casino-type-wheel

[postkassen]

Hi!

I know this doesnt really have anything with arcades, but from the looks of the site and this forum, I think this is the best place to get help with my project.

I want to make a casino-wheel-of-fortune kinda setup with a wheel hanging on the wall that you can spin and that has names of songs on it, so depending on where the wheel stops, it will play an mp3 on a computer. Not a big thing, someting like 1.5 feet in diameter.

Now, I have no idea on how to set this thing up, communication with the computer and all, and if you guys could give me some pointers on how I could solve this, Id be extremely grateful!

- postkassen

[SeaMonkey]

**whistles**

Wow..that's quite the project.

You would want to get an MP3 front-end that associated a keystroke with a song. That doesn't exist right now, that I know of.

But if it did, then you would wire a switch for each notch of the wheel to a keystroke...that would tell the software what song to play. If you had the front end, the wheel part would be easy. You would just run each circuit to a keyboard encoder. Spin the wheel, it lands on Xanidu by Olivia Neuton John, it sends "X" to the computer, and the software loads Xanidu.

Now the tricky part would be that all of the switches will hit as the wheel spins. Maybe a hack of Happs rotary joystick would be better, with druin's rotary board.

Now if that is just a basic idea. You still need somebody to program a front end for you, unless somebody knows of a software that will work.

Maybe some kind of batch operation software?

I would like to see this topic get some more ideas.

[postkassen]

I think this page: http://www.modasylum.com/guides.php?guide=21&page=0 describes something that could work, an easy to build 15 button com-port interface that can be used with a winamp- plugin or with girder: http://www.promixis.com/

however i cant think of a good solution for the wheel, to make it just press one button when it stops.

[rdagger]

You could also go with a simple counter.   You could rig the wheel to a microswitch that clicks every time a song on the wheel passes.  Then hook up the microswitch to a simple keyboard hack.  You could then write a simple program to count clicks and then play the appropriate song.  The one drawback is that the wheel would need to be initially spun from the same start point.  After the first spin the program could track the current song and subsequent songs.  Also the wheel could only be spun on one direction.

For the wheel mechanics you should look at some of the forum posts regarding building spinners.

Sounds like a fun project that could be implemented in many ways.

[Chris]

**whistles**

Wow..that's quite the project.

You would want to get an MP3 front-end that associated a keystroke with a song. That doesn't exist right now, that I know of.

DOSCab/Wincab Jukebox can do this in SingleLetter mode, but only for up to 10 songs.  I could add more for a one-off version if the rest of the project came together, I suppose... how many songs did you want this wheel to support?

--Chris

[postkassen]

oh, ill have to check it out, thanks! i was only thinking of having ten songs on the wheel anyway.

the origin of this project was a "drink'o'matic" machine some friends made, where you spun a wheel and the machine automatically made the drink the wheel stopped on. was really a quite cool machine, it held six or seven types of liqueour, and a couple of sodas. the machine wasnt properly made though, so it broke down after a few weeks use, and they have since abandoned the wheel-function of it for just buttons, but then we figured out we had to use the wheel for something:)

so im heading down to check out how they made the wheel function tomorrow, hopefully there was a genious solution to it:P

[Chris]

so im heading down to check out how they made the wheel function tomorrow, hopefully there was a genious solution to it:P

Maybe not, if it broke...

Most of the problems I see with home-made wheels is people just put a bolt through the wheel as an axle.  You'll need a good bearing in the middle to hold up to all that spinning.

I need to tinker with the input for DOSCab/WinCab Jukebox anyway, so the next version will support up to either 26 or 36 single-key inputs.

--Chris

[postkassen]

oh the wheel didnt break, the electronics of the drinkmixer werent protected properly, so they got wet and died:P

[rdagger]

the origin of this project was a "drink'o'matic" machine some friends made, where you spun a wheel and the machine automatically made the drink the wheel stopped on.

I wonder if I could add a drink'o'matic to my cab.

[postkassen]

argh, i checked the wheel out, and they had cheated and gone the easy way. you can spin the wheel, but you have to push a button after the wheel stops. that way you only get one signal to the computer. but i want to make it so when the wheel stops, in automagically sends the corresponding signal to the computer...

[JustMichael]

Isn't the casino-type wheel just a giant spinner?   Something to think about...   

[postkassen]

yes i did, but that would sent a constant signal to the computer for the duration of the spin? and how would the computer know where it stopped?

as far as i can see i have to make a wheel that sends one signal to the computer when it stops?

[Chris]

yes i did, but that would sent a constant signal to the computer for the duration of the spin? and how would the computer know where it stopped?

as far as i can see i have to make a wheel that sends one signal to the computer when it stops?

If you have buttons on the wheel, you need to deal with the wires twisting around on the spin.  That obviously isn't going to fly.

What JustMichael seems to be suggesting is to use optical switches to determine how many slots the wheel has advanced, but if the names of the songs are on the wheel you'll have sync issues.  The "flapper" that hits pegs on the wheel to slow it down and eventually stop it could be used the same way, but again you have sync issues.

[jfunk]

Why not have a row of microswitches in a straight line along a radius out from the center (not on the wheel, but on the 'base')..  As many switches as there are 'slots' on the wheel..

Then, have a tab corresponding to each microswitch next to each slot on the wheel.  As the slot passes the row of switches, it clicks the appropriate one..  Just keep track of the last one clicked, and there you go! 

Thoughts?

[Chris]

Why not have a row of microswitches in a straight line along a radius out from the center (not on the wheel, but on the 'base')..

[SeaMonkey]

A compromise might be to have the wheel setup like an optic spinner, and as it spins, the computer goes through the selections of songs, and when it stops then you just hit a "GO" button to start the currently selected song.

[rdagger]

Another way you could do it is with an AVR and some photoresistors behind the wheel.  One of the songs would have a white backing and the rest black.  You then place a photoresistor behind each song and connect them to the AVR which could calculate the position of the wheel based on which photoresistor sees the white backing.  Then the AVR could communicate with the computer via a serial link or even over a network link.  To cut down on photoresistors you could create a binary code on the back of the songs and have say 4 photoresistors evaluate the code.

Another method that is more difficult would be to have a barcode reading system.  This way the back of the songs would have a barcode that the computer could interpret.  You could make the removable labels so you could have thousands of songs and then place whichever ones you want on the wheel.

[postkassen]

this is how the wheel its setup today: (please excuse my english, its neither my first nor second language)

the front (the spinning-part) is made of plexiglass, with a thin metal thing out near the edge, that touches the back plate. the back plate is covered with a metal plate, that is cut like a pizza, where the "slices" dont touch. so when the wheel is spun, the metal thing touches the plate all the time, and when it comes to a stop, the metal thing is only touching one "slice". then you push a button next to the wheel and the correct signal is signal is sent according to what "slice" the metal thingy landed on.

so the signal here goes from computer, through a wire to the back plate where it connects on the axle, then from the axle out to the plexi-front and through a wire out to the edge to the metal thing, that touches a "slice" and then through a wire to the universal "start-song-button" and then finally through a wire back to the computer.

what i was hoping was a great idea on how to eliminate the "start-song-button", hopefully a genious idea that doesnt require too much modification and bar code scanners on the wheel, cause the wheel looks great and works great already, except for the button flaw.

[Chris]

what i was hoping was a great idea on how to eliminate the "start-song-button", hopefully a genious idea that doesnt require too much modification and bar code scanners on the wheel, cause the wheel looks great and works great already, except for the button flaw.

I can do that on the software side.  I'll just wait until the input stabilizes for three seconds.  How many slices do you have?

[postkassen]

oh, i cant remember how many, ill check it out later today.

will that work in windows, with your program running in the background? or will windows have a problem with the fact that there is sent a constant signal to the computer?

[LordDamo]

oh, ill have to check it out, thanks! i was only thinking of having ten songs on the wheel anyway.

the origin of this project was a "drink'o'matic" machine some friends made, where you spun a wheel and the machine automatically made the drink the wheel stopped on. was really a quite cool machine, it held six or seven types of liqueour, and a couple of sodas. the machine wasnt properly made though, so it broke down after a few weeks use, and they have since abandoned the wheel-function of it for just buttons, but then we figured out we had to use the wheel for something:)

so im heading down to check out how they made the wheel function tomorrow, hopefully there was a genious solution to it:P

drink'o'matic huh? I would love one of those!!! Any chance of seeing any plans for one of those? PM me if your able to help, thanks in advance . . .