Battle counter PC version

[dalep]

Hi All,

Has this not already been done in this thread??

http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/show...ght=pachicount

This great little board give out all sorts of stats and is fully networkable.

1. Tokens In
2. Tokens Out
3. Regular Bonus Count (Number of times in the bonus)
4. Regular Bonus Net (Net Tokens won over all the bonus hits)
5. Regular Bonus Last (How many Tokens In since last bonus hit)
6. Regular Bonus This (How many tokens won in the most recent or current bonus round)
7. Regular Bonus Minimum (The minimum tokens won in all previous rounds)
8. Regular Bonus Maximum (The maximum tokens won in all previous rounds)
9. Big Bonus Count
10. Big Bonus Net
11. Big Bonus Last
12. Big Bonus This
13. Big Bonus Minimum
14. Big Bonus Maximum

I am in the process of writing up a full review of the product and currently have 7 machines networked together.

The design used, in theory (i dont have enough machines to test!) allows for a very high number of machines to be connected. the ulitimate limited is defined by the technical specifications of the devices used, and its a bit on the complicated side..., but it should allow up to 100 machines or more.

Anyhow, if you are in the UK or somewhere thereabouts, then contact me
pachislo@rfidsecurity.com

Or if elsewhere, contact Marty

pfiesm@yahoo.com (www.http://www.tammarproducts.com)

[pfiesm]

Thanks Dale, hope there working good for you. The web link you posted was misstyped, here is the corrct link:

www.tammarproducts.com

Marty

[Random_Hajile]

Hi all!

Good to see that the Battle System made it to English. Sorry I've been away for a while, but I should be coming back to the UK in 2011 and was planning to pick up where I left off. My pachis are safely stored and still working 100%. Sadly, my websites got trashed and the connector cable prototypes have disintegrated (cardboard box in a shed is not a good place to store things like that...). I'm wondering if anyone would still be interested in the system's development in the future and the move from parallel port to full USB? I'm trying to dig out all of the old documentation for it and still have all of the source code on SourceForge and even found the latest one on a hard drive (can't believe it's survived... My hard drives have crashed more times than and F1 team...).

Sorry to bump this thread, I know it's old, but the return will be genuine and if things calm down in the next year before coming back, I'll try to begin work on the other aspect of it before getting it hooked to the pachis. There's also a few places here that make up PCBs quite cheaply, so I might see about digging out the old schematics, too...

The best way to keep in touch would be email (randomhajile114 (at) hotmail.com) or I do have a blog, but it's not very pachi related... An Englishman In The East v2... If I start the project early, though, there'll be information on there first.

[owennewton]

My hard drives have crashed more times than an F1 team...

[Random_Hajile]

Update: compirate has been in touch and thanks to those emails, I managed to ramble on for quite a bit, which really helped me think about a few things.

Here's my plans for the future of my Battle System:

1. The system will attempt to track EVERYTHING.
2. The system will store the information on board incase of power failure.
3. The software will include a web-based tracker for the pachis/pachinkos.
4. I will attempt to learn new programming skills to try and make this one platform independant (Mac / Linux / Windows) or make the whole system self-contained. By that, I mean the module would create the output and it'll be accessed via a small, in-built webserver. This might increase the cost to produce it, though...
5. The LPT version will still be finished for those who like that option.
6. The website will come back with all previous materials on it.
7. Input, advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated and will be well received!

That's about it for now. I'm currently re-designing the PCBs and looking into microprocessors and microcontrollers for the future of the project. I'll keep everyone here posted on the development of this one, and will check back regularly for any suggestions or requests to keep in my little project notebook.

[compirate]

I like the direction this is going, keep up the good work!

I like the idea of an individual hardware unit that attaches to the game (with cables), prefer the idea of an ethernet connected system (like pfiesm's, but with up to 8 inputs per unit).

My grandiose parlor plan calls for 8 inputs per pachinko and 7 per pachislo:

Data lines - Per machine

Pachinko
1 Starts
2 Bonus
3 CT-Bonus
4 Balls In
5 Balls Loaned
6 Balls Won
7 Balls Out
8 Door Open/Error

Pachislo
1 Coins In
2 Coins Out
3 Big Bonus
4 Reg -Bonus
5 CT Bonus
6 Coins Loaned
7 Errors

[takethecastle57]

Use Solid State Hard Drives and do a data back-up daily

[compirate]

would you end up with real-time data that way?

[Random_Hajile]

The LPT model is still the way I'm going to finish the first system... I've been looking at datasheets for USB controllers and the specifications for USB communication... It's doing my head in a treat!

I think a Thin Client (like compirate suggested) and a client / server setup would be ideal for a big collection. Connecting through RJ45 or RJ11 is a possibility, but it would be easier to custom make the cable with an RJ45 crimped to one end and an 8-pin pitch connector at the other. Pachinkos would need multiple connectors (from lookng at compirate's setup).

I know there are two types of status boards in Pachislos (or so I've seen). One has a 6-pin and the other is an 8-pin (the thing that triggers remote resets). It would be extremely handy to see if there's any information on the error reporting lines in the machines. I have a schematic and the error connector has 16 lines, but they're unmapped. If someone has the mappings for these, it would be fantastic, but brings down the numbers of available machines able to be connected to an LPT port...

The first system ran almost in real time, and I aim to try and keep it that way. I did look into that whole I-PAC interface and keyboard encoders as a way of doing it, but then the problem comes that everything has to be in focus on the computer so that the typing doesn't affect anything else, or even triggers some system even which makes the computer switch to another program. I'm sure I'll figure something out soon.

In the meantime, I can't find the old website, but I've decided to start it all over again anyway. Should have a new project page in a week or so and then we can go from there.

I like the idea of full tracking on the system. It gives rise to so much in terms of data analysis and things like that. Apart from those things, there's slow progress at the moment. Waiting for Visual Studio 2010 Pro to be released and get my copy (my 2005 Pro went missing), then I can crack on.

Sorry to ramble on a bit there, but thought it might be nice to keep everyone informed!

[compirate]

Ramble all you want!

[Random_Hajile]

Going through on building the interfaces and working things out... Does anyone know the Molex connector used on the relay boards? There are three types AFAIK: 6-pin, 8-pin (both pachislo) and the 2-pin on the pachinkos. Trying to source parts and stuff is a nightmare... However, I kind of made a breakthrough for a relatively low cost solution and also a slightly pricier, but infinitely expandable second option...

[compirate]

The connections on pachinkos varies from maker to maker. At this point, I'd put a multi-pin header on the board and worry about the machine connections later.

[Random_Hajile]

Okay... Sorry for the lack of updates... But here goes a little push for the system:

Pachi Battle System - The Ultimate Stat Tracker

It's a VERY basic site... Back to the programming. I'll try to keep everyone informed as I go.

[daverob]

I haven't noticed this thread as I don't really follow the pachislo forums, but when compirate mentioned it in a pachinko thread I thought I'd have a look around and see what it was all about. So forgive me if I'm a little late for the party, but I thought I'd chuck a few ideas around.

I've been bouncing a few thoughts around my head for a similar sort of battle counter/data logger idea for a while, but haven't properly got it off the ground yet.

My idea was to use a microcontroller with embedded ethernet and web server, which would count and keep the statistics and serve them straight to a web browser (or provide an .xml file for a PC based application).

I'd pretty much decided on using the PIC18F67J60 microcontroller, as the manufacturers provide the source code for a complete ethernet stack and web server (which is the difficult part), and all you have to do is code up some web page templates that contain special pointers, and then implement some handler routines that are called to 'fill in the blanks' whenever these pointers are encountered as the web pages are served.

I got as far as buying a development board from Olimex and playing around with a single channel input using the sample code, but haven't got round to setting up the development environment and starting some proper work on it yet.

The dev board cost me £55 delivered (about $85), but it includes a few things that aren't really needed in this application. So the plan was to custom design my own board with the pachi interfacing built in. This would include input circuitry that would work with either the contact outputs from Pachislo or Pachinkos, or with optional opto-isolators for the voltage outputs that some Pachinkos use. This microcontroller chip has plenty of input/output channels as well, so could easily be configured to monitor more than one Pachi.

Due to the obvious overlap between this and the non-PC hosted future design you have in mind, maybe it would be worth collaborating on this. I have enough knowledge of the requirements for the Pachinko side of this, but very little for the Pachislo side, and I'm guessing that your knowledge is more biassed towards the Pachislos rather than Pachinkos, so it might be a good combination.

[Random_Hajile]

I'd be interested in a collaboration. At present, my experimentation combines USB interfacing, secured web server solution and also a touch-panel display interface. That's the ultimate version I'm aiming for. I've already started figuring out how to go about a centralised and a decentralised tracker for stats... Get in touch and we can discuss it!

[Random_Hajile]

Out of the time limit for editing that last post... I wanted to add:

If anyone has the mappings for the fault reporting lines (that 16 pin header on the relay board), I'd love to know about it. I would love to be able to add in fault monitoring in this system. Please get in touch and let me know.

[Random_Hajile]

Okay... Been quite a while, but here goes (for those who don't follow my blog on PachiTalk Why not? ):
Ordered the dev system. Should be with me in a month or so. Currently back-tracking through the code to re-discover how bonus rounds work without a pachi is difficult, but I'm getting there.

I can't get my hands on the board until my birthday (lovely gift for my 30th, although it scares me that it feels like only yesterday I was 21...) and can't start testing until I get back to China. Upon my return here, though, I only have about one more year to go before finally returning to England where I can dedicate more time to my little projects.

I'm also going to be working on more than just the battle counter. I'll let you know about other things via the blog on here, but just thought I'd let everyone know that I hadn't forgotten about it and am still working behind the scenes on the stat tracker system. Also, Daverob had some great ideas. When I get back to the UK, it'll be great to work together on some of them!

[Random_Hajile]

Update for y'all... I have a working prtotype of the battle counter. It's USB connectable and has the ability to track millions of machines... In theory.

The problem is that now I'm back in China, there's no way for me to test it with a working pachi... Luckily, Newintown has been helping out with information regarding triggers and things from his new version interface board on the Sankyo Indiana Jones.

Next step is to build the testing simulator (of which I've made a start) to simulate how far the tracker can go in terms of being bombarded with data at every turn. Once that's stable, I believe we can enter what is known as a beta test! Places on that test will be limited, though. Plus, there'll be a bonus for those select few. ;-)

Sorry to have been absent for a while. Will keep everyone posted with any major breakthroughs and updates as they come along!

It's just been a bit of , and some of , but it's getting to the point of being a bit .

[Random_Hajile]

UPDATE:

USB communication is working well, daisy chaining is working well! .

Slight problem: I don't have a pachislo on hand to program the bonus round handling . If anyone can help out with a video of a relay board with a visual indication of how the rounds are handled across the relays, please get in touch! There could be something in it for you .

I'm estimating we're not far off the beta test and then providing that goes well, the full launch! Expect events and things once that happens! Take it easy, guys! I'll try to keep you posted!

[99cadillacman]

I've been poking around online, trying to see if anyone made a PC battle counter,
I came across this, ƒf�[ƒ^ƒJƒEƒ“ƒ^�iPC”Å�j‚̃y�[ƒW
But without decompiling the code and doing all the language tweaks, it's not much use to me.
Has anyone come across an english version of something similar?

RADISH- i didnt know you were over here too man!
( caddy from klov)