Episode 607 Reboot request

If you are making the scoreboard digits from pixel strips, then you may want to take a quick look at this Ninja Timer video from John Park first, as he has a rather nice demo of how to get the diffusion just right to avoid pixel hotspots.

It can be tricky to get it to look good as shown here: testing different diffusers and even more so if you are wanting to use it where daylight may be a factor.

I'm going to reply to both.  I'll have to read up on the break beams. Only one ball would be in play.

Maybe having chutes at the low end with beam sensors would work best. 3 on one chute,  1 on one, and 2 on a third.

The ball has to roll past them to go in the hole. Roll the ball down with dowels for it to bump against,  then the ball returns underneath.

I think I'll use the eight digit counters for scoring but I'll definitely check the video out, if just to learn from.  Thanks my friend. 

Mikeatencio said:

I'll have to read up on the break beams.

Diffused, through-beam and retroreflective sensors - what's the difference?

Mikeatencio said:

Roll the ball down with dowels for it to bump against

This is where you can add your own twist to the game play by borrowing features from other ball based games as well as introducing your own. If you stick a sensor on the dowel then it can trigger a sound effect or a light animation or affect the scoring anytime it gets bumped.

You may need to consider chance vs skill to keep people entertained with the game play. Also options to make it enjoyable by both young and old.

I was going to make colorful speed bumps instead of dowels.  Easy to light up.

If you are going for lots of discrete switches and LEDs, then you may want something like the Arduino Mega2560 which has quite a lot of GPIO connectivity.

I have an an ESP32 I was going to use.

Well that was a quick and easy decision...

You can get GPIO expanders if you run out or you can just add another microcontroller, like has been done here where 200 buttons are being used:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBI0wJYfcQ

If you are using RGB pixel LEDs then that can greatly reduce the pin count.

Some sensors are available with I2C interfaces, however some have fixed addresses which may require extra work.

I was thinking golf ball size. I like your idea about the box being wider at the player's end and narrower at the opposite end. Or I might have to reduce the number of players instead. 

I'm taking a break from this and letting it wander in my mind. Too many choices are making it hard to plan a path. I'll come back to this in a few days and create a list of what I want and how I want it, watch some videos and learn, then move forward.

I'm glad you didn't say basketball there

A squash ball is of similar diameter to a golf ball but may not be heavy enough. Pool balls might be good although slightly larger.

I suspect that it may take a bit experimentation. Rig up a board, clamp on some sides roll some balls and adjust various angles until the rolling action feels about right. Draw some targets and see how easy/difficult it is.  

That's my plan.  And I'm going to make the surface bumpers to force the ball off track. Just a couple of bumps in the road.