Homebrew Showcase: Turbo Time Pinball by Nick Moran

Marco Pinball·video·11m 47s·analyzed·Nov 7, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.026

TL;DR

Nick Moran's Turbo Time homebrew: racing-themed pinball with V8 engine and 15 racetrack modes.

Summary

Marco Pinball showcases Turbo Time, a racing-themed homebrew pinball machine by Nick Moran, an automotive engineer. The machine features a V8 ball lock engine, 15 famous American racetrack layouts integrated as playfield shots, a steering wheel control option, and a track mode with lap time recording. Moran discusses the design philosophy, development process, artistic challenges, and the supportive homebrew community that helped him complete the project for Pinball Expo.

Key Claims

Turbo Time features a V8 ball lock engine as the centerpiece mechanic, designed by Nick Moran in CAD.
high confidence · Nick Moran describing the machine's core feature; shown functioning in the video.
Every shot on the playfield represents a turn on a racetrack; left/right ramps are turns, orbit shots are NASCAR sweeper turns, loop shot is a hairpin, upper flipper shot is a chicane.
high confidence · Nick Moran explaining the design philosophy of the machine.
The game includes 15 famous American racetracks converted into track layouts and shot sequences.
high confidence · Nick Moran: 'I picked uh the 15 like most famous racetracks across America and I converted their track layout into the shots you need to make.'
Turbo Time supports dual control methods: cabinet buttons and a steering wheel with additional buttons that light shots.
high confidence · Nick Moran: 'Both all the buttons work simultaneously. Uh but if you use the steering wheel, there's more buttons in the steering wheel and it lights up shots.'
The machine employs a 'shooter's pin' design philosophy where player skill/shot selection, not diverters, controls ball flow.
high confidence · Nick Moran: 'The diverter opens when you tell it to open' and 'everything nothing opens on the playfield unless you tell it to.'
A slot car victory feature is planned but not yet implemented in the machine.
high confidence · Nick Moran: 'it's not in there yet, but I have a slot car that is going to go in the game... whenever you finish a lap, I'm going to have a little slot car do like a victory burnout.'
This is Moran's second time bringing Turbo Time to Pinball Expo; last year it was a whitewood with basic code.
high confidence · Nick Moran: 'This is the second time I brought it to Pinball Expo. Uh the first year, which was last year, it was a flipping whitewood.'
Nick Moran performed a playfield swap one week before Pinball Expo.

Notable Quotes

“So, I work in the auto industry as an automotive engineer, and I've been a car guy my entire life. So, when I made a pinball machine, I wanted to make it a car themed, right?”
Nick Moran@ 0:52 — Establishes Moran's background and creative motivation for the machine's theme.
“Corvette's cool, but a Hemi is cooler. So that pinball engine back there is actually a V8 ball lock.”
Nick Moran@ 1:25 — Reveals the design choice behind the centerpiece V8 engine mechanic and Moran's personality.
“every shot on the playfield is a turn on a racetrack. Your left ramp is your left turn, your right ramp is your right turn. Your orbit shots are your big NASCAR sweeper turns.”
Nick Moran@ 2:06 — Demonstrates the coherent thematic integration of playfield layout with racing concept.
“I picked uh the 15 like most famous racetracks across America and I converted their track layout into the shots you need to make.”
Nick Moran@ 2:31 — Highlights the ambitious scope and originality of the track mode feature.
“Honestly, the the art package was the hardest part for me... I can design stuff in 3D but not apparently not in 2D.”
Nick Moran@ 8:32 — Reveals the bottleneck in homebrew development and acknowledges the value of collaborative skills.
“We're all like a lot of us here at the Homebrew area, we all talk to each other on through our Discord and it's it's a good community building and it's fun to be a part of a group that all like cares about each other and and we're on the same team.”

Entities

Nick MoranpersonIsaiahpersonMarco PinballorganizationTurbo TimegamePinball ExpoeventTrident PinballcompanyErnie SilverbergpersonTexas Pinball Festivalevent Demolition MangameTalladegalocation

Signals

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design_innovation: V8 engine ball lock mechanic as central playfield device, featuring rotating ball mechanism with shaker motor integration.
high · Nick Moran: 'that is actually a V8 ball lock... it'll rev up and it spins the balls in there and then it you qualify your multiballs.'
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design_innovation: Thematic integration of 15 famous American racetrack layouts as direct playfield shot sequences and track mode selection.
high · Nick Moran: 'I picked uh the 15 like most famous racetracks across America and I converted their track layout into the shots you need to make.'
?
design_philosophy: Shooter's pin philosophy: player skill and shot selection drives ball flow; diverters only open on player command, not automatically on mode qualification.
high · Nick Moran: 'everything nothing opens on the playfield unless you tell it to' and discussion of player-controlled diverter mechanics.
?
design_innovation: Dual control system: cabinet buttons and custom steering wheel with additional buttons that dynamically light shot targets in rally mode.
high · Nick Moran: 'Both all the buttons work simultaneously... if you use the steering wheel, there's more buttons in the steering wheel and it lights up shots.'
?
community_signal: Homebrew community uses Discord via Trident Pinball to coordinate skills: art, code, CAD, sound design. Cross-project collaboration model where designers help each other.
high · Nick Moran: 'he has a Discord and it's a big, uh, group chat... one of the guys on a group chat, I became friends with him' and later 'I did some programming for his game and then he did the art for my game.'

Topics

Homebrew Pinball Design and DevelopmentprimaryRacing Theme Integration in PinballprimaryPlayfield Mechanics and Layout DesignprimaryHomebrew Community and CollaborationprimarySteering Wheel Control SystemssecondaryArt and Visual Design ChallengessecondaryCode Development and DebuggingsecondaryCAD Design in Pinballsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.88)— Strong positive sentiment throughout. Nick Moran is enthusiastic about his creation, the Marco Pinball hosts are genuinely impressed and supportive, and the discussion celebrates homebrew creativity, community collaboration, and the accessibility of pinball design. No critical complaints or negative commentary; challenges are framed constructively as learning opportunities.

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

Homebrew. We are talking to Nicholas Morland Morand. Nicholas Morand. Um here, let me come over here. Nicholas, you you you'll stand right here. I'll be here. Once again, it's me. It's Isaiah. Isaiah is is is at the uh at the wheel right now. So, Nicholas, tell us what is this? So, this game is called Turbo Time. And the the reason I made Oh, nice shot. The reason I made the game was I wanted to bring the the feel of like a '9s early 2000 racing game to to pinball. So, I work in the auto industry as an automotive engineer, and I've been a car guy my entire life. So, when I made a pinball machine, I wanted to make it a car themed, right? It's So, uh, the way I started this machine is, uh, you want me to take it or uh I'm just making sure it's close. Yeah. I, uh, I'm a CAD designer by trade as well. So, I designed a V8 engine that you can see in back there. So, I was like, Corvette's cool, but a Hemi is cooler. So that uh that pingen back there is actually a V8 ball lock. Pingen. Love it. Pinball engine. Uh so uh that's a V8 ball lock and you you'll get to uh I haven't had the shaker motor on, but it'll rev up and it spins the balls in there and then it you qualify your multiballs. Okay. Uh and that was the one thing that I started my entire uh build around. that was like the thing that the the machine had to have. And then uh I proceeded to build the rest of the machine around uh racing around a racetrack. So every shot on the playfield is a turn on a racetrack. Your left ramp is your left turn, your right ramp is your right turn. Your orbit shots are your big NASCAR sweeper turns. There's a loop shot, which is your hairpin or your U-turn. And that shot behind the upper flipper is your chicane, which is like an S-curve turn. It's a cross shot. Uh and then if you look at the the map of America, I picked uh the 15 like most famous racetracks across America and I converted their track layout into the shots you need to make. No way. So you can uh when you once you enter your track mode, you can pick where where the uh Oh jeez. Uh, you want to fix that? I can pull the glass really quick. Yeah. All right. He's going to take a I'm going to make sure that the back glass can be seen. Well, angle. Yeah. Yeah, we got it as much in the shot as we can. I'm going to try and make sure that the uh you guys can kind of see the screen. I know we're working with what we got here, but the screen is beautiful. Um, so he's going to take a look at something here. Nicholas, this is insane. Nicholas. So, one of my favorite features of this Toss it in the back back to Toss it all the way in the back right corner. Okay, let's see. Where you want it? All the way behind the orbit. Right in there. Yeah. All the way in. What's that? Oh, it [laughter] that's the track mode that you'll you'll start. Okay. That's the track mode. Okay. You get stuff all in there. Uh, it should start the the track. Se Oh, yeah. So, there you go. Okay. So, uh, let's close this sucker up. I was going to say, Nicholas, one of my favorite things is the fact that you made the inserts pylons. That is Let's go. That's it right there. Oh, thank you. All right, everybody, back to your spots. This is a professional production right here. Dude, I love how the cone door opens and it has the the wheel on it. Now, the wheel on the coin door, is that uh an option? Do you get more points if you use that? Like demo man for style mainly. Uh you can run off the cabinet or you can run off the steering wheel. Both all the buttons work simultaneously. Uh but if you use the steering wheel, there's more buttons in the steering wheel and it lights up shots that you can make. And uh I'm going to code in a rally mode where if you uh if John Youssi the the lights, I'm turning the steering wheel. the lights. Uh, you guys, the lights move with the wheel. So, you can uh mark your shot and then you can shoot it for rally mode to like say, "Oh, I made that." And then when you when you shoot enough shots, you'll clear the mode. Uh, this is very well thought out, kids. Another thing I wanted for uh turbo time is, you know, like when you're playing a game and and a diverter opens. Oh, so we're we're racing Tallaladega right now. So I have to make that left ramp shot or Isaiah, you want to do it trap up. I don't know how on this. So you just follow the green lights. It'll tell you what what turns to make. So the Tallaladega inserts lit and it shows you how many turns you need to make. Uh but uh so one thing I wanted I wanted to to make on this uh game is uh every thing on the on the playfield is your judgment is what you want the play field to do. You are fully in control. There's no diverters that open when you light lock is lit. No, the diverter opens when you tell it to open and then you have to qualify your driver's license to get there. But after that, uh, everything nothing opens on the playfield unless you tell it to. So, this is sort of like a shooters pin, right? It's like a that that's kind of what some people call a shooters pin where like if you're if you you're merely controlling it with what you shoot, like I want to shoot that thing and that's that's the thing. It's not like shoot this shot to continue. Well, right. But I I mean uh the the integration of the steering wheel as well like to there's diverters in the back of the orbit that change the flow of the ball. If you hit it on the front side, you go into a scoop, but if you hit the diverter on the back side, it changes the flow of where the ball's going to go. So you can actually like steer into different turns and shots as you play. Like if you hit the track mode uh diverter from the front side, it goes into the your pit stop where you get to select your track. But if you hit it from the backside, it goes into gas lanes where you can upgrade your gasoline to get your NS mode. I'm getting such flashbacks to when I used to have a little slot car racer track and stuff like that. I'm glad you brought that up. Uh it it's not in there yet, but I have a slot car that is going to go in the in the game. And uh pinball is all about like dynamic dynamic satisfaction and like physical stuff. And a slot car is just a little coil and you can drive a coil with a So whenever you make a shot or uh whenever you finish a lap, I'm going to have a little slot car do like a victory burnout like a donut box thing. It was going to be cool. How long have you been working on this particular thing? So this is the second time I brought it to expo. Uh the first year, which was last year, it was a flipping whitewood. There was very base code like the targets scored but it was just like one picture and then what your score was and there was like nothing else. So this year I wanted to bring art. I wanted to have inserts and I wanted to have more code. So I I coded the whole track mode. Uh there's 15 different tracks and uh I want to have a a lap timer as well. So you can see on the back the screen there's little like uh boxes for where the lap times are going to go. Yeah. Not only can you get the highest score in my machine, but your lap times will also be recorded. Oh, nice. So, it'll be fun. Like I I don't have, you know, 500 million points, but I got a minute on Laguna Seca, right? And I'm I'm pretty badass, right? So, what was I always ask every developer this, but what was one of the hardest parts of of this uh game building this game? Uh so for me the uh the layout came together super quick because it was just turns on a racetrack that I needed to integrate around a large V8 engine. Uh I'm a CAD designer by trade. Uh so uh all the design and electrical stuff I was pretty good at. Honestly, the the art package was the hardest part for me. And uh one of the guys here helped me do it. He uh one of the other homebrew designers. I did some programming for his game and then he did the art for my game. So, it worked out really nicely. But the the honestly the art was really holding me up for a long time because I can design stuff in 3D but not apparently not in 2D. Well, that's the thing and Aaron was uh talking to me also about uh how did how did you reach out to find someone who could help do the art? So, uh, Trident Pinball, uh, Ernie Silverberg, he sells starter kits, and I bought my starter kit at TPF, uh, two years ago, and, uh, he has a Discord and it's a big, uh, group chat, and, uh, one of the guys on a group chat, I became friends with him, and that's kind of how it happened. We're all like a lot of us here at the Homebrew area, we all talk to each other on through our Discord and it's it's a good community building and it's fun to be a part of a group that all like cares about each other and and we're on the same team. That's what we we've been hearing a lot and that's why we're trying to reiterate this a [music] bunch. If you have an idea for a homebrew, don't let it, you know, if you have any way of if you have any space in your Where where are you building this? In your garage. Uh my wife has been very generous with some space in our house. I have uh the the living room in our house is like in a weird area. So I have it all cornered off with uh like three card tables, a 3D printer, uh the machine, and then like another table. And then I did a play field a playfield swap a week before expo. So I had another table and you can uh flip through. Uh so I had another table out that I was doing the playfield swap on. Yeah. So and I complained that I don't have enough space. I I have plenty of space if that's what you're doing. Um, but yeah, we want to reiterate that there's a there's a you you start your project, you start your project, you put your concept together, even if you have to just like build it in like pin builder or something like that. Get your concept set up and then there's this community of amazing artists, amazing sound people, amazing CAD people who who who might be like, "Hey, I've been there. I've had that struggle. I can help you. So, yeah. Yeah, everyone's been very helpful. Um, most people are talented in one way or another. Like coding, I'm okay at it. I'm not the best. So, I I ran actually ran into a a bunch of issues uh with some bugs in the software uh the morning of Expo, Thursday morning, and we it opened early here in for the vendors. So, I spent the entire morning talking with one of the other guys and we got all the code working and I was like so relieved cuz I spent like hours coding all of the light shows for all of my like racetracks and they weren't working and I was like that's so many hours that's just like not going to happen for Expo, but we got it working and it was awesome. Nicholas, thank you so much for bringing your game over. Oh, we never said the name of the game. It's uh Turbo Time. Turbo Time. Okay. I never said the name of the game. It's technically a working title, but it's it's really catchy and it's it sticks, so we're probably going to stick with it for now. Turbo Time is the game. Thank you, Nicholas. All right. Good job.