The Coffee Pong Table promises oodles of fast-paced fun time

The folks at Instructables have re-invented the humble coffee table by giving it an unbelievably cool twist. Now you can invite your friends over for coffee and enjoy an exciting Pong session. The Super Pong-Coffee Table, designed by 29-year-old Brad Slattery hailing from Australia, can double up as a digital pong table. And this is not where the fun stops! Traditionally, Pong, a retro game, was considered to be a game for two players, but you can expect this table to surprise you like no other, as it can accommodate up to four players at a time.

f1ifqzzglqcladmmedium

How does one play Pong on this table?

All four players can play the game simultaneously. The table has a digital pad where each player can control his digitally lit horizontal bat with an Atari-type controlling regulator. The players can move their bats right and left by twisting this regulator clockwise and anti-clockwise. There are a total of five balls in the center. Once the game starts these balls will move outwards from the center towards the players and their bats at unexpected speeds and angles, the players will have to hit the balls in the opposite direction.

There is a point system at place, which makes this game super exciting. You get one point if you successfully hit the ball and one point is deducted for every ball you miss. The first person to score twenty points wins the game and he is awarded a “You Win” status with digital fireworks. Needless to say with such a format the games are going to be fast and super exciting!

What are the technical details that make this Coffee-Pong table work?

An 8-bit (PIC18f4550) Microcontroller, running at 8 MHZ , makes this multitasking table work. 900 LED’s arranged in a 30X30 matrix light up the display unit. The controllers that allow the players to maneuver their bats are analog controllers taken out of the old Atari 2600 gaming system.

A fabulous thing, which works in favor of this coffee-pong table, is that it requires very little power to run. The maker believes that it can run on a 4 AA batteries for 2 months if one plays Pong for 30 minutes everyday. The icing on the cake is that you can make this amazing coffee-pong table yourself. All you need to do is visit the Instructables website and follow the instructions given!

Picture Gallery

The Super Pong Table

Via: Instructables/endgadget