Arcade game with wireless buttons...possible?

[renobastian100]

Hello once again board. Here's another crazy idea that's been floating in my head.
I want to create an arcade cab that uses push buttons that are capable of controlling a game 15 - 20 feet away from the actual cabinet. I want to create sort of like a game show/buzzer type game where users press a button and answer a question on the screen... I have the concept in my head but I'm just trying to find a solution that's feasible. Thanks!

[bkenobi]

Creating such a device would be EASY!  But, doing it on a budget would be a bit more challenging.  Probably the easiest thing to do would be to just get a few wireless gamepads and hack one button on each to your buzzer switch.  That's obviously not the most cost effective solution though.  You might check Radio Shack or another electronics type store for remote switches.  I know there were a lot of people who were hacking XBox's to allow them to turn them on/off from their couch.  Something similar would work here too.  I don't remember what they were using, so I don't know the cost (surely less than the wireless gamepads though).

[severdhed]

how many buttons do you need on each controller?  if it is just 1, then you could maybe use a modified wireless doorbell unit....they arent too expensive and most can be set to different frequencies for multiple players

[bkenobi]

how many buttons do you need on each controller?  if it is just 1, then you could maybe use a modified wireless doorbell unit....they arent too expensive and most can be set to different frequencies for multiple players

YES!  That's what the xbox guys used...I knew it was something cheap and simple.  Anyway, it's just a matter of opening the two units and hacking a couple wires each.  If you want to replace the batteries with an A/C power dongle or something from your computer's power supply, that should be pretty easy too!

EDIT:  Here's a possibilitiy.  You might not even need to build the plunger with this one!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wireless-Remote-Control-Doorbell-Light-Alert-Door-Bell-/280512219324?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

[Marsupial]

you might be interested in this old time computer modding article:

http://www.gideontech.com/content/articles/204/1

[DrumAnBass]

XBox 360 wireless controllers can be used with a PC if you have the USB receiver module; guessing they could be modded for external buttons fairly easily...?

See: http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=605873

PC Receiver: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.31880

[Lilwolf]

make sure not to hack any wireless keyboards.  They consider a small lag ok on a keyboard.  I love my wireless 360 controller.  But I don't think it will handle 15-20 feet...

[bkenobi]

The 360 controller would work, but it will be very expensive since he wants 4+ buzzers (I assume).  At $40+ each, that will not be a cheap control setup.  The doorbells can be had for $5-10 and are no more difficult to implement. 

If it were me, I'd get a set of doorbell remotes that work at the same time (no signal conflict between them) and a hackable gamepad (or encoder if you want).  I'd hack the doorbell parts into the gamepad and probably just use the doorbell buzzers as is (just put a label on each to know which one is which).  If you want something more substantial for the user, you can always figure something out down the road since that's just a matter of putting the existing switch into a larger enclosure with a fancier button.

Good luck!   

[mgb]

Check out a product like Lutron Radiora and other similiar products.
They are basically wireless switches with relays, used to control lighting.
They may be possibly modified to meet your needs

http://www.lutron.com/Products/SingleRoomControls/RadioRA2/Pages/Overview.aspx

[bkenobi]

That's just like the X10 stuff.  I have used a bunch of that stuff personally and while they do work, there is a significant delay before the relay kicks on for some (if not all) of the components (X10).  Perhaps the other brands are quicker, but I don't think it will be a good solution for a gaming scenario.  Just my opinion so it might be worth a try!

[mgb]

That's just like the X10 stuff.  I have used a bunch of that stuff personally and while they do work, there is a significant delay before the relay kicks on for some (if not all) of the components (X10).  Perhaps the other brands are quicker, but I don't think it will be a good solution for a gaming scenario.  Just my opinion so it might be worth a try!

Thats probably true, then really a wireless game controller hack will be the only thing that really fits the bill

[Thenasty]

I you want 4 buttons only the cheapest would be AIRCLICK.
It has five buttons.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/airclickusb

[severdhed]

the doorbell button would be easy to incorporate into a handheld buzzer.  you could get a piece of PVC pipe..maybe 6" long, i'm not sure what size, perhaps 1.5", slide a standard happ pusbutton into the end that is wired up to the doorbell button pcb, which should easily slide the pipe as well...  you may need to wrap the threads of the buton with electrical tape a few times to make it fit snugly inside the pipe.

[Falaris]

Just build a USB based control panel with your buttons and plug it into one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833139014&cm_re=wireless_usb-_-33-139-014-_-Product

Then you can have the adapter on your system box wherever you want it.

There are others out there maybe cheaper I don't know. I am considering trying it out someday to see how it works out so if you do please post back with your experiences.

Just an idea..

-Fal