New Project : Electronic PC Darts Game

[v0dka]

Hello,

That's the begining ! I've just started my new project : a pc based DART game.

I've found a Arachnid dart board on Ebay. The porject has several steps :
1. Electronic to handle dart board through USB (2 days for the microcontroller firmware)
2. Graphics for games (7 days of photoshop)
3. Software to display the graphics and the control the game (15 days of software)

(In the first time, i would like to implement cricket game (with cut-throat and wild&Crazy variation), classic 301 and 321 Zap). The the software would be a kind of framework to make easy the developement of future game
4. Some woodworking to make a pretty cabinet around my target board. (4 days of woodworking)

I hope to have a working prototype within 10 or 12 days ...

Let's see....

[Jigenjuke]

Hey there, v0dka.  Sounds like a nice project, it will be interesting to see where this goes.  There is a similar product already being offered here in Japan.

http://tv-darts.epoch.jp/pc/

I assume that you are going to keep the microcontroller and the web matrix from the dart head of the Arachnid.  By the way what model of Arachnid did you get your hands on?  Galaxy? Super Six + 2? Blacck Widow? 

Keep us updated with plenty of pics.

[v0dka]

the dart board seems to come from an old galaxy game. I say "old" becuse the missed dart detector is still the old one (replaced 10 years ago by a piezo detector).

Actually, I'm going to replace the microcontroller to use an USB one. My plan is to implement an HID (USB Human Interface Device) device to just get the hit value and the multiplier. By this way, i will be easily compatible with windows and Linux.

I would prefer to use linux instead Windows (only because it's free, otherwise i don't especially like linux) ... But for the software, i've already a good knowlege about Directx and not OpenGL.

I don't want a think to connect to an external PC ... the PC will be include in the cabinet, and the 15" TFT monitor too (I've an old one i don't use anymore ... it will be good for that) ... The best way would be to add a touchscreen film on the screen (it isn't too much expensive (+/- 40$)).

The biggest work is to make all graphic resources for the user interface ... but i'm motivated

[SithMaster]

Will you make any software available to the BYOAC community?  These dart boards sound fun.

[v0dka]

Sorry, not especially , because two reasons :
1. I use a hardware board developed in the scope of my job
2. The microcontroller present on the electronic board is only available on SMD package ... So it's difficult to use it on prototyping board.

But maybe someone would interest to buy it (i need to see with my bosses) ... but it's a general purpose IO board seen as HID device ... So I can provide firmware to make it see as a keyboard, or directly a joystick. If someone would be interested, let me know.

By the way, if i have some time, i will make some R&D to make the same software on a through-hole PIC device (easy to get free as sample, and easy to use on a prototyping board .... Just the microcontroller, a crystal, some resistors and capacitors and a few connectors) ...

So, at this time I've already finished the dartboard matrix scanning, but i still to implement the missed dart detector. I've some beginning of screenshot (made in photoshop) about what it should look like ... I'll post them certainly this week.

[v0dka]

Hello,

Here are two screens about what the user interface will look like. There is the main menu with games selection, and the screen for cricket game.

Comments are welcome !

[punxrus]

This is a great idea! I love going to the bar to play darts! I'll keep an eye on this project! 

[v0dka]

Here it is !

Here is my first prototype. It isn't a full stand cabinet, because I hadn't enough MDF .

The prototype includes a celeron 420 PC based, with a custom hand-made audio amplifier to be able to use simple speaker and a custom hand-made electronic to connect the dart board to USB. The screen is an old 17" TFT screen with resistive touchscreen on it.
The dartboard in an arachnid galaxy one, but this the old-style missed dart detector (the the piezo one). But the system is simple but works well.

And around 30000 lines of software code .

At this time, i"ve already implemented the following games :

- x01

301 to 1001 with all in and out options (double triple and master)

- shangai

with the possibility to choose the target list (15 to 20 with or without bull, 1 to 7 or full track (1 to 20 + bull)
I add an "suicide" option to give penalty to player who missed his all 3 darts (penalty could be decrease score by the curretn target value, divide score by two or return to 0)

- cricket

with or without cut-throat
straight (normal cricket from 15 to BULL)
low ( 1 to 7 and bull)
wild (random from 7 to 20 + BULL)
wild and crazy (all opened values random change at each turns from 7 to 20 until a player has closed it)

I add a Master cricket option that allow player to score only in the turn who he has closed a slot. Otherwise, he will be able to score again only after closing all the targets. It is pretty funny, because players prefers to finish their turn with slots still opened to be able to score a lot on the next turn.

- 321 Zap with in option (open-in, double in and trilpe in) and master (player needs to zap someone to be able to win)
I added some hand-made options :
 * Auto-zap : if a player bust on 321 and return to his previous score, he returns to 0. For example a player who has 319 and hit 4 or double 2, the player returns to 0)
 * Both ways : depending to the first value you hit, if the value is odd, you start from 0 and must reach 321, and if the value is even, you start from 321 and must reach 0. So it is always possible to zap a player near 321 even if you've been just zapped.
 * Possibility to limit the number of the round

- Halve-it

All games could be player up to 7 players. It is not limited by software, just by graphics, i haven't implemented a way to display more score on the screen.

I'll post more picture from the inside soon.

[leapinlew]

 

Awesome. I would love something like this. How do you protect the bottom screen from poorly aimed darts?

[BASS!]

Awesome. I would love something like this. How do you protect the bottom screen from poorly aimed darts?

Man that was my first thought. is there a big thick sheet of lexan there, or just a sheet of glass. I know one night with my buddies and a case, I would probably be cutting a check for a new screen.

[v0dka]

Actually, there is only the resistive touchscreen (just like a PDA), this is a glass with a thin film over it. It is not very strong. A capacitive touchscreen would have been better (like iPhone), it is stronger, but I did it with what i had.

But I tried it with total newbies, and no problem. In fact, the target area is big enough to avoid accident

[BASS!]

Hmmmm, I would seriously think about adding in a sheet behind the bezel, give a kid some darts and see what happens

[Barry Barcrest]

Hmmmm, I would seriously think about adding in a sheet behind the bezel, give a kid some darts and see what happens

He'll end up with it sticking out of his body somehow...... 

Seriously, covering touchscreens is not straight forward if you still want the touchscreen to work. I thought the darts were plastic tipped but we don't have those machines here in the UK our bars just have real dartboards with real darts.

[TalkingBull]

I would love to build something like this.  Can you post the instructions to wire it up via USB?  Anything you can provide would be really helpful.  I have plenty of MDF just sitting around waiting to be cut.

I did notice you said you would be interested in selling the HID board if your employer allows it.  If so, I am interested.  I would love to have something like this.

[shardian]

You could easily add a swinging acrylic door over the touchscreen. Swing it open, do your touching, then close it again.

[TalkingBull]

That's what I was thinking.  Either that or something like a grooved (Along the sides and bottom) area where you can slide it up and down or something. 

[mccoy178]

What a great idea!