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How to build a basketball arcade game
How to Build a DIY Pop-A-Shot Basketball Game
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Chances are good that if you’ve been to an arcade or a sports bar, then you’ve played a Pop-a-Shot basketball game. That’s the game with the miniaturized basketball ball and hoop set-up where you compete against friends to see who can make the most baskets in a minute or so. It’s great fun for everyone playing, even if you aren’t good at basketball in the first place.
While this game is definitely entertaining, it can be difficult to bring that entertainment home. That’s because Pop-a-Shot games can be a bit hard to get your hands on due to their popularity and cost. Rather than give up on playing this game in the comfort of your own home, now’s a great time to think outside the box and try building your very own Pop-a-Shot game!
This guide will take you through an overview of the building process.![]()
Herein, you’ll learn about the materials needed to make this project happen, as well as a few tips to make the final just as good as its commercial counterpart.
How to Build a DIY Pop-a-Shot Basketball Game
Let’s jump right in and take a look at the building process.
Step 1: Gather Materials
Before you start, you’ll want to gather up all of the materials necessary to bring your DIY Pop-a-Shot to life. These materials can vary slightly based upon what you have available to you. The following are the most common and affordable for most DIYers:
- 2×2 boards (cut to an assortment of sizes)
- Screws
- Tarp (standard size)
- Tarp snaps
- Backboard and hoop (small consumer size)
- Mini-basketballs (three to four)
In addition, you’ll need an assortment of tools to ensure that this project goes off without a hitch.
At the very least, this will include a saw (manual or power), a screwdriver, and a snap attachment tool.
However, keeping a well-stocked toolbox on hand will also be helpful if you want to make any modifications from the following blueprints.
Step 2: Build Frame
Now that you have your materials, you are ready to begin assembling your Pop-a-Shot’s frame.
To do this, you’ll want to begin cutting some of your 2×2 lumber stock to the following sizes:
- 88” (x2)
- 33” (x5)
- 82” (x2)
- 41” (x2)
Once you’ve cut these planks, you can grab your screws and screwdriver to begin the frame assembly process. To do that, you can begin by screwing together an 88” and an 82” board in an “L” configuration. Once that’s done, grab a 41” board and screw it on to the other end of the 88” board.
This will make up the basic form of the frame, so you’ll want to repeat this process to make a second frame piece.
Once you have two frame pieces, you’ll want to begin connecting them together.
This can be done by attaching the two frame pieces using your several 33” boards.
To be specific, one such board should be placed at the open end of the 41” boards, the base of the 41” boards, the base of the 82” board, and the top of the 82” boards.
A final cross support board should be placed below the top of the 82” piece, but at a distance that the backboard can be mounted to it properly.
Step 3: Mount BackboardWith your full frame constructed, you can now mount up your backboard.
This process should be fairly easy, so long as you follow the mounting instructions for your chosen consumer backboard and hoop. In any case, you should secure your backboard to the two top-most cross support beams on your frame’s 82” side.
Step 4: Add Tarp
Once your backboard is mounted, you can begin laying down the structure that returns balls rapidly to the player.
In lieu of using a long cloth for this purpose, you can instead use a standard tarp. It can be easily attached to your frame using some tarp snaps. Once those snaps are properly placed into your tarp, you can loop its sides around the bottom backboard support beam and the top support beam on the 41” side.
Step 5 (Optional): Add Electronics
Once you have your tarp and backboard in place, you are ready to begin a manual version of Pop-a-Shot. You can choose to optionally add electronics to your DIY game, though.
To do that, we recommend checking out this blog post.
The author includes all of the code and materials needing to successfully automate your DIY Pop-a-Shot’s scoring process.
Tips & Tricks
These steps above are just some general guidelines for making your own DIY Pop-a-Shot game that mimics the real commercial product.
However, if you want to really make your DIY iteration accurate, consider inspecting and taking pictures of a real Pop-a-Shot game. While the measurements above are based on a real unit, it may be worth your time to see a real unit so that you can plan for any modifications that you see fit.
One such modification that you should consider is adding sides to your DIY Pop-a-Shot. In many cases, you’ll be able to do this by adding a further set of wood supports between the ends of the 82” and 41” sections.
Then, some type of flexible siding can be attached to that support, be that some leftover tarp or even a netting material.
Either way, you’ll find your DIY Pop-a-Shot much more manageable with this kind of siding in place.
Summary
Has reading about a DIY Pop-a-Shot game gotten you excited to play yet?
Well, you now know the steps and materials needed to make this arcade classic a reality at home. In all, you should be able to assemble this entire DIY project in a single afternoon. After that, you and your family will be able to enjoy many evenings competing against one another with your own homemade variant on an arcade classic.
How to make NBA Basketball Board Game using Cardboard
Introduction
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
And we couldn’t agree more! The key to staying young is to never stop playing, and to never EVER stop DIYing! 😉 So, we thought why not combine the two! And voila – here we have for you the DIY Arcade Basketball Game! This super fun game will be the best DIY game you’d have ever played so far.
With lucid step-by-step instructions and easy programming in PictoBlox, this game is going to be as amusing to make as it will be to play.
So, what are you waiting for? Download PictoBlox from HERE and begin right away!
Components Required
Building Guide
Step 1: The cutouts
Making such a precious piece of art ain’t gonna be easy, and we’ll require a lot of parts for the same. Go grab a piece (a big big piece) of cardboard and draw outlines for the following according to the dimensions provided in the image above. If you wish your arcade to stay with you for years, use MDF sheets instead of cardboard.
You need to take the following cutouts. The names are given with the corresponding to the numbers given in the image above.
- The Roof of the Ball-street
- The Hawaiian Wall and the Cuban Wall
- The Base of the Garage
- The Peek-a-boo
- The walls to keep the scoreboard
- The Neckpiece
- The Legpiece
- The Mexican Border
- The Ball-street
- The Red Carpet
- Bodyguard – 1
- Bodyguard – 2
- Dunk-in Trudeau
- The Gateway of Ball-street
- The side walls of the Garage
- Watchman – 1
- Watchman – 2
Step 2: Making the Ground
- Once you have all the cardboard pieces ready, let’s begin with the assembly.
Firstly, we are going to make the Ground of the Basketball Arena. - Attach the two bodyguards to the Red Carpet as shown in the image. They direct the wrecking ball right to the garage!
- Draw a horizontal center line across the Hawaiian and Cuban walls. Now, bring the red carpet and attach it to the lines drawn on the walls. Wonder why? This will elevate the red carpet which helps the balls to roll down easily and prevent them to stay on the ground.
- Take the Gateway of Ball-street and attach it to the red carpet using Hot Glue.
Note: Make sure that you align the window on the Gateway of Ball-street to the gap between the bodyguards.
- Now, glue Dunk-in Trudeau to the ground, i.e. to the red carpet and edges of Hawaiian and Cuban walls.
- Thus, we have successfully made the ground of our basketball arena.
Step 3: Attaching the Servo
- Take a micro servo and calibrate it using evive’s firmware.
Switch ON the evive, go to Controls, then select Servos, choose Servo 1, and there you go! - Now attach it to the small hole given in the Gateway of Ball-street. Why servo? Will discuss in the later steps.
- We will make sure that no wires are seen on the ground. Thus, make a small hole besides servo in the red carpet and pass the wires of the servo through it.
Step 4: Attaching the Roof and the Window
- Time to cover the servo. Take the two walls of the scoreboard i.e the neck piece and the leg piece and glue them on the Roof of the Ball-street.
- Now, fix the Roof of the Ball-street to the red carpet.
- Once done, take the Peek-a-boo and fix a servo horn to it. Once the game starts, the servo head turns 90 degrees, which in turn opens the window to set the balls free. The Peek-a-boo remains closed through the game giving you a fixed number of chances.
Step 5: Making the Basketball Nets
- Take three glasses of Polystyrene (the number depends on the difficulty level that you want to have for your game).
Cut the base of the glasses so that the balls can easily pass through them.
- Wait, we want basketball nets, not glasses. Let’s turn glasses into nets by perforating them to death. We have the nets now (the dumb nets).
- Let’s make them smarter so that they can count the number of time the balls pass through them and multiply it by the score assigned to the net, thus giving you the total score.
- Sounds like a lot of work? No, all we need is an IR Sensor. Roll a piece of paper using ice cream sticks and attach the IR sensor to it. We already have holes in our nets, so simply glue the IRs in one of the holes.
- Now attach the (now smart) nets to the red carpet at the places of your choice.
Step 6: Making the Catapult
- Take 6 small pieces (nearly 2 cm x 2 cm) of cardboard and make two stacks each of 3 pieces using glue. Now cut another cardboard of size (5 cm x 5 cm) and place these two stacks on the opposite side. Take a small and thin yet pointy stick (go pick a toothpick) and pass it through both the stacks.
- Buy an ice cream and eat it, coz we will need the ice cream stick. Take the ice cream stick and place it on the center of the small stick using glue.
- Now, take the similar small, thin, pointy sticks and fix them in the two stacks such that they face forward.
- Now attach a rubber band across these sticks. Attach a cap on the ice cream stick to hold the ball.
- You catapult is now ready, decorate it the way you want.
- Once done, attach it to the Roof of the Ball-Street.
Step 7: Making the Garage
Once the balls walk out of the red carpet we need something to hold them. We’ll make a small box or garage for the same. Take the Base of the Garage and attach it to the Gateway of the Ball-street. Place the watchmen on both the sides of the garage. Finally, close the garage using the Mexican Border.
Step 8: Beautification of the Arena
The basketball arena seems so cardboardish, let’s add some colors to it.
We’ve done it a certain way, you can color it the way you want to.
Step 9: Adding the Scoreboard
Now, both the arena and the players are ready all you need to do is to add the scoreboard.
We are going to use the TFT Display of evive to show the score, timings, and instructions.
Connect all the IR sensors and servo to evive and play.
Connect all the three IR Sensors and the micro servo in parallel and connect their GND to evive’s GND pin and VCC to evive’s 5V pin.
Now, time to connect the Signal Pins:
- IR Sensor 1 – Digital Pin 2 of evive
- IR Sensor 2 – Digital Pin 3 of evive
- IR Sensor 3 – Digital Pin 4 of evive
- Servo Motor – Digital Pin 5 of evive
Step 10: Code the Rules
You know the rules, your opposite player knows the rules – the last net gives you 50, the middle net gives you 20 and the net closest to you give 10. But, how will our scoreboard/ umpire know it? Just upload the PictoBlox code given below and its all set now.
Step 11: Conclusion
With this, your DIY Arcade Basketball Game is ready! Challenge your friends and make the most baskets to win the game!
Circuit Diagram
| Description | Circuit Diagram |
|---|
Connect all the three IR Sensors and the micro servo in parallel and connect their GND to evive’s GND pin and VCC to evive’s 5V pin. Now, time to connect the Signal Pins: - IR Sensor 1 – Digital Pin 2 of evive
- IR Sensor 2 – Digital Pin 3 of evive
- IR Sensor 3 – Digital Pin 4 of evive
- Servo Motor – Digital Pin 5 of evive
| |
Code
| Description | Download Code |
|---|
| PictoBlox Code | Download |
How to equip a basketball court in the country or in the yard
Basketball develops the child's physical abilities - coordination, endurance, develops strong-willed qualities, concentration, attentiveness and teaches non-standard thinking.
Professionals recommend sending a child to the basketball section from the age of 8-9, but outside the city or in the yard, you can “chase the ball” from an early age.
I myself equipped a basketball court in my country house and now I am ready to share the secrets of its arrangement. I'll tell you what you need to do, how to choose the right equipment and how to care for it.
Prepare basketball court surface
To create a basketball court in accordance with all the rules, you need to select a flat horizontal surface for it and fill it with concrete. After that, I recommend applying a special rubber coating, like on playgrounds in the yard. There is a more expensive coating option - from rubber.
The coating will provide cushioning - the ball will bounce well.
If it is not possible to organize a special platform, you can simply place a rack or hanging basket on a dirt surface. In this case, the ball bounce will not be so strong.
An important requirement for safety: the surface must be flat, without holes and bumps.
The dimensions of the site depend on the features of your yard or plot in the country. A full-fledged basketball court has dimensions of 28 × 15 meters. However, not everyone has the opportunity to build such a site in the country.
It is necessary to take into account the technical features of the game. The three-point line in basketball is 6.75 meters from the hoop. Therefore, it is necessary that the size of the site be at least 10 × 13 meters. If you are not going to train three-point shots, a 5 × 5 meter court will do.
Mark out
The second step is to mark up. It is important to use paints of contrasting colors. It is better to buy paints with a high content of rubber or polymer.
If you are equipping a basketball court for children, make the markings bright so that they cheer you up and attract attention. For the game of teenagers and adults, it is better to immediately apply technically correct markings.
Place a small fence or protective net on the site. Thanks to them, you do not have to constantly run after the ball to the other end of the site.
Buy stand or backboard
It is difficult to answer the question of what is better - a basketball stand or a backboard. It all depends on taste, tasks and opportunities. Each of these types of equipment has its pros and cons.
There are two types of racks: mobile and static. The static one is mounted in the ground.
The base of the mobile rack is filled with sand or water - for stability. The main advantage of a mobile rack is that it can be moved from place to place. This is convenient when there is no dedicated basketball court or if you are going to play other games in this area, such as tennis or football.
The main requirement for racks is their stability. It will be much more comfortable and safer to play if you are sure that the stance will withstand a blow of any force.
Pay attention to the materials from which the racks are made. A static rack will be outdoors throughout the year, which means it must be made of reliable materials. It is better to buy racks from well-known manufacturers. So, the American companies Spalding or Royal Fitness guarantee high quality, durability and safety.
Basketball backboards can be made in the country with your own hands from a board, chipboard or plywood remnants. If this option does not suit you, you can purchase semi-professional or professional options in stores.
There are four types of materials from which the shield surface is made: composite, polycarbonate, acrylic and tempered glass. The first one is the cheapest. It is intended for entry-level players. Now manufacturers offer a large selection of colors. A carbonate backboard will provide a good bounce of the ball. An acrylic shield is bought to hold competitions or intense games.
The mobile stand can be moved, so it is suitable for a playground in the country and for those who want to play other games besides basketball
Shields and racks made of tempered glass look solid.
They will be appreciated by experienced basketball players
Pay attention to rings
You can buy cheap rings, but I don't recommend doing that. In a year they will deteriorate and you will have to buy new ones. Basketball hoops from Spalding and Royal Fitness are made from quality metal that won't rust in the rain.
The ring must have a springy structure - no rigid attachment to the shield.
According to NBA rules, the ring must be fixed at a distance of about three meters from the ground. For a game with the participation of younger students, it can be hung lower so that it is not very easy to hit it, but at the same time it is quite possible.
Choose rings made from high quality metal to last for many years. For a game involving adults and teenagers, metal chain rings are suitable. They are distinguished by durability and strength.
Know what types of basketballs exist
Success in the game depends on the basketball.
They are divided by size. Size 7 is for men, 5 for women. Even smaller balls are bought for children. The size 6 ball is suitable for street ball or street basketball where the game is played on half the field.
You also need to take into account where you will play the ball: on the street or in the hall. The street ball has a stronger bounce, it is harder and more wear-resistant, but the indoor ball is more convenient to hold in your hands.
It is important to pay attention to the composition of the basketball. Well-known companies use complex polymer compositions for its production. The more expensive the ball, the more complex the polymer composition. The quality of the material determines how comfortable it will be for the players to hold the ball, what kind of rebound it has from the floor and from the bow of the ring.
Another important nuance: do not forget to purchase a pump with any needle.
If you want the ball to have good grip and bounce well, you need to choose polymer models from world famous manufacturers
Proper care
Professional athletes are ready to play in any weather, but amateurs are better off not following their example.
If you don't properly store, use and care for your basketball arsenal, its lifespan will be shortened. Humidity will ruin the ball and all equipment, so you can’t leave them outside during rain and snow.
Balls should be stored only in a dry and ventilated room at a temperature of 10 to 20 °C.
Before winter storage, water must be poured out of the base of the mobile rack, and then removed from the street. If you don't feel like doing this every time, fill the rack with sand. Then it will not need to be constantly moved. Basketball stands from Royal Fitness can be left outside in the winter.
Points to remember when setting up a basketball court
- The area needs to be determined. The classic version - 28 × 15 meters - is not suitable for everyone. For a dacha, a 5 × 5 meter area will be enough if you want to train three-point shots.
- Don't forget the markup. It should be in a contrasting color. Bright colors will interest children and cheer them up.
- It is necessary to install a protective net so as not to constantly run after the ball to the other end of the area.
- If the shield is stable, then it is safe. A mobile stand from a well-known manufacturer will also not let you down, and it can be moved around the site.
- When choosing a basketball, you need to focus on the players. For games involving children and adults, balls of different sizes are needed.
- If you want a basketball ring that doesn't rot in a year and you don't have to spend money on buying a new one, choose rings from well-known manufacturers made of high quality metal.
- Don't forget about care. Do not leave equipment and inventory on the street. Racks need to be removed to the house for the winter.
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