitely doesn't tear rip or ruin the product whenever i lift it back up off of the cabinet so that is a plus getting this mounted to the machine without damaging the art blades was a success i had no damage to the cabinet or the art blades. I mean one of the big complaints that I have about the art blades is that there are not already holes for the cabinet hinge bolts for the backbox. They're not in there so you're basically going to have to mount these and then cut the holes yourself for the hinge bolts to go through. I'm trying to control what I say because a lot of the things that I'm talking about when it comes to these art blades should be in the review video that will be coming up next when it comes to whirlwind 2.0 but the blades went on like any other art blade and were pretty forgiving when it came to if I had to lift up on them and put them back down again but other than that I had to cut my own holes for the hinge bolts but it went on like any other art blade and they're they're on there so it's pretty straightforward on how to install those if you've ever installed art blades before and there you have it a complete installation of the Whirlwind 2.0 kit, Total Chaos by Pedretti Gaming. I hope that I've given you all the information that you could possibly need on how to go about installing this kit. If this video was informative to you and even helped you make a decision on whether or not you would like to purchase this product, I'd like to know about it down below. So by all means, I definitely want to hear from you guys out there. The review is definitely going to take some time because I want to make sure that i have played through all the modes and if i have any kind of like you know issues or whatever i wanted to bring it to pedretti's attention but i mean i'll give you a little bit of a hint here guys i don't hate this i think it's better than the original whirlwind so there's a little bit of a teaser of what i've got in place for the review all right guys peace Outro Music