Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ugh, there is a four lane bowling alley right near me for sale for $100,000 or so. Now I’m further tempted.
Buy it! What else are you doing with your money?
Kids.
Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
311–320 of 375 posts
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#312This is the first time I have heard of ESPNow, this looks absolutely amazing for situations where I want an esp32 to control something but I don't want to use home assistant as a bridge with esphome
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#313what are you getting to make your bowling animations ;)
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#314Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#315the fact that you are open sourcing it is just awesome. i really commend you for it. bowling is such a fun time for all and it just keep getting more and more expensive as centers age. having them save money by replacing a key component with open source will allow them to profit more to keep the light on.
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#316[dead]
But with MAME comes a bunch of licensing implications for commercial use. 9000-in-one cabinets just flagrantly disregard these implications and I have encountered bars that sidestep these rules ("I'm not charging to use this machine at my bar, so it's practically personal use")
Still, it confounds me that the simultaneous rise of indie game devs and barcades hasn't led to an arcade renaissance yet. Niche games like Nidhogg and Black Emperor cost $6k for a cabinet. Killer Queen, oftentimes considered the cult-favorite of the scene, costs magnitudes more and puts off bar owners because the cabinet takes up so much floor space.
You'd think engineers could reduce those costs and developers could work out a royalty agreement that beats home sales on itch.io. To me it seems inevitable, but maybe there are just too many incumbents and bad actors in the arcade industry for such creativity to thrive.
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#317Now you need to integrate a "bring me a pint" button into the system. Put a big button on each lane with your highest selling draft beer and a price on it, and every time its pushed put in a beer order. I'm thinking that would help with the positive cash flow nicely.
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#318Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#319[flagged]
Re: Show HN: I replaced a $120k bowling center system with $1,600 in ESP32s
#320Right 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…
I'll throw out two quick suggestions for you: - DMX kinda sucks but it's manageable. Cabling isn't cheap, it really wants shielded 120 ohm cable. If you do go that route, don't cheap out and use Mic cable or Cat-5, you'll be chasing ghosts forever. - However... Art-net is an absolutely brain dead simple protocol that you can run over WiFi or ESP-Now if you don't care about it being perfect, or over Ethernet with an E…
Can affirm Art-net is supereasy to implement indeed. One thing you shouldn't skimp on is the DMX controller. I've used DMX to USB controllers in the past, but those have lots of driver issues. The better ones operate over Ethernet and you can just use UDP. I've been using a Showtec box, but i'm sure there are other alternatives as well.