DIY Recipe – How to build your OpenPool space

Want to install OpenPool?
Here’s a good news. We’ve made for you an installation manual, “DIY Recipe”!
We recommend for you to first skim through the whole recipe, then to start from STEP1.
If you have any questions, please contact us through Facebook, Github, e-mail, etc.

STEP1.Check Your Environment

a) Ceiling Height

From OpenPool team’s past experiences, we’ve found out that the ceiling height must be 270cm(common ceiling height in Japan) or higher.
※For ceilings higher than 270cm, you will need to extend the mounter length. That means, if your ceiling is too high, it would be difficult to setup OpenPool.

b) Space

In order to play on the 9ft pool table, a space of about 6.4m x 5.0m is needed.

  • For a 7 ft table: the space needed is approximately 17 ft (5.2 m) by 15.5 ft (4.7 m)
  • For a 9 ft table: the space needed is approximately 21 feet (6.4 m) by 16.5 ft (5.0 m)

For more info, please use the following Wikipedia article as a reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billiard_room

c) Light

We recommend for the room to be as dark as possible; the light should be able to turned off. No sunlight.


STEP2. Prepare the Equipments

You can prepare them all at once, but you can add equipments as you go as well.
Flexibility is the strength of DIY!

a) Billiards Table

Size: 9ft table
※We haven’t done trials on any other table sizes. If anyone wants to try, please let us know!
We used Brunswick Gold Crown 3 for our first OpenPool.

Color of the cloth: Green

We used a blue-green cloth. But we recommend grey cloth. We’re replace with grey cloth soon, so that effects can be projected more vividly. See this post.

Ball, Cue, and Other Items
Anything typical is fine.

b) PC

Levono Tiny m72e: Official Website (US)
Above is the PC that OpenPool Team is currently using. To put a PC onto the ceiling, we chose one which is small and light enough. For more detailed info, please see this post: PC can now be installed onto the ceiling

Preferred:
OS: Windows 7 and later (64bit)
※You can create your own effects on the Mac as well, but when you actually play the game, Windows is required, because OpenPool uses Microsoft Kinnect for Windows. Mac could be used as well as Windows, although we tested only on Windows.
CPU: Intel Core i5
Memory: 8GB
2 or more USB host controllers (Required)

Mount :
ThinkCentre Tiny VESA Mount and ThinkCentre Tiny Under Desk Mount Bracket
These two should help you attach The Tiny PC onto the ceiling. (You could find them on Amazon.com too.)

Other Equipments:

Key board (wireless recommended)
Mouse (wireless recommended)
It depends on where you set up the PC, but wireless is preferable.
OpenPool is planning to set the PC not on the floor but on the ceiling. In that case, wireless keyboard and mouse would be required.

Monitor
It’s possible to substitute the projection on the table for a monitor, but we recommend you to have a monitor as well. If you already own a monitor, that’d be perfect.

Speaker
Anything you own is okay. But to fully enjoy the game, we prefer you to set up an audio system that produces powerful sound!

IMGP6264

 

d) Kinnect and Projector

Kinect x2
Both Kinect for Windows and Kinect for Xbox could be used. However, you will have to take slightly different steps. Please refer to Installation Guide for Production PC (to be provided soon!).

Note: ASUS Xtion seems to work instead of Kinect. For more details, please see this post:
http://www.openpool.cc/2013/07/09/asus-xtion-works-too/

Kinnect Wall Mount x2
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Mount-Xbox-Kinect-Electronics/dp/B00ANARI6Q/

You’ll need some more things to fix Kinects onto the ceiling orthogonally. OpenPool team developed some parts using our 3D printer.

USB extension cable for Kinect x2 

Projector
What we use is this projector:
http://www.benq.us/product/projector/mw817st/

Mounter
We use Spider, it’s a perfect mounter for any kinds. But you can use anything you can acquire.
http://theaterhouse.co.jp/p_spider/exp/spec.html

IMGP6267

e) Pocket Detector, Collision Detector

These two boost sensors are optional. We’ll provide more info when available!

Pocket Detector special sensors x6
We can send you devices we made. Contact us!
Also, you can DIY if you have skills of soldering.

Microphone
We use this to detect bumps of balls. The microphone needs to be a bit special so that it can hear clearly. We use:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/【日本正規代理店品】-Jabra-スピーカーフォン-SPEAK-410-FOR/dp/B00548P1TS/ref=pd_cp_e_0

 


STEP3. Build!

Are you ready? Now it’s fun time. Firstly, let’s check out roughly where to put Kinects and Projector.
openpool-rough

Set up Billiards Table

It’s simple: Find a billiards supplier and have them setup.
Installing a table needs professional skills. Don’t try to DIY here!

Set up Kinects

Two Kinects will be somewhere on the center line paralleled with the longer side of the table.

Each Kinect should be put 2.5 feet (75cm) away from the center. So the distance between two Kinects will be 5 feet (1.5m). The distance between the ceiling and the table-top is around 8-10 feet (2.5-3m).

 

Anyways, don’t worry. The positions are not strictly fixed and there’s no perfect answer. Rather, you should try and error to find the best position for you environment. There’s a pre-installed Processing app that shows areas Kinects are detecting. That will help you.

IMGP6280 IMGP6284

Set up Projector

Projector would be put right above the center of the longer side of the table.
There’s no perfect description here either. But take it easy, just turn on the projector and adjust the position so that the light can cover the entire table.

IMGP6276 IMGP6304

 

Set up PC

Put the PC somewhere around the table. Don’t forget you need to take care of many cables.
OpenPool Team put the PC onto the ceiling. See this post: PC can now be installed onto the ceiling

Set up Collision Detector

Optional. To be edited…

Set up Pocket Detector

Optional. To be edited…

IMGP6320

Done!


STEP4. Install Softwares

Now let’s start installing softwares in your PC.
Please take a look at Installation Guide for Windows.


STEP5. Share It To Your Friends

Last but not least, let’s have a party!
Let’s celebrate your super cool cutting-edge entertainment gadget comes not only to you, but also to your friends, colleagues, schoolmates, and so on. OpenPool was born to be a communication tool. People who build good OpenPool spaces can make good communities too.
And don’t forget to share the story to OpenPool team!
We’ll add you on the list in Location page.