Another unique idea (?) Motion detection for your cab ?

[Level42]

Must be because I used to work in the burglar alarm business (long ago),but did somebody think about including a motion detector in their cab ?
 
The contact can be connected as any regular button and it should trigger a sampled voice saying something challenging or inviting.It could even display special things on screen etc.
Don't know if any front-end would offer something like that, but would be easy to program I guess....(miniwah ?)

Think an ultrasonic detector will work best, since you want a rather small area to be covered, and these can be adjusted for range. Also ultrasonic detectors are most sensitive for motions straight to (or from) the detector. PIR (Passive Infra Reds) usualy have a more-or-less fixed pattern, but by clever placing this might also work. These are also much more common these days and very cheap. Work on 12V and cosume very little current.

In the programming, there should be some timers, because you don't want your cab to keep on saying things to you when you're playing it etc. And there must be a way to turn it off manualy of course.

Thought this would be a fun addition for cabs that are in more or less "public" places...

[Minwah]

If you could get it to trigger a keypress or joystick input, then getting your pc to do something wouldn't be a problem.

[Level42]

Yup, that's no problem at all. These things use relay contacts that simply can be connected straight to an I=pac, J=pac or simular, just like any other button.

Most of them will have the contacts follow the detection. So, each time it detects movement, it switches the contact. So that's why we would need timers in the software. I think something like, when it gets triggered the first time, it triggers the action you want (play a MP3 file, show a splashscreen (maybe a face or something) .
This should only be in the menu screen of course (or in the screensaver mode ?)

Then it will keep quite for let's say half a minute. If there's any action on the controls within a minute it should ignore any next switching until I guess the menu screen is back up. Even after the menu screen is back up it should keep quite for, let's say 3 minutes to allow a player to select another game without being triggered.

If the 30 seconds run out without a control being touched, you could either send another MP3 (maybe a bit more aggresive/challenging) or let it go back to it's normal state, so again triggering the same MP3 when the detecor is triggered.

Now, I'm not saying I am about to build this very soon in my cab (plenty of much more useful work to do first) but I do plan on building it in near the finishing of the project. My machine will probably end up at the bar of my music club (marching band) and thought this would be a nice way to attract people to the cab
O, it would be great (and probably neccesary) to make the times I mentione variables that can be set in the ini files.

[Minwah]

To be honest I wouldn't want to get involved in adding direct support to Mamewah since it would be so specific to your system.

However, you could use the external application launching feature to launch an app that you could get or write to take care of all the time stuff and get it to do whatever you like.  You could probably even use a batch file if you're not a programmer.

[Level42]

Haha, wan't couting on that I was just brainstorming again I guess And see if anyone else would like it....we'll see when we get around of actualy doing it

[Pik4chu]

Haha, wan't couting on that I was just brainstorming again I guess And see if anyone else would like it....we'll see when we get around of actualy doing it

Wouldnt be all that practicaly per-say, but would be kinda fun   Bring a whole knew meaning to attract mode, lol.

[ahofle]

Would be cool as you walked by to have it say:
"Fighter pilots needed in sector wars! Play Astroblaster!"

[Hoopz]

You can download the wav for:

Intruder, fight like a robot!

[Ed_McCarron]

"Coin detected in pocket."

[Pik4chu]

"Coin detected in pocket."

ROFL!

"The money is strong with this one"/The Wallet is fat on this one" ??

[pkellum]

Any sound samples from Sinistar would be perfect IMO 

Patrick

[TurboC--]

If it is a Stargate Defender cab you can have it occasionally make noise based on human movement, ala the "Arcade" episode from Newsradio...


"Stargate... DEFENDER!!"

[Level42]

OK, so we need it to play a random MP3 from a batch of available samples 

Minwah, seems I'm not the only one interested, any chance of changing your mind ?  I think the timing problem is easier then we thought. I think it would be OK to let it only trigger in screensaver mode...

My cab is a general Jamma cab, so it doesn't need to have special samples, but you could always create your own pool of samples fit for your machine/theme.

[effdubya]

not specifically for mamewah but i *might* be able to make a program in vb6

it would be able to detect if in screensaver mode if it loaded at system startup and if no keys were pressed for a certain amount of time set to the same as the screensaver interval (same for exiting games)

a jpg splashcreen or something to that effect could be generated and stretched according to screen resolution

playing and selection of sound samples should be relatively easy

if you guys are interested i'm willing to write it and got time to kill while im waiting for parts to arrive before i make my first cab. just post back with an exact list of features you want in it 

[agfisher]

If you need help, I'm a software Engineer by trade. I'm always up for a challenge!

Adam
Boston, MA.

[Minwah]

Well if you guys can come up with an .exe program to do whatever you want, it can be launched by Mamewah via a keypress or screensaver activated.  More importantly, all FE's could use it

[mccoy178]

I like it.  Keep up the good work fellas!

[Level42]

Haha, glad I stirred some interest here....I think I pretty much summed it up how it should work. That could easily be translated into a flow diagram and into an .exe

The hardware part.....well it is so easy, there's no real need to explain...
Almost all usual motion detectors use 12 V (handy!). So you connect that. Then usualy there is a relay with common, normaly open and normaly closed terminals. Of course we need the normaly open contacts in this situation. Some detectors have normaly closed only, so don't use these....

The contacts will switch for a couple of seconds at least ..depending on motion....shouldn't be a problem...

Placing the detector is the most challenging part. PIR's (most common) can be of "curtain" type, or have a pattern with a wide angle. It also depends on when you want the cab to be inviting/challenging you....When you put it fairly low (let's say under your CP) that may work nicely, as it will cover only some meters probably. Remember that PIR's work on infrared (body heat). If the software part lifts off I will do some testing, as I have both PIR and US sensors at hand...

We also need some fun samples (I'd like some in the voice of AdvanceMenu....) or  screen artwork (a talking head or something ?)

[jerryjanis]

I think it's a great idea.  I don't think I would need any special software.  I would just want it to break the computer out of power save mode (which can be done by simply pressing a key), and turn on all the devices through the power strip.

If I walk past the machine, the marquee will light up, and the display will power up, and the menu screen will show up waiting for input.

[RetroBorg]

This sounds like a cool feature, I don't know if anyone here ever played a pinball machine called Centaur, but it used to say every few minutes "CHALLENGE ME". I think that would be really cool to walk past your mame arcade machine and the machine detects your presence and says "CHALLENGE ME", how could you refuse? 

[Voodooray]

How about three sensors verticly either side of you, left punch, right kick that sort of thing. Place each detector inside a small box so that it only goes off when you wave your hand or foot infront of the sensor. That could be interesting for fighting games, maybe something like a DDR pad for movement as well.
Just a thought, though probably not a very good one.

Voodoo Ray
88 Acid Revival, Safe!

[Level42]

Haha, I really like how this seems to catch on

The game play idea is a nice thought but intruder motion detectors are basicaly designed to detect a more or less full size human being moving at least something like half a meter or something like that.

I remember, whenever I would test motion detectors at customers, they were waving their hands in the hope and expectation to trigger it. They were amazed it didn't work. These things want to see at least something dog size moving... (YES i'm giving handy tips to burglars here HAHA)....nothing they don't know already.

And even if it WOULD work for just a hand, those things are too damn slow to be able to play a game. You'd receive 5 blows from your oponent in the time it resets from alarm to no-alarm situation....so a camera thing like that thing on the PS2 would be better for something like that....

[effdubya]

started work, a lil' rusty on my programming but is coming along okay. here's a teaser of what i have so far 


splash screen comes up when returning from an idle period
sound options will be added to:
    1-play sound once gone idle
    2-play sound when returning from idle
    3-play sound after returning from idle and not pressing enter [or selectable key] which would indicate the user hasn't chosen a game yet but is at the machine
then you can choose the length of intervals before something is said while at the machine and which wav to play (e.g. increasingly angry as time passes by)
    4-attract mode....say random things when motion is not detected

will add launch parameters too launch into systray
variables are loaded from txt files stored in the same dir as the program

anything i've missed that you want in it tell me 

depending on how much school work i have should have a testable version maybe done by the weekend? not sure but this is way more fun to work on than homerwork

[agfisher]

Damn quick work! Work just doesn't give me the time to work on this at all so far but if you give me a job, I'll make some time.

How are you figuring the Hardware to Software bridge will happen?  Parallel, Serial, USB?

Adam

[effdubya]

that I have no idea at the moment lol

this is all based off keypresses so if motion detetctors are hooked up to j-pac/i-pac/keyboard hack or whatever and send a keystroke then the program will take it from there. i can simulate movement by spamming a key, but right now i dont have much money to throw around and cant grab a motion detector for myself. o wellz.

off to school 

[agfisher]

I think I have an old motion detector kicking around somewhere. Not sure if it work or if I kept it. I'll look around for it.

Adam

[effdubya]

hey wondering if there's still any interest in this?
sorry to dig up old thread but better than starting a new one
if so i'll get the sound part of the program fixed up

[Level42]

Sure there is still interest...I'm busy with the sound system on my cab now (see: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42798.0). As soon as that is completely installed I'll get the motion detector and hook it up. But there's no need to wait for that with the software part. We already know what it will do, close a contact for a moment, just like a button would. I think in the thread I pretty much described what it should do...if you need any more info let met know

To effdubya:
Ow only now I see you already made a program ! Sorry ! Looks very windows to me, and I'm afraid I'm running in DOS because I don't have an ArcadeVGA and so I'm bound to ArcadeOS or AdvanceMame (that is for now I will end up with Windows and an ArvadeVGA in the end for sure...).
But it looks great and promising !! So this will run in the background while there's also a front-end running ? And how will it "know" that the front-end is in "attract"/screensaver mode ?

To agfisher: the original plan is to connect it to the 12V power from your PC to let it work and the normaly open and common contacts to the regular "button" inputs on an I-pac/J-pac. This way it will generate a keypress that can be fully programmed.

[mccoy178]

Lurker letting it be known there is interest in this cool idea.  Just waiting........

[effdubya]

haha i thought that might be the case for a few people, yes it is windows

yes this will run while whatever frontend is running, and have option to sit in the systray.

for knowing whether the front-end is in attract or screensaver mode:
screensaver would be activated a period of idleness, so just need to check if any keys are being pressed at all to see if screensaver is on

then you just need to put the same time that the frontend takes before going into screensaver mode

the keypress for the motion sensor would need to be unique and unused by any buttons or whatever so that it can detect if there is someone at the cab but not actually playing anything

splashscreen event is for when a user returns from idle
can choose to display only one picture or random selection from group of picutres, will automatically scale to screen size

sound events would be available on:
going idle
-----> idle for over a certain amount of time
returning from away
returning from idle

and possibly thinking of adding another bit for not idle but not launching a game for a while by setting up a detection of if a 'select game' key has been pressed so maybe machine can taunt someone who cant decide which game to play or something to that effect

anything (features-wise) i've missed?

plus if anyone has some wav files they think would sound awesome plz attatch them and i might include them when i get around to releasing this

Level42:
your cab's looking awesome

[effdubya]

good news and bad news

good news is that program is coming along well
bad news: have to redesign interface cause it was getting way too cluttered

figured best way to have 6 separate forms for each of the events:
1. entering away
2. attract mode while away for more than 'x' minutes
3. return from away
4. entering idle
5. idle mode while idle for more than 'x' minutes
6. return from idle

another advantage is that this will be much better viewing at lower resolution since it currently fills screen at 1024x768

no set time frame cause i've got schoolwork/study for hsc (aussie final school exams) but i'll program whenever i have spare time or need a break

another delay but will end up with a much nicer app.

[Thenasty]

why not use one of those Halloween Skull Talking, eye movement detector and figure out to change the wording on it such as above mentioned ? Or "Hey Suczka, come play with me "

[slycrel]

why not use one of those Halloween Skull Talking, eye movement detector and figure out to change the wording on it such as above mentioned ? Or "Hey Suczka, come play with me "

[effdubya]

if there is a way you can get MAME or some frontend to output the rom name to either an external file or onto the clipboard then i'd be able to add in something for game specific sound...

anything like this exist?