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The problem with your sponsor is that they have terrible customer service, especially in the state of Pennsylvania....... For electronic goods you're better off going with All Electronics, Mouser, and/or Digikey.
Hey, actually i think it's better for the opponent to add the point because then you could only cheat by refusing to aknowledge the score but it would be obvious
Industrial design student here, and we literally do this on a daily basis. Start from scratch and keep refining it to a production level. Really enjoyed this video.
That’s really interesting. All my friends who are industrial engineers, at my University and others, all say that their work is almost entirely optimizing process flow instead of designing individual products. All engineering fields are pretty diverse so it’s neat to see where the focus is at other schools.
The last time I needed a ton of pieces of tape that were roughly the same size, I cut the entire roll in two places on my bandsaw. You end up with a nice stack of properly-sized pieces.
Great video! What most people do not realize is that products like these probably need certification before being allowed to sell it and that step is really expensive / hard.
Some number labels on the side of the aluminum channel beneath each LED would be useful so you don't have to count the number of lights. It you could find black anodized channel, you could even laser scribe the numbers, which would look really cool.
This is one of my favorite videos of yours. It’s super helpful to see the thought process behind how you might take a tinkering idea to a product. Thanks!
What an epic journey from being a part of the twitch stream when E&K were there making that net with you to this point now. Thanks for bringing us along ❤️
I do love that while you can tell that ILTMS is growing, you can tell that at its core it's still the same encouraging videos about being able to make the stuff you love, and this video is a fantastic idea!
I think a core part of making something "production ready" is making it as simple as possible. For example moving the esp microcontroller into one of the button boxes removes an entire box, some wires and a connector. In the same way I think that splitting the led strip into two adds a bunch of complexity for a marginal gain in versatility. Very cool idea and I enjoyed the optimisation and building process you showed.
Hey Bob, Awesome design! One suggestion if you want it - Use a multicolor LED strip. The colors would break up the scoring, making it easier to tell how many points you actually have! Or you could print out the numbers on clear vinyl and stick it to the net. That way, the LEDs would light up the number indicating how many points you have.
I like the refinement and scaling focus of this video. I hear about it all the time in entrepreneur forums but never fully understood what that might look like. This sheds some light on that process. Thanks for all you guys do.
If you want to Design a custom pcb - I had great success using easyeda - even copying example’s together can make greater project’s. But if you have to place or replace a component - always check for the components datasheet. They show the different versions and specifications and often include a useage example
This video genuinely came out at the perfect time. Been designing a 40-yard dash timing system for the past month or so and this helped answer a lot of questions I had to get my project from prototype to my first version! Thanks y'all!
Love this video. I have a device that's past prototyping and it's in the batch production phase, and your points and thought processes are accurate and on point. Thanks for this for future builders, since this isn't discussed almost at all.
The stock footage of the Micro Center you used is the one in my area! I've been going there since I was a kid, and they are the oldest standing Micro Center out of them all. Probably not everyone will be as excited about that as I am, but it was neat to see a place I know, in one of your videos, even if it was just stock footage that was probably given to you by Micro Center.
I would use a project box right from the get-go for the electronics as well as the buttons. It’ll save you a lot of time cutting acrylic on the laser, as well as save you on the acrylic cost as well.
This is an excellent video! I really like how you took us along through the prototyping process and addressed a lot of the things that you have to consider when designing a product. I really love this stuff!
This is such a great video! I use several of your videos with my Design and Modeling students to show them the Design Process in action. This is another great one to add to my list! Hopefully it will help them better understand how and why to improve their projects!
Great overview here to remind someone of all the details you have to look at in order to bring a product into actual production. Making a prototype is one thing, but there's a whole lot of refinement necessary to scale it up. Thanks for sharing!
Expanding this idea, since you're using ESP32 you should have a good code base to make a similar setup for corn hole. Just requiring a ESP32 module for each side and then could use LEDs or even 8-seg number read outs. Awesome project and great job explaining your thought/design process.
Should be able to make the max score programmable, do something with the existing inputs like hold down one button, press the other button N times, and release the first button.
A cool upgrade would be a fiber optic net. So as you score points it lights up and moves towards the center. Also like another comment about adding sound. Something for points scored, start of game, winning the game etc.
Don't know if you've considered the following: 1- Add a button battery to the "point add" boxes and make it send an IR signal. Mount all boxes on the side of the table to get a clear and leveled view and now you don't need wiring for these. The boxes can be smaller, and the IR emitter is pretty cheap. Basically a one button remote. 2- Velcro instead of double sided tape. That way you can remove it after the game for storage and just leave a felt glued on. Also, you can have multiple felts for cheap so you can have several places "ready" to attach your boxes with just one kit. Extra felt is very cheap. 3- The main box could have the IR receiver for the new "point add" boxes. One on each side and it would still be cheap. Mount it in between the others and you should get a reliable signal. Also attached with velcro but a larger piece since it will have to hold some of the weight of the cables for the LEDs and the power. Just some ideas for you. Hope it helps.
Another great video! Fantastic with a completely new type of video - I like it! A couple of things on the 'Design for manufacture' process: *The acrylic boxes are nice (lasercutters rock!) - but a lot more people have access to a 3D printer. Also, Less parts means less manufacturing time since you don't need to clue them together. *The pressfit is really nice but you have to remember the kerf of your machine - if one were using a printed enclosure a single screw would secure everything *Having the lights as two parts is neat - but it does add more wiring (and more connectors, which is added cost). Since you have an ESP module you have the option to create a simple webpage for configuration - adjusting the width of the strip (or even adjusting the centerpoint), setting how many points you would play to (Hey, let's do a quick match to 3!) The ESP module is great but have some issues with pins being used for internal stuff (Bootmode, external memory and other things) - You found out the hard way ;) Did you consider using ESPNow? having an ESP-01 in the buttons would allow for wireless buttons (even fewer connectors!) but at the cost of batteries needed. I'm pretty sure the cost of those tine modules will match the cost of your connectors! IF you were to make a custom PCB for a project like this I'd like to add that you would want to look into mounted connectors. That way you could skip the soldering of wires part and have your electronics production handling that part as well. You would only have to screw the parts together and ship it. (Programming jig would be placed at the electronics supplier as well) Keep up the great work! I'd love to see more of this from you guys :)
Micro Center PWNS. I visited one for the first time last year (in Chicago.) It was an experience for sure. There isn't a single-thing that I can think of that someone would need to build that is tech-related that wasn't there.
Hey bob, for connectors, i like to use RJ11, they are cheap, inexpensive, and usualy comes with 4 wires (I like to use them for ground, VCC, and 2 digital IO) they are very usefull for components that use 2 a 4 pins, and easy to extend because the wire for it is widely available even in common stores if you want more wires you can jump up to RJ45 (standart ethernet connector) i love them in my projects (since i have them always laying around from old appliances in my house)
You might not have thought about this. What about trying to fold up the table? You don’t want to be taking off and on vhb tape all the time so it would be nice if you could fold up the table with the lights still on it
EXCELLENT IDEA, I like it a lot. A Suggestion: ad another button on the score boxes to rest a point, in case a player pushes the ad point button by accident.
Due to the minimal amount of required pins you could probably use a Arduino beetle or ESP8266 (WEMOS D1 Mini) but for the plugs what was wrong with the first design (it looked like you planned for DC plugs but canned it) thats how I wouldn't done it. If you were going to use that idea for a plug you may as well use a molex plug and just have a single wiring harness. Another type of plug you could use could be a headphone jack this way with it having 3 connections you could use it for the buttons so so you split the ground off to each button and give each button their own io input and use the pullup input type to read the button.
How about a wireless system with small battery powered radio, wifi or ble transmitters that you can throw in your pocket or on your belt and just click buttons to add points. Then you could have a small box that receives signal from transmitters, counts the points and either displays them on an led strip or on 2 screens so both players can see the score. Then it would be completely unintrusive and could be used on public ping pong tables or if you often visit a local sports center to play ping pong. Another great use would be other sports such as squash, racquetball or badminton where you don't want to have any objects inside the court for safety, but you could absolutely have a small box with a screen behind the glass wall and a tiny transmitter in your pocket. I've been looking for something like this for super long, but there's literally nothing. There used to be one watch that helped keep score, but it got discontinued.
As a mechanical designer with some electronics background, I really appreciate this video. Many people are afraid to make a prototype because the amount of new things involved
I would really like to buy/make this for myself. Even if it was a "DYI Kit" that just had all the parts necessary, I would love to put this together for my own ping pong table. I love seeing the process of going from a one-off to a potential product. Really informative on the different challenges you face. Cheers!
So, I've been working on a filament changer an Ender 3 level printer. Since you can get a 3D printer like this for about $180, the filament changer shouldn't cost more than about $40-$60 with each additional extra filament only costing about $10. This is about third of the retail price of a Bambu Lab Mini MMU. I'm shooting for a print-it-yourself and assemble it solution, with the idea of being for at this price the end user will have to be tolerant of more failures. Also, the initial MVP will run as an OctoPrint plugin, so no separate microprocessor.
Make the strips adjustable with a telescoping center bit, use one set of wires and plugs instead of two. Put all the smarts in one box with the P1 score button, have plugs for the P2 scoring button, LED scoring strip, and power. P2 scoring button only needs a small enclosure, long wires and one connector. Scoring strip has long wires, only one plug needed. Doing these steps would reduce parts and simplify the design. Since the Pi module has WiFi create an app for a smart phone/tablet to interface with to get a live readout of the scores as well as set scoring modes. Hell, you could even create new game variations.
Add the ability to long hold a button to remove a point in case of accidental or mistaken scores. Also, the app I mentioned above could be used to track a history of players and scores. Data could be stored in the cloud or locally.
I think you can combine the LED lights together with the net holder, in that case you don't need to use adhesive and just use the clamp of the net holder.
If it's supposed to be solder free for the end user, it's going to be a huge amount of assembly for you and your team or very expensive from your outsourced partner. Building your own PCB for the controller and buttons (using an ESP32-WROOM module rather than dev board) and having PCB connectors (wire-to-panel) would allow the whole thing to be just screwed into the box as one step with all the connectors lining up with holes in the enclosure and is something you can outsource production of a scale up very easily. Enclosure customisation could also be outsourced, and you already mentioned custom wiring looms being outsourced, same goes with the short length of addressable LED strip. Each kit could be as simple as 1x Controller, 2x Button + Enclosures, 2x LED Channel, 2xLED Strip with wires pre-connected, 2x Button Cables, 1x Power supply, +assorted fasteners/tape/stickers etc. Custom PCB brings other problems (compliance, testing, firmware upload) but simplifiers things in so many other ways that I can't see it working any other way. Soldering those connections inside the box seems like a bit of a nightmare, and anyone with the skills to do that can probably recreate the project themselves anyway.
Cool video. Really enjoyed you taking us through something a little different and pointing out the “small stuff” that has to be thought about. Would be cool to make the score easily switchable via button or something and have numbers etched into the LED panel holder. Could also see an additional box could be sold as an add on feature for an central scorer to press the buttons. Where the box housed all the buttons and maybe even had a display of the score and just the LEDs on the table. Super cool concept and think it would be awesome to actually bring it to production!
Cool idea! Maybe it could also make a noise everytime a point is made. That way you avoid a buddy cheating while you go find the ball from under the sofa. Also it may be cool for everybody to choose what noise the wanna hear when they score, like a blaster sound for example.
Really love this idea, I feel like something you could've done was actually integrate the led lights into the bottom of the net. This could be done by using clear material and sewing it to the bottom of the net or some other means. The kit would then include The brain, buttons and a net. It's all plug and play and all removable. This keeps you from installing anything directly to the ping pong table or ruining the table and all of it would be full removable so you'd be able to take it to a friends table or wherever.
This is a very nice video showcasing the thought process of developing a new product. I'd like to throw in an idea. Why not throw the out the ESP dev board, create a custom PCB with the connectors and switches on and then create a suitable enclosure. The board can basically be ordered pre-assembled and added to the box. Also, The Hook Up on YT did a test of led strip channels and diffusers, maybe that's something to look into. Maybe it is a product worth realizing, just as open source!
Just a thought about a fully self contained unit with Bluetooth or radio frequency type buttons? I was picturing a solid control board under the net containing the controls and lights with a spring clamp to hold it to the table kinda like an old battery tester?. Then you’d be looking at 3 components . And if you wanted to get crazy add a net to it with sensors and sound effects for when the ball hits the net .
Not sure if it was the camera or if the LEDs seemed too dim to run in normal lighting, maybe add some individual optics to the LEDs to focus the light and then diffuse so its not harsh but still bright and defined
What about CAT5E cables? If you used RJ45 connectors for buttons and LEDs, you could use standard CAT5E cables available almost everywhere. That would make the system more adaptable for the end user.
I've been looking for an application for an Arduino Uno board I've got stuffed away in a box; this gave me the idea to make a cornhole scorekeeper like what you've done here. Really enjoy the channel!
Not sure if it would work, but one idea for connection to the controller box could be to use Cat5 cable. It's relatively cheap, can provide power, and connector ends can be attached without soldering (or you can just buy premade ones). Great video as always!
Well done Bob & Crew! With a little more tweaking, this would be a great product. I like what others have recommended about making it all wireless. As you already know, the easier a product is to set up and use right out of the box, the better! 👍👍😉😉
I have a few suggestions, if you will. First would be to switch out the tape for some 3M velcro strips to hold down each component. 2nd would be to switch out the buttons for some floor pedals so that you you don't have to take the mental effort of stopping your groove and get back to the game quicker. As you know, sometimes you get so competitive that you you don't want to break concentration. Otherwise I would buy your system in a heart beat!!!!
I think an actual LED display in the center showing the current score would be an awesome addons. Also a small speaker that let's off a tone when a point is added, and a congratulations mini-song when a winner happens (end game).
Another great video! It always looks like you guys and gals have a blast doing what you do. I hope to get there with my channel some day :) And thanks for sharing the process you went through - definitely a lot more goes into it than most people probably realize!
I'm not sure if my comment will ever be noticed but I have a few suggestions about the ESP32 dev board. Since you don't need too much wiring you could use Beetle ESP32 microcontroller or TinyPICO V2 to save some space. ❤
Now you need a sensor to see where the ball is, have it keep track automagically, and report the score and player(s) to the Table Tennis Federation of America (TTFA) for rankings. Maybe an OLED screen for scrolling advertisements and such...
Hey, you should add a function to subtract points. Sometimes people will accidentally double-click or just make a mistake. The easiest way will be by modifying the code so that esp will be counting button presses in short periods so that when someone double-taps it will subtract the point. The next thing to add is sound effects. It will make the game even more fun! You could also add a menu or an app so that users can change the required point amount to win or just to see high scores. Have a great day :)
For anyone wondering, the Ender 3 pro deal is a steal. I bought one a month ago and love it. If you are interested in getting into 3d printing here's your chance.
My 2 cents. You only need 2 boxes. 1 with the electronics and a switch, and 1 with just a switch. It'll reduce the amount of connectors, boxes, and tape. Maybe even how much wire you'll need.
Was thinking that too. Shouldn't matter where the esp is, so move it to one end. Not 'hub and spoke' but more 'master and slave'. But might not have come up during early discussions; and if they had considered other future possibilities like what else you could ever add at both ends (eg more buttons etc) versus say, take the thing and use it in for other situations nothing like two player ping pong to something like I dunno, multi team quiz (?) Where the hub/spoke style should be the better choice. I'm probably over thinking it 😀 some might say just get it built and out there but then the moment the wider world see it, they're like 'that's silly, why not that other way?' Uh... oh yeah, we never thought of that.
Nice product! I kept thinking that I would love to buy this for other games, like card ones. It would be just putting a little display and a button on the controller box, so the user can set the maximum points of the game he's playing and it's ready to go.
one improvent on this project would be to replace the wired switches with wireless self-powering switches found in some home automation systems. They use the kinetic energy of pressing the switch to send the signal.
I wonder if utilizing magnets for the mounting would help to eliminate the "semi-permanent" tape? It's been a long time since I've used a ping pong table, but don't they generally have metal frames?
Have a background in Construction Estimating, I find this pretty stinking cool! I am all into home automation and this type of stuff and you got me started in 3D printing as well I have 3v2 and CR-10S. I want to learn how to do the hardware and chip set part. I wanted to do octoprint but trying to get a Pi is kinda hard since I don't want a kit and want to start from the ground up.
Knowing it took Forby 20 minutes of Photoshop and editing to make the last "Anthony sneeze" meme with the animated emoticon droplets puts this over the top. I love it. I also really want to know what the Anthony face PNG file name is. "Anthony happy" "Anthony open wide" "Anthony sneeze" "April week 4 video PNG Anthony final version." I gotta know.
What if you could make an all in one kit where the lights are in the net, the controller is part of the net's mount to the table, and the paddles have the button to keep score (connected wirelessly?) + integrate an app so you could have a ref keep score
I like the idea, nice video. However, usability of the score doesn't strike me as too useful and my main concern is that it is hard to see the net difference between the two strips. Two possible solutions to this being: 1) put the strips together, so you can see them directly compared (Different colors of course), or 2) The winning side shows the number of points that they're ahead by coloring the excess score in a different color. Hope you have something to handle "win by 2" common scoring rule!
This could potentially be considered a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) at this point. Probably worth iterating over the presentation side of design, though.
great video. Always like to see new innovative table tennis products. btw we just released our own table tennis product which also started from an arduino prototype, (the FastPong training system), have you seen it or tried it?
Just a question about the 3d printing vs lasercutting acrylic for the prototype box: Is 3d printing cheaper? Cause you choose it to prototype first and then went to the acrylic box? Also, awesome video! Gives people a good overview of the stuff surrounding getting a product from conception to production and into people's hands!
Why not do esp's in the button boxes too.... wireless wifi or bt... and 2-3 aa rechargablle batteries works well as the esp's can go into sleepmode for a lo drain on the batteries :)
Love the video and the methodology behind turning something into a real project. My only thought would be implementing a way to remove a point incase the user hits the button twice on accident
I had an idea take a look at COB LED that might be cool. And I think there are some small arduino boards that have Bluetooth on the board that way the buttons can be wireless
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Sadly guys no Microcenters in Canada, but another great vid/project
The problem with your sponsor is that they have terrible customer service, especially in the state of Pennsylvania....... For electronic goods you're better off going with All Electronics, Mouser, and/or Digikey.
Hey, actually i think it's better for the opponent to add the point because then you could only cheat by refusing to aknowledge the score but it would be obvious
If only there was a Micro Centre closer than 3500 miles.
Thanks for the promotion! I picked up one this morning with the coupon. Love what you do!
Industrial design student here, and we literally do this on a daily basis. Start from scratch and keep refining it to a production level. Really enjoyed this video.
there are dozens of us!
On a daily basis?? I'm a product design student and we do about 9 products a year
@@cosmo5076 more so the design process I mean, most projects we do span a couple months working with companies or revolving around a theme of sorts
That’s really interesting. All my friends who are industrial engineers, at my University and others, all say that their work is almost entirely optimizing process flow instead of designing individual products. All engineering fields are pretty diverse so it’s neat to see where the focus is at other schools.
@@101RicanBoy oh lol I thought you meant you start from scratch every day and design something new 🤣 would be a pretty crazy course
Awesome new score-keeper design! But can it really compare to the smell of laser cut leather filling your workshop?? 😝
Hey Evan and Katelyn! My family loves watching y’all, you guys are really funny!!
extremely lacking in the googly eye dept as well....
Yoo only two comments
Well now 4
It stinks like hell, I know something about it ;) laser cut leather and felt are overpowering...
The last time I needed a ton of pieces of tape that were roughly the same size, I cut the entire roll in two places on my bandsaw. You end up with a nice stack of properly-sized pieces.
Brilliant video idea Bob. I would love to see you take this through more refinement, packaging, and distribution. And do this with other projects.
Great video!
What most people do not realize is that products like these probably need certification before being allowed to sell it and that step is really expensive / hard.
Some number labels on the side of the aluminum channel beneath each LED would be useful so you don't have to count the number of lights. It you could find black anodized channel, you could even laser scribe the numbers, which would look really cool.
Or swap out the defuser on the led strip for an opaque material and laser cut numbers out so the numbers themselves light up.
This is one of my favorite videos of yours. It’s super helpful to see the thought process behind how you might take a tinkering idea to a product. Thanks!
What an epic journey from being a part of the twitch stream when E&K were there making that net with you to this point now. Thanks for bringing us along ❤️
Yes it was!
I do love that while you can tell that ILTMS is growing, you can tell that at its core it's still the same encouraging videos about being able to make the stuff you love, and this video is a fantastic idea!
I think a core part of making something "production ready" is making it as simple as possible. For example moving the esp microcontroller into one of the button boxes removes an entire box, some wires and a connector. In the same way I think that splitting the led strip into two adds a bunch of complexity for a marginal gain in versatility. Very cool idea and I enjoyed the optimisation and building process you showed.
Hey Bob, Awesome design! One suggestion if you want it - Use a multicolor LED strip. The colors would break up the scoring, making it easier to tell how many points you actually have! Or you could print out the numbers on clear vinyl and stick it to the net. That way, the LEDs would light up the number indicating how many points you have.
I like the refinement and scaling focus of this video. I hear about it all the time in entrepreneur forums but never fully understood what that might look like. This sheds some light on that process. Thanks for all you guys do.
If you want to Design a custom pcb - I had great success using easyeda - even copying example’s together can make greater project’s. But if you have to place or replace a component - always check for the components datasheet. They show the different versions and specifications and often include a useage example
This video genuinely came out at the perfect time. Been designing a 40-yard dash timing system for the past month or so and this helped answer a lot of questions I had to get my project from prototype to my first version! Thanks y'all!
Phoenix, AZ NEEDS A MICRO CENTER! It seems like the coolest place ever
Love this video. I have a device that's past prototyping and it's in the batch production phase, and your points and thought processes are accurate and on point. Thanks for this for future builders, since this isn't discussed almost at all.
The stock footage of the Micro Center you used is the one in my area! I've been going there since I was a kid, and they are the oldest standing Micro Center out of them all.
Probably not everyone will be as excited about that as I am, but it was neat to see a place I know, in one of your videos, even if it was just stock footage that was probably given to you by Micro Center.
I would use a project box right from the get-go for the electronics as well as the buttons. It’ll save you a lot of time cutting acrylic on the laser, as well as save you on the acrylic cost as well.
This is an excellent video! I really like how you took us along through the prototyping process and addressed a lot of the things that you have to consider when designing a product. I really love this stuff!
This is such a great video! I use several of your videos with my Design and Modeling students to show them the Design Process in action. This is another great one to add to my list! Hopefully it will help them better understand how and why to improve their projects!
Great overview here to remind someone of all the details you have to look at in order to bring a product into actual production. Making a prototype is one thing, but there's a whole lot of refinement necessary to scale it up. Thanks for sharing!
Expanding this idea, since you're using ESP32 you should have a good code base to make a similar setup for corn hole. Just requiring a ESP32 module for each side and then could use LEDs or even 8-seg number read outs. Awesome project and great job explaining your thought/design process.
Should be able to make the max score programmable, do something with the existing inputs like hold down one button, press the other button N times, and release the first button.
We are discussing that. The ESP's USB port is accessible for tinkerers tp adjust that. But we'd like to make it easier for anyone.
@@Iliketomakestuff a dial with a small screen to display the max points perhaps? Might make the box too big though.
Awesome idea, great video. I think a good addition would be a speaker plug for optional obnoxious "I won, sucker!" Winning sound
A cool upgrade would be a fiber optic net. So as you score points it lights up and moves towards the center. Also like another comment about adding sound. Something for points scored, start of game, winning the game etc.
Don't know if you've considered the following:
1- Add a button battery to the "point add" boxes and make it send an IR signal. Mount all boxes on the side of the table to get a clear and leveled view and now you don't need wiring for these. The boxes can be smaller, and the IR emitter is pretty cheap. Basically a one button remote.
2- Velcro instead of double sided tape. That way you can remove it after the game for storage and just leave a felt glued on. Also, you can have multiple felts for cheap so you can have several places "ready" to attach your boxes with just one kit. Extra felt is very cheap.
3- The main box could have the IR receiver for the new "point add" boxes. One on each side and it would still be cheap. Mount it in between the others and you should get a reliable signal. Also attached with velcro but a larger piece since it will have to hold some of the weight of the cables for the LEDs and the power.
Just some ideas for you. Hope it helps.
Another great video! Fantastic with a completely new type of video - I like it!
A couple of things on the 'Design for manufacture' process:
*The acrylic boxes are nice (lasercutters rock!) - but a lot more people have access to a 3D printer. Also, Less parts means less manufacturing time since you don't need to clue them together.
*The pressfit is really nice but you have to remember the kerf of your machine - if one were using a printed enclosure a single screw would secure everything
*Having the lights as two parts is neat - but it does add more wiring (and more connectors, which is added cost). Since you have an ESP module you have the option to create a simple webpage for configuration - adjusting the width of the strip (or even adjusting the centerpoint), setting how many points you would play to (Hey, let's do a quick match to 3!)
The ESP module is great but have some issues with pins being used for internal stuff (Bootmode, external memory and other things) - You found out the hard way ;)
Did you consider using ESPNow? having an ESP-01 in the buttons would allow for wireless buttons (even fewer connectors!) but at the cost of batteries needed. I'm pretty sure the cost of those tine modules will match the cost of your connectors!
IF you were to make a custom PCB for a project like this I'd like to add that you would want to look into mounted connectors. That way you could skip the soldering of wires part and have your electronics production handling that part as well. You would only have to screw the parts together and ship it. (Programming jig would be placed at the electronics supplier as well)
Keep up the great work! I'd love to see more of this from you guys :)
Crazy cool video making a prototype with the thought process behind it!
Micro Center PWNS. I visited one for the first time last year (in Chicago.) It was an experience for sure. There isn't a single-thing that I can think of that someone would need to build that is tech-related that wasn't there.
Hey bob, for connectors, i like to use RJ11, they are cheap, inexpensive, and usualy comes with 4 wires (I like to use them for ground, VCC, and 2 digital IO)
they are very usefull for components that use 2 a 4 pins, and easy to extend because the wire for it is widely available even in common stores
if you want more wires you can jump up to RJ45 (standart ethernet connector)
i love them in my projects (since i have them always laying around from old appliances in my house)
You might not have thought about this. What about trying to fold up the table? You don’t want to be taking off and on vhb tape all the time so it would be nice if you could fold up the table with the lights still on it
EXCELLENT IDEA, I like it a lot.
A Suggestion: ad another button on the score boxes to rest a point, in case a player pushes the ad point button by accident.
Or have long-press "undo" a point.
Due to the minimal amount of required pins you could probably use a Arduino beetle or ESP8266 (WEMOS D1 Mini) but for the plugs what was wrong with the first design (it looked like you planned for DC plugs but canned it) thats how I wouldn't done it. If you were going to use that idea for a plug you may as well use a molex plug and just have a single wiring harness. Another type of plug you could use could be a headphone jack this way with it having 3 connections you could use it for the buttons so so you split the ground off to each button and give each button their own io input and use the pullup input type to read the button.
How about a wireless system with small battery powered radio, wifi or ble transmitters that you can throw in your pocket or on your belt and just click buttons to add points. Then you could have a small box that receives signal from transmitters, counts the points and either displays them on an led strip or on 2 screens so both players can see the score. Then it would be completely unintrusive and could be used on public ping pong tables or if you often visit a local sports center to play ping pong. Another great use would be other sports such as squash, racquetball or badminton where you don't want to have any objects inside the court for safety, but you could absolutely have a small box with a screen behind the glass wall and a tiny transmitter in your pocket. I've been looking for something like this for super long, but there's literally nothing. There used to be one watch that helped keep score, but it got discontinued.
You can cut out all the wiring to the buttons by using an esp 01 in each box, communicating directly to the esp running the LEDs.
As a mechanical designer with some electronics background, I really appreciate this video. Many people are afraid to make a prototype because the amount of new things involved
I would really like to buy/make this for myself. Even if it was a "DYI Kit" that just had all the parts necessary, I would love to put this together for my own ping pong table.
I love seeing the process of going from a one-off to a potential product. Really informative on the different challenges you face. Cheers!
I think offering both would be cool. A cheaper DIY kit, or for extra money a fully assembled product.
So, I've been working on a filament changer an Ender 3 level printer. Since you can get a 3D printer like this for about $180, the filament changer shouldn't cost more than about $40-$60 with each additional extra filament only costing about $10. This is about third of the retail price of a Bambu Lab Mini MMU. I'm shooting for a print-it-yourself and assemble it solution, with the idea of being for at this price the end user will have to be tolerant of more failures. Also, the initial MVP will run as an OctoPrint plugin, so no separate microprocessor.
Make the strips adjustable with a telescoping center bit, use one set of wires and plugs instead of two. Put all the smarts in one box with the P1 score button, have plugs for the P2 scoring button, LED scoring strip, and power. P2 scoring button only needs a small enclosure, long wires and one connector. Scoring strip has long wires, only one plug needed. Doing these steps would reduce parts and simplify the design. Since the Pi module has WiFi create an app for a smart phone/tablet to interface with to get a live readout of the scores as well as set scoring modes. Hell, you could even create new game variations.
Add the ability to long hold a button to remove a point in case of accidental or mistaken scores. Also, the app I mentioned above could be used to track a history of players and scores. Data could be stored in the cloud or locally.
I think you can combine the LED lights together with the net holder, in that case you don't need to use adhesive and just use the clamp of the net holder.
If it's supposed to be solder free for the end user, it's going to be a huge amount of assembly for you and your team or very expensive from your outsourced partner. Building your own PCB for the controller and buttons (using an ESP32-WROOM module rather than dev board) and having PCB connectors (wire-to-panel) would allow the whole thing to be just screwed into the box as one step with all the connectors lining up with holes in the enclosure and is something you can outsource production of a scale up very easily. Enclosure customisation could also be outsourced, and you already mentioned custom wiring looms being outsourced, same goes with the short length of addressable LED strip. Each kit could be as simple as 1x Controller, 2x Button + Enclosures, 2x LED Channel, 2xLED Strip with wires pre-connected, 2x Button Cables, 1x Power supply, +assorted fasteners/tape/stickers etc.
Custom PCB brings other problems (compliance, testing, firmware upload) but simplifiers things in so many other ways that I can't see it working any other way. Soldering those connections inside the box seems like a bit of a nightmare, and anyone with the skills to do that can probably recreate the project themselves anyway.
Love watching the thought process from start to finish! I’d love to see more videos like this!
Cool video. Really enjoyed you taking us through something a little different and pointing out the “small stuff” that has to be thought about. Would be cool to make the score easily switchable via button or something and have numbers etched into the LED panel holder. Could also see an additional box could be sold as an add on feature for an central scorer to press the buttons. Where the box housed all the buttons and maybe even had a display of the score and just the LEDs on the table. Super cool concept and think it would be awesome to actually bring it to production!
Have fun at Makers Central, Bob!
Cool idea! Maybe it could also make a noise everytime a point is made. That way you avoid a buddy cheating while you go find the ball from under the sofa. Also it may be cool for everybody to choose what noise the wanna hear when they score, like a blaster sound for example.
Really love this idea, I feel like something you could've done was actually integrate the led lights into the bottom of the net. This could be done by using clear material and sewing it to the bottom of the net or some other means. The kit would then include The brain, buttons and a net. It's all plug and play and all removable. This keeps you from installing anything directly to the ping pong table or ruining the table and all of it would be full removable so you'd be able to take it to a friends table or wherever.
ESP32 and ESP8266 have been my go-to for prototyping for a year now. Cheap, small and easy to use.
This is a very nice video showcasing the thought process of developing a new product.
I'd like to throw in an idea. Why not throw the out the ESP dev board, create a custom PCB with the connectors and switches on and then create a suitable enclosure. The board can basically be ordered pre-assembled and added to the box.
Also, The Hook Up on YT did a test of led strip channels and diffusers, maybe that's something to look into.
Maybe it is a product worth realizing, just as open source!
Just a thought about a fully self contained unit with Bluetooth or radio frequency type buttons? I was picturing a solid control board under the net containing the controls and lights with a spring clamp to hold it to the table kinda like an old battery tester?. Then you’d be looking at 3 components . And if you wanted to get crazy add a net to it with sensors and sound effects for when the ball hits the net .
I always enjoy how you all share your processes and this was no different. Lots of practical knowledge here. Good luck on scaling things up!
Thanks 👍
Not sure if it was the camera or if the LEDs seemed too dim to run in normal lighting, maybe add some individual optics to the LEDs to focus the light and then diffuse so its not harsh but still bright and defined
Fantastic work, Bob! Nicely done! 😃
It turned out fantastic!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
What about CAT5E cables? If you used RJ45 connectors for buttons and LEDs, you could use standard CAT5E cables available almost everywhere. That would make the system more adaptable for the end user.
you should look at trying to use the batteryless wireless switches. could make the whole thing way simpler wiring wise
I've been looking for an application for an Arduino Uno board I've got stuffed away in a box; this gave me the idea to make a cornhole scorekeeper like what you've done here. Really enjoy the channel!
Not sure if it would work, but one idea for connection to the controller box could be to use Cat5 cable. It's relatively cheap, can provide power, and connector ends can be attached without soldering (or you can just buy premade ones). Great video as always!
If you bought a product with an ethernet port wouldn't you be confused?
Very cool video. I'm a software developer so I'm used to building and shipping that, not physical stuff. Super interesting to see that process
Well done Bob & Crew! With a little more tweaking, this would be a great product. I like what others have recommended about making it all wireless. As you already know, the easier a product is to set up and use right out of the box, the better! 👍👍😉😉
This was a cool idea for a video! The process orientated stuff is very interesting!
I have a few suggestions, if you will. First would be to switch out the tape for some 3M velcro strips to hold down each component. 2nd would be to switch out the buttons for some floor pedals so that you you don't have to take the mental effort of stopping your groove and get back to the game quicker. As you know, sometimes you get so competitive that you you don't want to break concentration. Otherwise I would buy your system in a heart beat!!!!
That was by far the most convincing reenactment I've ever witnessed.
Hahaha. Josh really sells it.
I think an actual LED display in the center showing the current score would be an awesome addons. Also a small speaker that let's off a tone when a point is added, and a congratulations mini-song when a winner happens (end game).
Technically can be used with any table top game. Loves it!
Hey Bob! I love your projects! You should build a virtual pinball machine!!!
0:35 perfect chance to say " today we're going to do something a little different, but kind of the same" like Seth on Berm Peak
What a great project! I love going to the Micro Center near me in Dallas. Looks like it’s time to go back.
This is really clearly next level !
Your shop is taking shape! I had to watch twice cause I was too busy checking out what’s going on in the background. 3D printing area!
Haha. There's a lot going on in there.
@@Iliketomakestuff maybe a update on the shop here in a couple weeks from now?
Another great video! It always looks like you guys and gals have a blast doing what you do. I hope to get there with my channel some day :) And thanks for sharing the process you went through - definitely a lot more goes into it than most people probably realize!
This video was so informative for a beginner like myself in arduino and electronics. Great vid!
I really wish we had micro-center near here. FL has a huge lack of stores for this kinda thing.
I'm not sure if my comment will ever be noticed but I have a few suggestions about the ESP32 dev board. Since you don't need too much wiring you could use Beetle ESP32 microcontroller or TinyPICO V2 to save some space. ❤
Awesome idea and the room is looking great! You have the best job ever. Soooo, are you hiring?
Ha. Not right now unfortunately.
Tip: Remember Kinser’s Law - “About the time you finish something, you know enough to start.”
Now you need a sensor to see where the ball is, have it keep track automagically, and report the score and player(s) to the Table Tennis Federation of America (TTFA) for rankings. Maybe an OLED screen for scrolling advertisements and such...
Hey, you should add a function to subtract points. Sometimes people will accidentally double-click or just make a mistake. The easiest way will be by modifying the code so that esp will be counting button presses in short periods so that when someone double-taps it will subtract the point. The next thing to add is sound effects. It will make the game even more fun! You could also add a menu or an app so that users can change the required point amount to win or just to see high scores.
Have a great day :)
For anyone wondering, the Ender 3 pro deal is a steal. I bought one a month ago and love it. If you are interested in getting into 3d printing here's your chance.
My 2 cents. You only need 2 boxes. 1 with the electronics and a switch, and 1 with just a switch. It'll reduce the amount of connectors, boxes, and tape. Maybe even how much wire you'll need.
Was thinking that too. Shouldn't matter where the esp is, so move it to one end.
Not 'hub and spoke' but more 'master and slave'.
But might not have come up during early discussions; and if they had considered other future possibilities like what else you could ever add at both ends (eg more buttons etc) versus say, take the thing and use it in for other situations nothing like two player ping pong to something like I dunno, multi team quiz (?) Where the hub/spoke style should be the better choice.
I'm probably over thinking it 😀 some might say just get it built and out there but then the moment the wider world see it, they're like 'that's silly, why not that other way?' Uh... oh yeah, we never thought of that.
I’m really enjoying this product development video.
Nice product! I kept thinking that I would love to buy this for other games, like card ones. It would be just putting a little display and a button on the controller box, so the user can set the maximum points of the game he's playing and it's ready to go.
one improvent on this project would be to replace the wired switches with wireless self-powering switches found in some home automation systems. They use the kinetic energy of pressing the switch to send the signal.
Those are really expensive. Batteries are the better alternative
The ILTMS Office seems less like an office and more like a grown man playground. 👍
I wonder if utilizing magnets for the mounting would help to eliminate the "semi-permanent" tape? It's been a long time since I've used a ping pong table, but don't they generally have metal frames?
Have a background in Construction Estimating, I find this pretty stinking cool! I am all into home automation and this type of stuff and you got me started in 3D printing as well I have 3v2 and CR-10S. I want to learn how to do the hardware and chip set part. I wanted to do octoprint but trying to get a Pi is kinda hard since I don't want a kit and want to start from the ground up.
Knowing it took Forby 20 minutes of Photoshop and editing to make the last "Anthony sneeze" meme with the animated emoticon droplets puts this over the top. I love it.
I also really want to know what the Anthony face PNG file name is. "Anthony happy" "Anthony open wide" "Anthony sneeze" "April week 4 video PNG Anthony final version."
I gotta know.
So cool! Could you add numbers that correspond to the number of lights so it's easy to tell the numerical score at a glance?
What if you could make an all in one kit where the lights are in the net, the controller is part of the net's mount to the table, and the paddles have the button to keep score (connected wirelessly?) + integrate an app so you could have a ref keep score
8:18 ahh the arcade cabinets I remember the MK11 y'all made 😅
Maybe use a long press to remove a point if one was added by mistake. Wouldn't have to cycle through points to get back to what the display should be.
I like the idea, nice video. However, usability of the score doesn't strike me as too useful and my main concern is that it is hard to see the net difference between the two strips. Two possible solutions to this being: 1) put the strips together, so you can see them directly compared (Different colors of course), or 2) The winning side shows the number of points that they're ahead by coloring the excess score in a different color. Hope you have something to handle "win by 2" common scoring rule!
This could potentially be considered a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) at this point. Probably worth iterating over the presentation side of design, though.
great video. Always like to see new innovative table tennis products.
btw we just released our own table tennis product which also started from an arduino prototype, (the FastPong training system), have you seen it or tried it?
Great video about the thought process to improve an idea!
Just a question about the 3d printing vs lasercutting acrylic for the prototype box:
Is 3d printing cheaper? Cause you choose it to prototype first and then went to the acrylic box?
Also, awesome video! Gives people a good overview of the stuff surrounding getting a product from conception to production and into people's hands!
Why not do esp's in the button boxes too.... wireless wifi or bt... and 2-3 aa rechargablle batteries works well as the esp's can go into sleepmode for a lo drain on the batteries :)
Love the video and the methodology behind turning something into a real project. My only thought would be implementing a way to remove a point incase the user hits the button twice on accident
I had an idea take a look at COB LED that might be cool. And I think there are some small arduino boards that have Bluetooth on the board that way the buttons can be wireless
Very cool. Should transition well to scorekeeping for Corn-Hole (bean bag toss) among others. Thanks for sharing.
We need a micro center here in kentucky. I miss the one we had in columbus when I lived there.
Loved this new style of video. 👍