East Side Party Plan -- BuzzIn System

[Gene Holmerud]

Dragos:

Come to the meeting to see the half-hand-wired, half-PCboard prototype.  
As the other posts indicated, there is a Trivia Game scheduled that this 
will work for, at least for up to eight players, anyway.

We're reworking the design now to maximize PCB use (and make it viable 
as a volunteer project).  It is an open project (hardware design and 
micro-code), so my driving desire to support DOE's Science Bowl and the 
resultant effect on math and science education is not a limitation to 
other uses.

This system costs about $175 in parts, but some shop tools are required, 
e.g. Dremel, solder station, special bits, PICMicro programmer, etc. (a 
slightly out-of-date parts list is on the webpage, so you can get an 
idea of what's involved).  Some parts are large-lot items that I'm 
buying and reselling in project quantities.  However, commercial models 
are available, starting at about $250.  Some are ready-made.  See 
<http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/buzzer.htm> and 
<http://www.orau.gov/sciencebowl/teams/buzzer.htm>.

PLUG member Joseph Sinclair gave me some valuable advice during my 
design work.

Gene

Alan:  I have some sample Science Bowl questions that might help

Dragos Neagu wrote:

>>It's portable enough to bring.  See <http://members.cox.net/geneousproducts/>.
>>    
>>
>
>Hey!  I just came from our church's youth night, and we've been doing
>a quiz on the first Wednesday of every month for a few months now. 
>One of the things that contestants still dispute is who hit the buzzer
>first.  This could very well solve that issue, is there anyway I can
>get/build one? :-D
>
>--
>-Dragos Neagu <><
>"If I have been able to see farther, it was only because I stood on
>the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton
>"Open source is like science, closed source is like witchcraft" - Linus Torvalds
>---------------------------------------------------
>PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
>To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change  you mail settings:
>http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
>
>
>  
>