VirtuaTilt Wiki › Zaccaria Pinball: Tuning the Feedback

Zaccaria Pinball: Tuning the Feedback

Zaccaria Pinball has no DOF / DOFLinx support, so the Zaccaria profiles (VTConfig-USB-ZaccariaPinball and VTConfig-BT-STEAM-Zaccaria, v1.2 and later) build all of their table feedback from the game's own controller rumble. Two outputs do the work:

Bumpers/Slingshots solenoid — one short kick on every rumble burst, which is how the game reports hits.
Shaker Motor — runs only when a rumble lasts longer than a set time, which is how the game reports big events (multiball, jackpots and similar).

Every number below can be changed. In both lines R stands for max(xboxrumble(1), xboxrumble(2)): the stronger of the game's two rumble motors, on a 0–255 scale. VirtuaTilt has one shaker motor; the two rumble motors are the game's controller rumble channels.

How to change a value¶

Open the profile in GUIConfigTool's Configuration editor, or in a text editor (Notepad++ or similar). Work on a copy saved under a new name, so the shipped original stays intact.
Find the outputs section, then the output with name: "Bumpers/Slingshots" or name: "Shaker Motor". The name is the last line of each output; its source line is at the top.
Change one number, exactly as in the examples below. Leave everything else in the line alone — the commas and brackets all matter.
In GUIConfigTool use File → Import from File (if you edited a file), then Program Pico. The cabinet restarts with the new value.
Play for a few minutes before changing the next value. Change one thing at a time.

The two lines as shipped¶

The numbers you can tune are in bold.

Bumpers/Slingshots, both profiles:
source: "if(offset(max(xboxrumble(1), xboxrumble(2)), -15), 240, 0)",
timeLimit: 50, powerLimit: 0, coolingTime: 80,

Shaker Motor, USB profile:
source: "kickstart(if(kickstart(if(max(xboxrumble(1), xboxrumble(2)) > 30, 1, 0), 200, 255, 0) == 1, clip(max(xboxrumble(1), xboxrumble(2)), 70, 255), 0), 50)",

Shaker Motor, Bluetooth profile (the same, but capped at 153 = 60%, like the other Bluetooth profiles):
source: "kickstart(if(kickstart(if(max(xboxrumble(1), xboxrumble(2)) > 30, 1, 0), 200, 255, 0) == 1, clip(max(xboxrumble(1, 153), xboxrumble(2, 153)), 70, 153), 0), 50)",

1. Kick threshold¶

The -15 in the Bumpers/Slingshots source. A burst counts as a hit once R rises above this number (as shipped: above 15 of 255).

Change to	Effect
`-5`	Fires on almost any rumble. The most responsive setting, but it can also kick on faint background rumble.
`-30`	Only clear hits. Also try this if two quick hits give a single kick: with a higher threshold the rumble is more likely to drop below it between hits, which is what re-arms the kick.
`-60`	Only strong hits. Noticeably fewer kicks.

2. Kick strength¶

The 240 in the Bumpers/Slingshots source: the power of the kick, 0–255. 240 is the same strength the flipper solenoids use.

Change to	Effect
`255`	Full power, the hardest kick.
`200`	Softer and a little quieter.
`160`	Gentle. Check that the solenoid still moves on every hit; if it starts to miss, go back up.

3. Kick length¶

timeLimit: 50 on the Bumpers/Slingshots output: how many milliseconds each kick lasts. The power is cut after this time, even if the rumble continues.

Change to	Effect
`timeLimit: 30,`	A shorter, crisper tap.
`timeLimit: 70,`	A heavier thump.
`timeLimit: 100,`	The longest recommended value. Do not go higher.

NOTE: Never remove timeLimit, and keep powerLimit: 0. Together they are what switch the solenoid off after each kick.

4. Minimum gap between kicks¶

coolingTime: 80 on the Bumpers/Slingshots output. After each kick the solenoid ignores new hits for this many milliseconds. Hits that arrive in that gap are dropped, not delayed, so a long gap loses fast sequences such as a ball bouncing between the slingshots.

Change to	Effect
`coolingTime: 60,`	The fastest recommended setting (about 9 kicks per second at most). Do not go lower.
`coolingTime: 150,`	Calmer. Very fast hits start to be skipped.
`coolingTime: 250,`	About 3 kicks per second at most. Clearly misses rapid sequences.

5. Which rumble motor drives the kick¶

The max(xboxrumble(1), xboxrumble(2)) part of the Bumpers/Slingshots source. Many games use one motor for hits and the other for bigger effects. If the kicks feel random, try using one motor only:

Change to	Effect
`if(offset(xboxrumble(2), -15), 240, 0)`	Kick only from motor 2 (the right, high-frequency motor).
`if(offset(xboxrumble(1), -15), 240, 0)`	Kick only from motor 1 (the left, low-frequency motor).

6. When the shaker joins in¶

The 200 in the Shaker Motor source. The shaker runs only once a rumble has lasted this many milliseconds, and then until it ends. Shorter rumbles get the solenoid kick only. The trade-off: for long events the shaker always starts this much late.

Change to	Effect
`150`	More shaker: medium-length events start to shake too.
`500`	Less shaker: only clearly long events.
`1000`	Only very long events (at least 1 second). The maximum is 5000.

7. How strong a rumble must be to shake¶

The > 30 in the Shaker Motor source. This threshold is independent of the kick threshold in step 1.

Change to	Effect
`> 120`	Only strong and long rumbles shake.
`> 150` with the window (step 6) set to `0`	Shake on every strong rumble, starting instantly with no delay. Usually the best way to keep the shaker for the big moments only.
`> 200` with the window set to `0`	Only the very strongest rumbles shake.

8. Shaker strength¶

Lowest power: the 70 in clip(…, 70, …), both profiles.
Highest power, USB profile: the 255 in clip(…, 70, 255).
Highest power, Bluetooth profile: the 153, which appears three times — in xboxrumble(1, 153), in xboxrumble(2, 153) and in clip(…, 70, 153). Change all three to the same value. Changing only the one in clip() does not raise the power: xboxrumble(n, 153) has already scaled the rumble down to 153 at most.

USB profile	Bluetooth profile (all three numbers)	Effect
`clip(…, 70, 255)`	`255`	Full power (the USB default).
`clip(…, 70, 200)`	`200`	About 80%: a gentler cabinet.
`clip(…, 70, 153)`	`153`	60% (the Bluetooth default).
`clip(…, 90, 255)`	`clip(…, 90, 153)`	Raises the floor, so weak rumbles still shake noticeably.

NOTE: Keep the lowest power at 70 or above. Below about 64 the VirtuaTilt shaker motor stalls and buzzes: it draws current and heats up without turning.

9. Shaker fully off, or back to the old behaviour¶

Shaker Motor `source`	Effect
`source: "0",`	Shaker completely off. The solenoid kick keeps working.
`source: "kickstart(if(xboxrumble(1), clip(xboxrumble(1), 70, 255), 0), 50)",`	The v1.1 behaviour (USB): the shaker follows every rumble from motor 1, together with the kick.
`source: "kickstart(if(xboxrumble(1, 153), clip(xboxrumble(1, 153), 70, 153), 0), 50)",`	The v1.1 behaviour (Bluetooth).

Good to know¶

Night Mode still silences both outputs.
Over Bluetooth, Windows can merge very rapid rumble updates before they reach the cabinet, so a few fast hits can be missed that USB would catch. Tune over USB if you can.
How the shaker line works: kickstart(if(R > 30, 1, 0), 200, 255, 0) outputs 255 for the first 200 ms of a rumble and 1 afterwards, so == 1 means "this rumble has lasted more than 200 ms". The final 0 restarts the timer on every new rumble. The outer kickstart(…, 50) is a 50 ms full-power pulse that gets the motor turning.

The interactive VirtuaTilt wiki adds a 3D model, a theme gallery and a built-in AI assistant — open the wiki.

Last updated: 2026-10-28

VirtuaTilt is designed and manufactured by 3DPTronics — see the Wireless VirtuaTilt controller. Diagnose your own cabinet with the free VirtuaTilt extension for Claude.