Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
16 Poker Chip Counting Companion
Adish Patil
David Hahn
Forrest Hare
Qingyu Li design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
other1.pdf
photo1.jpg
photo2.jpg
photo3.jpg
presentation1.pptx
video1.MOV
video
# Poker Chip Counting Companion

## Team Members:

- Forrest Hare (fhare2)
- Adish Patil (adish2)
- David Hahn (davidh7)

## Problem:

In our free time we enjoy playing Texas Hold’em poker. Before, during and after every game,
we have to count different colored chips that equate to different cent/dollar values. Having to do
this by hand is not only very time consuming but can also lead to errors which would result in a player
having too much or too little chips. Furthermore, calculating the buyouts for each person can be a cumbersome
task. These time consuming and easily mistakable tasks pose a serious problem for every game.

## Solution:

To solve the problems introduced above, and improve the overall poker experience, we’d like to design a cohesive chip counting machine. With the Poker Chip Counting Companion, setting up and playing a game of Poker becomes a much smoother experience! The Poker Chip Counting Companion will accurately dispense poker chips based on user inputs about the game such as the buy-in and big/small blind metrics (Dispensing State). The device will also calculate the appropriate amount of each color chip required which takes the guess-work out of figuring out the proper chip stacks when starting a game. At the end of a game, the device will switch to a buy-out operating mode (Collection State), which will then correctly count the remaining stack sizes of each player. The entire machine will be powered from the USB-C Power Subsystem. The user interaction will occur through the web app subsystem where a user can input information, control the state of the machine, and receive information about the game. The User input data will be communicated to the rest of the machine from a bluetooth connection. Data from the app will be used in the Dispenser control subsystem.

## Solution Components -

- 4 PVC tubes (4.5cm diameter and 30cm tall so the poker chips can fit inside)
- 4 bipolar linear stepper motors with screw shaft (used for raising and lowering the chips from the PVC tubes)
- 1 bluetooth transceiver
- 1 counter IC (CD74HC4017EE4)
- 1 USB-C power connector (digi-key 10132328-10011LF)
- Assortment of AND/OR logic gates
- Several LEDs (for indication that the device is in operating mode)

## USB-C Power - Subsystem 1:

Provides Power from a USB-C connection. The proper voltages and currents needed for each other sub system will be given.

## Bluetooth Connection - Subsystem 2:

Bluetooth Connection [HiLetgo 2pcs HC-05 Wireless Bluetooth RF Transceiver Master Slave Integrated Bluetooth Module 6 Pin Wireless Serial Port Communication BT] takes the input data from the user and puts the user inputs into registers so that the proper chips can be dispensed. This subsystem will also be used to send information back to the app to tell the user that the machine is done dispensing and to also communicate any errors that occurred.


## Dispenser Control - Subsystem 3:

A series of pvc pipes will be used to house the different color of chips, a platform will be placed at the bottom of the pipe to move the chips up and down. A gear system controlled by a linear actuator [Iverntech NEMA 17 Stepper Motor with Integrated 300mm T8 Lead Screw for RepRap Prusa i3 3D Printers Z Axis or CNC] will move the chips in steps of one chip. This subsystem will take the information given by the user and convert it into a signal the linear actuator can understand.


## User Web Application - Subsystem 4:

The user interface will come in the form of a web React application. We will be using Bluetooth as the way for the application to communicate with the Poker Chip Companion machine. There’s a few ways users interact with the machine…

At the start of the game, the user will turn the companion on to its dispensing state, and can input the value of each chip, the amount of players, the small & big blind, and the buy-in (this will be preselected, however the user can alter is based on each player if needed).
The application will take these values and input them into an algorithm to calculate how all the poker chips are divided, and the amount per player if buy-ins are different. This information will be sent to the companion.

At the end of the game, the user will turn the companion on to its collection state, and will be instructed to input the chips of each player one by one. As the user completes the input of one player, they will press a “Next Player” button (like a timer lap button) to signify to the machine the collection process of the next player. Once complete, the user presses a “End Collection” button, and will be presented with the complete scoreboard of player buyout.

## Criterion For Success

- We will need to maintain a proper Agile Board guiding our development and construction the entire semester.
- We will need a well maintained Github repository for our code.
- We will need an established working schedule among the three of us to work inside and outside of the lab.
- We will need to establish a good line of communication for TAs to report our progress and also ask for guidance.
- Determine the dimensions of a poker chip and calculate the corresponding motor rotational angle.
- Build a chip housing case and chip platform. This will be the main housing for our device.
- Calculate the algorithm for determining chip stack sizes based on buy-in and blind values.
- Calculate the state logic to dispense the correct amount of chips for each color for communication with the motor.
- Get the linear actuator running.
- Begin testing & debugging.

Smart Frisbee

Ryan Moser, Blake Yerkes, James Younce

Smart Frisbee

Featured Project

The idea of this project would be to improve upon the 395 project ‘Smart Frisbee’ done by a group that included James Younce. The improvements would be to create a wristband with low power / short range RF capabilities that would be able to transmit a user ID to the frisbee, allowing the frisbee to know what player is holding it. Furthermore, the PCB from the 395 course would be used as a point of reference, but significantly redesigned in order to introduce the transceiver, a high accuracy GPS module, and any other parts that could be modified to decrease power consumption. The frisbee’s current sensors are a GPS module, and an MPU 6050, which houses an accelerometer and gyroscope.

The software of the system on the frisbee would be redesigned and optimized to record various statistics as well as improve gameplay tracking features for teams and individual players. These statistics could be player specific events such as the number of throws, number of catches, longest throw, fastest throw, most goals, etc.

The new hardware would improve the frisbee’s ability to properly moderate gameplay and improve “housekeeping”, such as ensuring that an interception by the other team in the end zone would not be counted as a score. Further improvements would be seen on the software side, as the frisbee in it’s current iteration will score as long as the frisbee was thrown over the endzone, and the only way to eliminate false goals is to press a button within a 10 second window after the goal.