Hi guys,

A way off topic but my wife is in charge of the year school party / fund-raiser.  I've been tasked with making a bean-bag toss.   My wood working skills suck, but I wanted to use the chance to make a mini-high tech game.   I'm open to any suggestions - and it does not have to be a bean bag toss game.   But it should appeal to similar aged audience.

The  basic idea which might be out of my league:

• switches on the input holes
  
• audio sensor to sense missed shots (or vibration sensor)
  
• some leds (would cree be overkil) to light up / flash (?) when scored
  
• ideally an ability to select & play a list of MP3 which would be selected based on shots made
  

Any ideas and pointers to a better forum would be appreciated.

Some ideas so far are using a microcontroller board ( Arduino - http://www.arduino.cc/ ) as the main logic engine.   Just saw the Arduino today so no idea if its a good starting poing.   Maybe use some buckpucks to drive some cree-lights (how to get them to flash)?

What is a good approach to play some MP3 - any good/cheap board?


Thanks.   I'm just scoping the doability right now, and if its too complex, I might just drill some holes and grab a paint brush.    

Here is an easy one for wood... use an old pinball cabinet! Remove the glass and put in a panel with holes in it's place. It is angled when standing it up on the back panel. You can even paint the bean-bag panel of the same theme as the pinball cabinet...


...


Oh crap... did I just set myself up for a project? lol

Electronics? Man, I am not the guy for that... but... it could even be done using the electronics from a pinball... let's see...

Take a SS pin with few switches, like let's say 15 switches (includes targets, drop targets, holes, spinners and roll-over switches). Technically, if you removed the playfield, put in a piece of wood with 15 holes and a switch that gets triggered when a beanbag hits it, it is the same as scoring with a pinball. Have a tray at the bottom that would collect any beanbag that misses a hole and connect that to a switch that would normally be used as a ball trough switch, and you got yourself a beanbag game that scores points, and can even be a multi-player. Miss a hole, and it is the next player's turn. The only thing would be to have the backbox bolted on where the coindoor is so that it stands up on top of the machine.

Makes for a tall and heavy bean-bag machine... but you end up with electronic scoring and sounds.

One hell of a project though...

Neat idea - one heavy sucker for sure, and likely out of my skill level, too - but I could see how'd it work.

I'm hoping to do it with minimum electricity requirements - ideally running on a "water bottle" sized battery or something similar to what mountain bikers use.    No idea - really clueless on engineering energy requirements - but happily accepting ideas...

A few ideas from others at work are a mini-golf themed top with the wind-mill spinning over a hole, or, an opening / closing hole/eyelid thing where you have to time the toss.

I'll likely end up just cuting some holes in wood  

You need to locate and rent a skee-ball, might be much simpler and achieve similar results...


Cheers,
- Sylvain.

just sold my skee ball.  i did have two others i left behind due to size and not having room at all.   but i did take the score area on one.  so that i could make a toss one for my little girl.    haven't worked on it yet.  but i can loan it to you.  there is some coming from ottawa that could bring it back for you?  i wuold pick it back up later at next auction or get together.

Quoted from sylvain

You need to locate and rent a skee-ball, might be much simpler and achieve similar results...


Cheers,
- Sylvain.

How much do you rent yours for?   They don't move easily do they?

Jen has rented a few things from a local rental, I believe the usual inflatable type toy ( a maze of some sort ).   She won't let me bring my pinballs     She got a fairly good price as long as he could push his sugar-products on the kids  

Its a fund-raiser for the school, so renting too much is not worth it.   She loves Skeeball - should have bought a house big enough for one.

Quoted from gorydeath

just sold my skee ball.  i did have two others i left behind due to size and not having room at all.   but i did take the score area on one.  so that i could make a toss one for my little girl.    haven't worked on it yet.  but i can loan it to you.  there is some coming from ottawa that could bring it back for you?  i wuold pick it back up later at next auction or get together.

I think I was tempted by that skee ball, but even ignoring money, no place to put one.  

Hey that sounds kinda neat - is it easy to figure the score area out?   Thanks Gory.   I'll have to talk to the boss of course.

(My ulterior motive is I wanna buy a few electronic project parts - and if I can hide it under this project then its all good)...

Quoted from Tuborg

How much do you rent yours for?   They don't move easily do they?

We do not have any yet - no space at this time, and limited funds too.

Cheers,
- Sylvain.

What about lo tech cornhole boards? I used to be in the business of making them and could pass on my plans - great game - good for all ages.

Also the name of the game is good alone for a decade of jokes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole_(game)

I also made glow in the dark drink holders for my sets, but that's another challenge of the game....how not to knock over your beer while playing.

Quoted from websherpa

Also the name of the game is good alone for a decade of jokes.

Corn Holio?

... As long as you have TP for my bunghole...

Quoted from websherpa

What about lo tech cornhole boards? I used to be in the business of making them and could pass on my plans - great game - good for all ages.

Also the name of the game is good alone for a decade of jokes.

- haven't heard that word in ages.   I think I'm supposed to make a game people are willing to pay to play.   Which is why I said "pinball" - but that was vetoed.    Cornhole looks cool - but time consuming and not enough "action" for kids I think.  

The reason I was given bean bag toss (remember this is my wife telling me - so I don't really listen) is that they pay a ticket or 2 to play, get a score and win a prize.  

It can be any game - but something young kids could do.

I just thought of trying to learn something while doing it....