
DIY Coffee Table Pong Game - davidsmith8900
http://digital-diy.com/electronics-project/344-coffee-table-pong-game.html
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VLM
Once LCD monitors and TVs became popular and cheap, I expected to see a lot
more "LCD underneath a glass coffee table" projects. Then again I haven't
built one myself, either.

This project is interesting from the hack value of making your own display. If
you're not doing it for the LED control experience, the price of cheap LCD
monitors is so low its hard to justify. Most TVs have a perfectly good analog
VGA input so drive it with a propeller microcontroller which has a perfectly
good VGA library, or do yet another raspberry pi project.

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alan_cx
Often, or even mostly, DIY or hacking projects are not economically worth it.
Which is why, often, economics is the last reason for doing it, especially
when you factor in time and an hourly rate. Usually its fun, educational, or
novelty, perhaps uniqueness. This project ticks all 4 of those boxes. Even
back in the 70's when I first started making radios, better, cheaper ones
could be bought in shops. I made radios because I thought it was amazing to
actually make my own.

Mostly, projects like this are simply about a challenge or simply making
something different. As you point out, these days a monkey could interface a
cheap off the shelf screen and controller. Where is the challenge there? Whats
the point? If this guy (or gal) wanted a screen....

Knocking it because its possible to do another way misses the point, and fun.

~~~
VLM
Oh I get the point completely and am not knocking it.

"If you're not doing it for the LED control experience"

Every project of any significance involves selecting tradeoffs. For example I
didn't bother researching but I assume these guys went IKEA for their major
non-hack related carpentry rather than breaking out the table saw and doing
the whole thing by hand.

Sometimes for financial reasons you "have to" take a certain selection;
definitely not the case in this scenario WRT the display technology. Which is
cool for people who want to try something similar, but different.

They didn't really build "a" thing, they made a unique set of their game
board, and a homemade display, and custom controllers, etc.

So its a valid point that if you don't care about display tech you're better
off economically with an undermount TV (although those are strangely
unpopular.. why? Cooling?). However if you care about controlling LED arrays
that would kind of invalidate the entire point of that individual hack.

"possible to do another way misses the point, and fun."

I'd disagree in that my comment shows a guy who can't / won't do the LED
display thing, can have just as much fun doing something very similar instead
using exotic fine woodworking hand carpentry, or more elaborate software, or
more elaborate user interface(s). The "LED display" part of the concept is an
interesting and cool, but optional, part of the overall project (unless as
previously discussed the point of the hack was to use LED displays...)

If you want to invest 100 hours in "build a video game table" there exist some
possible substitutions for the recipe that taste just as good. Or if you want
to invest 100 hours in "build a big LED array display" there is more than one
recipe for that (although I didn't bring it up... how bout some "game of life"
software on that microcontroller? That would also look cool.)

(edited to add: we do agree on it being a cool synthesis of your four
checkboxes; I'm just saying other recipes also exist)

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xerophtye
I see your point. Different people find different parts of the DIY project
interesting. And that they can use other, economically efficient, pre-made
options for the other stuff. like a electronics hobbyist might enjoy the LED
part, where as a crafter would probably enjoy the woodwork and just use a
screen to play pre-made games instead.

And I agree with you on the screen idea, why dont we see more of that? Though
i do kinda feel that we missed that window, now that we have tablets... isn't
that the same thing? but with screens i suppose you get the size factor. I
would love to look into this idea of a custom gaming table... imagine
bomberman on a table!! That would be so cool!

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xerophtye
hahahha nice! We actually made something that in sophomore year as a project.
But that was on a much much much much smaller scale (5x5 matrix). We even
fooled some people into believing the game had an AI player at the other end
by giving the ball's input in that row :P so it mirrored the ball exactly! Was
funny how the "Artificial Intelligence" was one wire connection!

