Have you thought about starting a youtube channel? I would love to hear more about the tech and the business.
Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
71–80 of 375 posts
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#72I highly recommend you start a YouTube channel and document all this. It sounds like gold and would be really interesting.
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nowhere near the OP (UK) but I've noticed a lot of fun-only lanes arent bothering to rent shoes and just let you wear whatever you have.
Never understood the need to wear extremely uncomfortable and ill-fitting shoes just to throw a ball. Always seemed like a way to jack the price up. Sure, professional bowlers use specialised shoes. Professional footballers and professional runners and cyclists and golfers and tennis players and skateboarders and ... do as well. But if you do any one of these activities at a low enough frequency and/or level that you…
Hmm, thought they needed to slide. Like formal dance shoes, the opposite of sneakers.
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nowhere near the OP (UK) but I've noticed a lot of fun-only lanes arent bothering to rent shoes and just let you wear whatever you have.
Never understood the need to wear extremely uncomfortable and ill-fitting shoes just to throw a ball. Always seemed like a way to jack the price up. Sure, professional bowlers use specialised shoes. Professional footballers and professional runners and cyclists and golfers and tennis players and skateboarders and ... do as well. But if you do any one of these activities at a low enough frequency and/or level that you…
Mostly to prevent damage and minimize maintenance + cleanup. Dirty shoes can mess with the oiling and rocks lodged in soles can gouge the floor.
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#75Right now I'm working on adding LED + DMX DJ light control - I kinda want to be able to order LED strips to "chase" a ball as it goes down the lane or back up the return. I plan on triggering laser-light shows and such with the DMX controller. Eventually, I want to allow a customer walk up to the lane, tap to pay and start bowling immediately, too. Kiosk-ize bowling alleys, yknow? I'm pumped. So much room for activit…
Best post in a lonnnng time. Need any help? I have some dmx/dj experience from my days in digital signage.
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think they mean the physical process of handling the shoes. At most places you rent your land and get your shoes at the same counter, basically in one transaction, which seems difficult to handle with a kiosk.
Totally - we've got notifications wired in though, so our counter instantly knows "lane so and so needs such and such shoe sizes"
You're removing human interaction, though.
Nerds seem to forget that entertainment venues and sports are social spaces, interaction with staff matters, and is one of the more distinguishing features of a venue.
Unless you've got someone walking up and down the lanes introducing themselves as the manager/owner/whatever...
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#77I've been dreaming of owning an alley
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#78Right now I'm working on adding LED + DMX DJ light control - I kinda want to be able to order LED strips to "chase" a ball as it goes down the lane or back up the return. I plan on triggering laser-light shows and such with the DMX controller. Eventually, I want to allow a customer walk up to the lane, tap to pay and start bowling immediately, too. Kiosk-ize bowling alleys, yknow? I'm pumped. So much room for activit…
Hopefully you can synch the light flashes to the ball rotation:
1: maybe make the ball look like it isn't rolling - or even backspinning
2: perhaps it could you make the amount of side-spin or other spin more obvious to help learning
Maybe hard to read the ball rotation accurately: even if the ball was marked with dots or bands that help?
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#79This is the stuff I want to read on HN!
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#80Excited to see the open sourcing of OpenLaneLink!