Poker Timer

[c4pa]

I have a poker game that is becoming regular, the next one tomorrow night. we have a poker timer built to run on a PC that sounds a chime every time the blinds go up, we can set the time interval to whatever we want, but it isn't cool. I would love to set up a poker timer for Control4 that would play a wav file every X minutes and repeat until I turn it off. I haven't programmed any timers before, but do use announcements.

My thoughts:

use a repeating timer

use custom button to start timer

use custom button to end timer

when timer "fires" it will play an announcement which in this case is a wav file

does that sound like it is the best way to do it? Any help would be appreciated, even if it just points me in the right direction.

[ILoveC4]

Here is what I would do.

I would use a custom button to start the timer, and another to stop the timer. I would have an LED change color to indicate whether the timer is running or not.

When the timer expires have it play an announcement. When the announcement fires, have it reset the timer. That way it will continually loop until you stop the timer.

Also remember that if you want to start the timer back at the default time, use the command to reset the timer instead of start timer. Start timer will pickup where it left off, and reset timer will reset it to the default time and then start it.

Good luck!

EDIT: Typo

[c4pa]

Thanks Dan, that sounds as simple as it can get, the way I like it. now how to figure out how to automate the drink service .

[ILoveC4]

Thanks Dan, that sounds as simple as it can get, the way I like it. now how to figure out how to automate the drink service .

That's a little tougher, and is usually received much better if it involves pretty girls with high skirts

[akg4y]

Cheaper to get those than a home automation system

[wingzz]

Thanks Dan, that sounds as simple as it can get, the way I like it. now how to figure out how to automate the drink service .

Thats what wives. girlfriends or children are for, aren't they??

[c4pa]

My wife will be watching our kids (8 yrs and 5 months), she does look good in a short skirt though , and all other females are banned from poker - its impossible to play with all the kids running around - not to mention the language that poker brings out of us. they get their girls' night the next night and the guys watch the kids.

now that I have the timer up and running. What about setting the touchscreen to display the current time on the timer?

Use a variable? I wasn't going to try this, but since the timer went so easily . . .

[wingzz]

My wife will be watching our kids (8 yrs and 5 months), she does look good in a short skirt though , and all other females are banned from poker - its impossible to play with all the kids running around - not to mention the language that poker brings out of us. they get their girls' night the next night and the guys watch the kids.

now that I have the timer up and running. What about setting the touchscreen to display the current time on the timer?

Use a variable? I wasn't going to try this, but since the timer went so easily . . .

I don't think there is anyway to access the timer accumulator to see the actual running time, but I may be proven wrong, it wouldn't be the first time

[ILoveC4]

My wife will be watching our kids (8 yrs and 5 months), she does look good in a short skirt though , and all other females are banned from poker - its impossible to play with all the kids running around - not to mention the language that poker brings out of us. they get their girls' night the next night and the guys watch the kids.

now that I have the timer up and running. What about setting the touchscreen to display the current time on the timer?

Use a variable? I wasn't going to try this, but since the timer went so easily . . .

You may be able to have a pop-up capture a variable that tracks the timer, but it wouldn't be the cool countdown looking thing I am sure you're after, and I don't for certain that it is possible...just thinking out loud.

[thecodeman]

Make a video of the "24" style clock. When the timer is activated, start the timer and kick off the video.

[wingzz]

or you could have 60 pictures with numbers 1-60 on them and each second load the next picture, boy would that bog the system down or what

[ILoveC4]

or you could have 60 pictures with numbers 1-60 on them and each second load the next picture, boy would that bog the system down or what

It would bog it down, and it I don't think you get to pick the order.

This does have me thinking though that the ability to have video clips on the screensaver would be really cool.

[c4pa]

thanks guys. the video won't work b/c it is a mts.

What about having a announcement at 1 or 5 minute intervals that showed a pop of a number matching the time left? seems like a lot of programming though.

[ILoveC4]

thanks guys. the video won't work b/c it is a mts.

What about having a announcement at 1 or 5 minute intervals that showed a pop of a number matching the time left? seems like a lot of programming though.

It would be a lot of programming, and I don't even know if it is possible to have a number variable reflect the time left in a timer. You could have an announcement play that would state the time remaining....I outlined how to do that in my sleep timer writeup at C4Central.