I was at Casa Bonita last night and they had a pong arcade table. It looks an awful lot like a ZenXY movement. The boxes on top look like cardboard. They must have polar magnets to keep them aligned.
The movement is really smooth and it can go really fast. I found some articles about it too:
This is official and Atari brand. Which is cool.
With just “some software” we could do something similar on a ZenXY. Especially if we could combine the LED control into the motion mechanism. We could use LEDs to represent the paddles. Then control the ball on the table (even in the sand).
That would be a trip. An electronic “paddle” with the ball rolling around as if it were being hit. That would be worth building and its screensaver would be zenXY…
I had a similar idea, but I won’t talk about it until I have a prototype. A game to teach kids the coordinate system.
There is (or was) a huge building in Denver where they can test ISS docking controllers. They have a mock up of the ISS and a very cool robot arm that can move in 6 degrees of freedom over the size of a football field.
They needed the building to be isolated from as many vibrations outside as possible, so they built the entire room like a beefed up music studio. It is on springs and dampeners and isolated from the bedrock (and it is a few stories tall and the area of a football field).
In the end, they can drive the arm towards the ISS and put whatever sensor package they want to test with control algorithms to see if it can dock before sending stuff to space.
It would be pretty neat to have a 2D version of this for kids. Especially physics students that need to understand the difference between acceleration, velocity, and speed. It could also be useful to show that the different axis are independent (which many high schoolers refused to believe in my HS).
Linking it back to that incredible machine would be neat too. I have no idea what it was called. It was at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Littleton/Denver.
It’s clear we need better software control of the ZenXY. We could do a lot with it past dynamic art.
Pong would be very cool !!
I keep wanting to make 4 mini tanks with ir laser for playing on the sand lol
Have them slip in the ends of the table.
Oh shoot that would be cool.
Reminds me that I have never added a joystick to my Zen, Jason’s new fluid joystick controllers are looking very enticing now.
These are cool. Got to play one at my favorite dive bar for retro arcade machines in Seattle, https://add-a-ball.com, bring lots of quarters, and make sure your shots/vaccines are current… Lots of sketchy fun to be had there.
with bluetooth… run through the controller via web interface - that would be cool kind of like the anki overdrive race set (no idea where to start on that one other than I have a spare car from that track set). For that to work, would hotwheel sized tanks or larger be used? I’m curious how that could work… kind of like the little foam airhogs helicopters from 15 years ago.
Well as usual I have these silly ideas haha.
I was thinking of using the same kind of ir lazer and receiver from those cheap toys from years ago. Kind of like laser tag.
Then you use the Zenxy to build your battle map.
Have the laser low enough that it can’t reach over the marbles berm.
So that you can stay within the battle ground but if you needed you could mow down a wall of sand and have another spot to attack.
I was thinking build the controls on the table top like wooden nes controllers that are inset. And powered by the boards ac adapter.
Then have sections of the table that you can enter your tank into. Like on my table I have about 5” height. On the ends so a small trap door fold down then you put tank in. And the battle begins.
You could also use this to have fun with leveling your zen media by having like a snow cat groomer.
I have been looking at micro rc 3D print designs and there is some small ones that could work.
You could probably even have mini games like teams or free for all or capture flag. Maybe even have a magnetic package that you have to retrieve. Like the ball bearing itself.
So drive your tank with your phone and have the zen make the battlefield?
I was envisioning a z axis where the ball could be released and you could do turn based 3d worms or scorched earth and have the zen move the pieces.
Ohhh that’s neat I used to play scorched earth a lot !!
That and gorillas
