Tag: button

Game Show Buzzer System V2

Post author By Pete Prodoehl
Post date 2025-01-19

The name “Game Show Buzzer System V2” is a misnomer but I’m gonna go with it… See, I’ve built more than one “Game Show Buzzer” type of system since the original post but they were not documented here for various reasons… Anyway, this is a system I designed quite a while ago but just recently had someone actually want, so I built it.

See, typically I sell one (or more) of the Big USB Buttons or even these Survey Says Buttons, but this system doesn’t use multiple individual self-contained buttons, but a control box you can plug multiple buttons into. This specific system has just two buttons but the original design had either three or four, though doing up to six (or even eight) buttons would be trivial.

The control box plugs into a computer via USB and can send keys, keystrokes, USB MIDI data, or serial data. Each button plugs into the control box using a TRS cable. (That’s a 3.5mm Stereo Cable for you non-nerds in the crowd.) The TRS cable has three connections (Tip, Ring, and Sleeve) which is perfect for a button and LED.

The trick is in the code… meaning the programming is whatever is needed. For this specific build we did a USB MIDI noteOn for each button, followed by a five second lockout so no button could be pressed for five seconds. I’ve done systems where the “host” (using the control box) can reset the system, say for instance if the person/team who buzzes in first gets the quiz answer wrong, so that another team can try to buzz in and answer. Lots of possibilities, again, the magic is in the code.

I’ve built enough of these that I really should formalize things and come up with a system where you can choose the components and features and then place an order… It’s still sort of a custom thing (code always is anyway) but I think I have it down enough that a base system is in order.

Anyway, this was another fun project, though it was a bit rushed (got it built and programmed in a matter of days before it needed to ship) so there are a few small improvements I’ll be making next time.

Tags arduino, button, controller, games, usb

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Custom Lighting Controller

Post author By Pete Prodoehl
Post date 2024-08-26

I was contacted by someone wanting a custom controller to work with the lighting control software they used. The controller would be programmed as a USB MIDI device and it just needed to send noteOn data to the software. I build controllers so how could I say no?

This was the first sketch based on our discussion, which had three 60mm diameter buttons. After some back and forth the client asked about adding more/smaller buttons, so we came up with this…

But they wanted to see a four button version as well as two buttons. These quick and dirty renders were mainly to show the spacing of things. Once we agreed on what it would consist of, I got to work. (I should note that sometimes I do 2D sketches in Inkscape for the client to see, and on occasion I do the sketches directly in OpenSCAD.)

For these projects I design the enclosure in OpenSCAD and try to make things parametric so it’s simple for me to change the dimensions of things if needed. I’ve got my own OpenSCAD library I use for this, and I continually tweak it to be exactly what I need…

I’ve found this to be what works best. I get the whole reusing of code, and I do that! In the past I’ve tried to use code that other people have written but usually hit a wall when I need to do something weird or something they didn’t anticipate. This way I know all the code and what it does and how to change it easily.

I should note that this isn’t your standard computer code that can do terrible things or compromise security if you do something wrong… it just renders a 3D object.

Anyway, the controller turned out well, the client was happy, and even sent me a thank you email once they got it and started using it. I really do like doing these custom projects, and I know that sometimes I may not charge enough but I am definitely learning things along the way and perfecting my process… and there’s some value in that for me, so I’m good with it.

As always, if you need some custom built MIDI or USB controller, get in touch!

Tags button, controller, usb

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Mouse Click Space Controller

Post author By Pete Prodoehl
Post date 2024-08-04

Someone who got one of my S1D Controllers and was using it with MAME got in touch with me and wanted a version with a few buttons added on. They said the knob programmed as a mouse scroll wheel was working great, but wished it also had a left and right mouse button so (based on a provided sketch) I adjusted the case, added two buttons, programmed the knob/button to send a space character, and that was it.

I’m glad I rewrite all my OpenSCAD code for generating enclosures a while back as that made things a bit easier, but honestly I can already think of some improvements, and may end up rewriting it all again in the future…

You can find out more about the S1D Controller on this wiki page. And yes, I did in fact create a wiki for all the products I’ve created, which you can find at codex.2xlnetworks.net. It also has links to custom projects a few guides, and other things. I want it to serve as a support site for the products I build.

Etsy has worked quite well for me, but I also want a separate space, and not necessarily a separate shop, so this was a good compromise and allows me to easily update things, add new stuff, etc. All the classic wiki jazz. (It’s sometimes hard to believe I’ve been using wikis for close to 25 years!)

Tags button, controller, usb

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Arcade Button Wrenches

I use a lot of these Big Dome Pushbuttons in my line of work… and I also use the GoldLeaf Pushbuttons and sometimes you just want those things screwed in tight. So I made wrenches for both of them so you can screw them in tight.

You can get the STL and .scad files from Printables.com – Big Dome Pushbutton Wrench and also from Printables.com – GoldLeaf Pushbutton Wrench

One more word of advice, at least for the Big Dome, though it’s not a bad idea for the GoldLeafs as well… Once everything works and you’ve tightened the nut in place, add hot glue. Add a lot. Hot glue the shit out of that nut. Glue it to the panel it goes through, and glue it to the threads of the plastic housing. Why? Because I’ve seem both kids and adults in my time twist the button until it rips the wires off. It’s possible with the Big Dome if not glued down, and while I’ve never seen it on the GoldLeaf buttons, I still add glue just in case.

Oh, this is also the first time I’ve tried PolyMaker filament. I grabbed a roll of Polymaker PolyTerra “Army Light Green (HEX Code – ?A78403)” Matte PLA Filament. I like the color, but I realized this may be the first time I’ve used matte filament. It’s different than what I’m used to, but I don’t hate it. The PolyTerra PLA comes on cardboard spools, which should be more environmentally friendly than all those darn plastic spools. Supposedly for every Polymaker PolyTerra spool sold a tree is planted. I don’t know how to confirm that but if true, that’s a nice thing.

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Tags 3dprinting, button

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Three Button Tradeshow Video Player Controller

Post author By Pete Prodoehl
Post date 2022-11-28

I was contacted by a trade show company about helping with a project on a tight deadline. At first it seemed as though they had a solution but just needed some hardware or some advice, but I did a call with the software developers and it seemed like the quickest (and most solid) plan was to create a drop-in replacement for what they were working on (and were stuck on) that would do exactly what was required.

One of the requirements was for each button to be lit a specific amount of time to match the length of video playback for each button. Since we didn’t yet know the lengths of the video, and I had to ship this across the country, I suggested an easy method of setting the time for each button to be lit. This would allow them to dial in (literally) the timing once they had the videos completed.

We did know that the videos would be under 75 seconds. Just to be safe I set the timers to go up to 90 seconds (1 minute, 30 seconds, to be precise.) The controller plugs into a computer via USB and sends commands that the custom software needs to play the appropriate video.

There are a lot of details I didn’t know, but it seemed like I had enough to do my part. They sent me a rendering of a cabinet the controller would live in (which I’ve replicated in the simple sketch above). When I was building museum exhibits much of my work lived inside of cabinets and was never seen by the public, only technicians… that doesn’t mean things shouldn’t look nice.

There’s a small OLED display in the controller which shows the time that corresponds to each button, and can be adjusted by the appropriate dial. The dials are 3D printed because I forgot to pocket out the back of the lid where the potentiometers are placed. There’s a few compromises that were made due to this being a rush job. (I completed this build in under a week, using only parts I had in my shop at the time.)

For other controllers I’ve used TRS jack and cables to connect the buttons, or on occasion, Cat5 cables and connectors. Both are nice because they are easy to obtain in any length, and trade show companies usually have a bunch in their inventory.

The bottom of the enclosure has four mounting holes, and I included screws to allow it to be attached inside the cabinet. Alternately, VHB or hook & loop could be used to attach it.

As always, if you need a device you can check out raster.etsy.com for some of the more popular stock items I make, but if you need something custom just get in touch.

Tags arduino, button, controller, tradeshow, usb