Introduction: Table Top Cricket

My project this semester is to make a game of cricket using a motor and a switch. I planned to have a batsmen holding a bat with a motor attached to it, the bowler has to manually bowl a ping pong ball on to a pressure pad triggering the motor, therefore allowing the bat to move. In this two player game, a switch will be set up and in the hands of the batting player. The player flips the switch triggering the circuit causing the motor/bat to move in either direction. Scoring remains normal, with the boundary being lined with LED's to indicate either a 4 or 6.

Step 1: Materials

The following are the materials I would require to complete the project:

  • Wooden Board (135cmx95cmx1cm)
  • Motor (1)
  • Aligator Clips (10)
  • Ice cream sticks (7)
  • Ply wood planks (10) (12cmx2.5cm)
  • Oil Paints (Light green, dark green, blue)
  • Duct Tape

These above listed materials will help me plan and execute the further steps required to build the game and make it functional for people to be able to play it.

Step 2: Setting Up the Switch

The switch I will need to use for this project is not a normal switch. I want the motor to spin both ways so that the batsmen can hit shots all around the field. Therefore I will need 2 switches, 2 batteries and 6 alligator clips to be able to allow the motor to spin both ways. Each switch has a separate battery and 3 alligator clips, the first clip connects the motor to the battery, the second from the battery to the switch and the third from the switch to the motor. Do this for both switches and batteries and you end up with a motor that can spin any which way you please. Remember though to clearly distinguish between positive and negative charges in order to gain the correct direction. Now with the motor set up, we can work on the infrastructure of the game.

Step 3: The Playing Field

Whilst setting up the switch for the motor is one of the most important aspects of this project, the playing field is as well. What one has to keep in mind is the scale of the field and how big we want it to be. For obvious reasons, the field wouldn't be full size, but keeping the objectives of the game in mind, I decided to go with dimensions of 135x75 centimetres. The rest of the process is pretty straightforward, I got the board with the above listed dimensions cut out and then marked the boundaries as well as the main 22 yards. Now my board is pretty much set up, all I need to do is paint it! After that is done, I leave it to dry and the board is set!

Step 4: Mounting the Motor

In order to have the bat swinging freely, I decided to mount the motor at a certain height so that I could get a good strike on the ball. To be honest I did not use any precise measurements, just trial and error with the bat I made out of ice cream sticks. Once I got the correct height (which was around the splice of the bat), I placed 3 wooden planks for the motor to rest on. After letting it stick, I taped the motor onto the stand and the bat onto the motor, hence my bat is now functional (make sure the switch which we set up earlier is working).

The next step for me is to mount the stumps. For the stumps I decided to bend three ice cream sticks and then stick them together, followed by sticking them to the field directly behind the bat. This way if the batting player misses the ball, in all likelihood he will be bowled out.

Step 5: "Gameofying" It

The last order of business is to set the rules of the game. The set up of the board is done, and now we need some rules to turn it into a functioning game. Over the course of the project I realised that I would not need a pressure pad, as the game is more 'fun' with two players, and having the results come down to the reaction time of the batting player seemed a better fit for the game. I also decided against the LEDs on the boundary, as programming it to light up on impact would take a lot of effort given that the ball doesn't always touch the boundary line, although it may go over it. The basic rules of cricket apply- a shot in which the ball travels directly out of the board is worth 6 runs. A ball that reaches the boundary after bouncing is worth 4 runs. But since there are no running runs possible in this game, I've decided to modify the rules a bit to make the game more interactive. I chose to use a zone system. I came to the conclusion that I'll have 4 runs directly in front of and behind the bat. 2 runs would be awarded to a ball that reaches any of the boundaries towards the side of the board, and one run for a ball that touches the bat but doesn't travel. A ball that misses the bat is 0 runs whereas a ball that hits the stump is out, therefore the innings changes (1 wicket is all out for this game).

Now that we have the rules of the game...we are ready to go!!