(Topic ID: 299309)

Stern Insider Connected

By anathematize

2 years ago


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Topic index (key posts)

9 key posts have been marked in this topic

Display key post list sorted by: Post date | Keypost summary | User name

Post #1031 Notes directly from Stern's presentation to Stern Army members. Posted by chuckwurt (2 years ago)

Post #1043 Additional notes from the Stern presentation. Posted by Smack (2 years ago)

Post #2423 Stern Splitter for IC on Batman 66 and other amazingly loaded games! Posted by NeilMcRae (2 years ago)

Post #3320 Methods for leaderboards on location. Posted by davegauth (1 year ago)

Post #4641 Info regarding which chipsets in the dongles are likely to work. Posted by TrixTrix (1 year ago)

Post #4880 Sharing QR readers still works after Apr 20 2023 IC update Posted by ChrisBardon (11 months ago)


Topic indices are generated from key posts and maintained by Pinside Editors. For more information, or to become an editor yourself read this post!

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#1296 2 years ago

Is there an android app for this? I can't find it in the google play store.

No idea if this will be good or not - but willing to try it out before making that decision.

#1298 2 years ago
Quoted from buttcheekflipper:

just the website insider.sternpinball.com

Then this is a really dumb question - How do you get your QR code on your phone in order to scan it?

#1300 2 years ago
Quoted from Flipstream:

There's an icon at the bottom center of the page that slides opens a window with your unique QR code.

Got it - thank you. Viewing the website on a desktop versus a cell phone browser is different. I had to use my cell in order to see the QR code option at the bottom.

8 months later
#3307 1 year ago

Question - In order to display a leaderboard on location via a TV.

I'm guessing the TV(Or Stick) needs to have a web browser, which then you have to navigate to the insider connect website and log in with your account then you can click on panel view????

I feel like I'm missing something here... Like there should just be a link or something. Not sure i like the idea of being logged into my Insider Account at all times on location.

#3309 1 year ago
Quoted from timmmmyboy:

There is, when you setup the leaderboard you need to enable Kiosk mode and the IC site provides links for both portrait and landscape viewing that don't require any login. Copy and paste the link into whatever app you're using on the TV to display and you're good to go.

OK, I'm partly there. been testing - I see the link and it's showing results.

What is the best/easiest way to now get this onto a couple of TVs/monitors? One that can turn on and off automatically.

I know this was asked earlier - but seems like there should be an easier way, and one that doesn't require a signage subscription to do it. And oen that doesn't require re-programing a Rasbery pi in order to change URLs each time a leaderboard re-sets.

#3320 1 year ago

As a follow up for operator looking to install Leaderboards on location.

Summary first: I'm going with Option 1 below. I like the idea of making additional signage/advertising that can be rotated on the display. Different leaderboards can also be rotated on the display. Being able to turn on and off wby themselves is also a big plus. One twist I will try is to use an HDMI splitter so 1 account can run 2 displays. I'll grab a couple of TV's on Prime day too...

Option 1 - Setup a Leader Board using Yodek (Sign Service, using Rasberry Pi) - 1 free Screen, Can get a Rasberry Pi included with yearly subscription, can turn Tv on and off at set times. Because it is a signage service, you can do a ton more than just.
https://sternpinball.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Quick-Start-Yodeck-Insider-Connected-Leaderboard-Operator-Set-up-Guide.pdf

Option 2 - Using Android TV This link shows how to use the ONN stick or box connected to your TV. I do not know if this can turn on and off your TV, or if the APP will automatically launch on start up.
https://sternpinball.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Quick-Start-Android-TV-Insider-Connected-Leaderboard-Operator-Set-up-Guide.pdf

Option 3 - Just use a Smart TV and use the/a web browser app in it to display the website. This works, as I tried it on my home TV - but it's cumbersome as you will need to turn the TV on and navigate to the Browser APP every time you turn it on.

Option 4 - Use a Fire TV stick or a Tv running Fire TV and download the Simple Tv Display app($20). This is supposed to automatically boot and default to the web page. Not sure if the Fire Tv's cna be set to turn on and off by themselves at set times though. A big consideration is Amazon prime day is just a week away and all the Amazon Fire TV devices and Tv's will probably be available for a big discount.

#3323 1 year ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

Option 5 - use pisignage.com and a Pi and get same features as as option 1 without any fees (up to 2 free licenses)
Problem with Option 1 and 5 is .. finding a Pi. Tho pisignage does have support for older Pi versions, just EOL.

Yes, great 5th option.

Pi's are so hard to find right now. Yodek sells them for a reasonable price. I ordered 1 From them, my thinking was maybe they actually have them.

1 week later
#3378 1 year ago
Quoted from UnnDunn:

Simple TV Display. Works perfectly.

I know once the Tv turns on it iwll automatically start the SimpleTVDisplay app and go straight to the leaderboard URL.

Will the SimpleTVDisplay app also turn on and off the TV by itself?

#3449 1 year ago
Quoted from Reality_Studio:

Google Drive let's you make a shortcut to any file on your cloud drive. So I took a screen grab of the QR code, put it on my Goggle Drive and just made a shortcut to it on my phone. Works on Android, I presume you can do the same on iOS. Super simple, then tap the shortcut and presto, your phone screen is the QR code.[quoted image]

This works - Just found this step by step, which is what you outlined.

Pretty easy to do. Works great - so much better than trying to open and fumble with the website.

Plus I just did this for my WiFi QR codes too.
Screenshot_20220720-193314_Google (resized).jpgScreenshot_20220720-193314_Google (resized).jpg

#3463 1 year ago

Operators and leaderboards ??

What size monitor are you using?

I'm testing my leaderboard signage, using a Yodeck player(landscape Mode) & a 47" monitor. The font on the leaderboards is small and hard to read. I'm guessing I need a 55-65" monitor for everyone to see it better. Or I need to turn it to Portrait orientation and try it that way.

Any thoughts?

#3471 1 year ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

Start with looking at the RESOLUTION you are using and less about the monitor size. The higher the resolution, the smaller the content is going to be. Look at the configuration of your device to see what resolution it's configured for and consider lowering it.

It's a good thought. But that's not it. Resolution is set properly for the screen being used. I could fudge it, but that may blow out the other fonts that are just fine.

The issue is the User Name and Score are a much smaller font that is very hard to see. Even the Game title can be a bit bigger.

If you are standing on top of the screen, or it's at eye level like a separate kiosk stand shown in the promo videos then it's not too bad. But when it's up on the wall at 10-14 foot view, well it's a bit hard to read.

Here is a 65" TV I'm testing on location now. A 40" TV would not be readable, even standing at the machines.
20220724_121104 (resized).jpg20220724_121104 (resized).jpg

1 month later
#3914 1 year ago

Any consensus on IC lights not working?

I see - Reseat the cable, Stern will replace etc. But I didn't see anyone say if there was anything specific that was working.

Just added an IC kit, and the Light flickers on startup for a sec then goes out. The QR camera works though, just the light is out. Tried playing with the connectors, jiggling, repeating etc. But no real cause and effect answers.

#3936 1 year ago
Quoted from Gotfrogs:

A few of you already have but if you have a leaderboard set up, please post a photo and let us know what display and hardware you are using? I really want to add one to our arcade.
Here is one example I found:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-insider-connected/page/64#post-6988552

There are many ways to do this - I did a summary a couple months ago with the different options and pro's and cons. (click my silhouette, and go back a few posts)

A big question you need to ask yourself is - Do you need it to turn on and off automatically, or will someone be there to turn the TV on and off everyday? This kind of drives the primary direction you need to go in. The next question is do you just want to display the leaderboard, or do you want it to also display digital signage too? Answering these questions first will point you to the setup you will need.

#3938 1 year ago
Quoted from Gotfrogs:

Thanks davegauth, I have read your post. I am more interested in how things look and want to get inspiration from others. This will be in my personal game room so turning it on and off is not a major concern. I am interested in how and where people mounted their screens.

Here is what I have on location..

This is a 58" TV. I still find it a bit hard to read as the fonts are small, and the higher it is the more off angle it is. I would have mounted it lower and on the wall(above the wine barrel) but I'm going to need that space soon.

If I was to do anything for my home - I think I'd use maybe a 50" TV and mount it in portrait mode and at eye level. Kind of like a movie poster on display.
20220906_125759 (resized).jpg20220906_125759 (resized).jpg

#3940 1 year ago
Quoted from yancy:

Is that orange door a restroom? Hang it over the toilet. I'm only half joking.
Maybe on the wall to the left of the door? Won't be easy to see when someone's playing the closest game, but at least it'll be eye level. Could even go portrait mode there.

It's a maintenance closet, mops brooms that kind of stuff shoved in there. It's the space the brewery gave me to work with.

You are right, to the left of the door maybe an option at some point too. I have a couple more machines going in the space, and maybe a multicade under the Leaderboard. It would have been much better with a 65" TV up there, and maybe angle it down. But the brewery had this brand new TV I could use. Saved me from buying one.

#3943 1 year ago
Quoted from mbwalker:

Use a projector for a leaderboard? Looks like you're already using one for the green image on the left wall (or is that a laser)?

It's a laser, star field, some moving patterns etc. A HUGE projector would be interesting.

Quoted from HighProtein:

Groovy looking,
Yeah I'd prefer portrait vs landscape and lower level closer to eye level.
I'm figuring how I can setup at a location this month.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions when you do. The pinheads like it and spend a couple extra $s trying to get their name up for each machines. I find myself chasing some scores too.

1 week later
#4019 1 year ago

PinballHaven Thank you,

OPERATORS....

I do have some updates to that post(#3320), I should probably create a new one with the new information.

Just FYI - I am using the Yodek player. I purchased the Rasbery pie from Yodek and have it on the 1 free account. I ran into trouble getting it to turn the TV on and off.
* Your TV needs to have HDMI with CEC. most do, but some don't. Also you need to ensure CEC is enabled in the settings of the TV.
* You need to make sure your TV is not running in eco mode(change it in TV settings). Eco mode turns off the standby aspect of the TV to save power. This means it will not see the signal the Yodek player sends to the TV to turn on and off.
* You must keep your TV plugged in to constant power. I have everything on a smart timer. But with my particular TV when the power is cut(like a smart plug does) the TV defaults to OFF... I mean fully OFF. It will not go back into standby type modes until you physically turn it back on manually. The Yodek player will not be able to turn it back on until it's back in the standby type mode.

Different TV's may react differently. But these are the gotchas I ran into. (Vizio)

What I do.... The Brewery hours are 12-10pm. I have the TV plugged directly into a wall outlet, with no smart timer. The Yodek player is connected to the smart timer that turns off at 10:05pm, and back on at 12pm the next day. I have the Yodek scheduled to turn the TV off at 10PM at night, this puts the TV into standby mode. I then have the Yodek schedule set to turn the TV on at 12:05pm the next day. When power returns to the Yodek player at 12:00pm it has 5 minutes to ensure it is fully booted and online before it signals the TV to turn on.

So far, this has worked great. I no longer physically need to go there and get everything running and/or shut down(or rely on the staff). I can check in on a video camera to ensure everything is up and running just in case.

#4030 1 year ago

Sometimes I wonder if some of the slow download speeds are attributed to slow Stern servers.

I've noticed downloading code on the day its released is really slow - but downloading it a few days later goes significantly faster.

1 week later
#4070 1 year ago

It's just my opinion - I feel they know exactly what they are doing and this is not a gimmick for them.

IC has only been out for a year - and it's becoming way more popular than many would like to think. This whole thread is about people talking about it, complaining about their achievements not being recorded properly, how to get it on their other machines cheaply etc. 80% of enthusiasts are hooked already.

They know what they are doing with this. They are just not in a rush to throw the switch as there is no pressure to do it on anyone's timline but their own. Like a cornerstone release that needs to be rushed due to licensing agreements.

Oh, they know.... more is coming....

1 month later
10
#4203 1 year ago

Hey, got my first alarm yesterday for a machine on location, via IC.

Missing Ball - I went in to check on it and sure enough a ball was stuck on the playfield.

#4217 1 year ago

Seems down here too. can't connect to portal been difficult all day.

#4230 1 year ago

Screen shot here, with a shortcut on my home screen.

Same thing with QR codes for IC internet connectivity.

#4243 1 year ago
Quoted from dpkzone:

On IC, Anyone know when the daily cut off is for counting games played for the day now? It was 8pm EST, then was 7pm EST after daylight savings. They changed again this week but I haven’t figured the cut off time. I keep daily/weekly revenue stats from my IC games on location and like to check just before each day ends.

It was GMT when it reset prior. Could still be. GMT doesn't take into account daylight savings. So you maybe an hour earlier now for the reset.

Note - I noticed the reset time change too, but have not put effort into seeing if it was just an hour difference now.

#4244 1 year ago

TroyS - Would be interested to see what you find out for sure.

#4260 1 year ago

Yep - Mine has not reset yet, it's 7:45pm. (I'm GMT -7)

Now I'll need to check every hour through midnight.. as I'm stricken with curiosity now.

#4265 1 year ago

Yep, It reset at midnight local time.

Looks like it was updated to correct for the GMT global reset, and now is midnight local reset. Much better....

1 week later
#4311 1 year ago
Quoted from doublestack:

Regarding option 4.
This will work better than I expected. That app will self boot after a startup or power cycle. If you put your monitor/TV on a timer this can be a complete package on location.
Also do not put auto scaling as a default setting on the app. On my TV it cut off names and scores.
This really is the easiest low cost method I've found for operators on location at this point. Any other ops out there that want to share any tips or strategies with leaderboards, please post them up.

I ended up using Option 1. It works great for the brewery as I can quickly make updates to it remotely.

I didn't think this would be a big deal at first, but in practice it started to show some bennifits.

- Every month I reset the leaderboard and I need to change the URL link to the new link.
- I also show YouTube videos in-between leaderboard showings. (Abeflips tutorials, Bond promo videos etc)
- You can easily create other promo stuff that can be displayed like Tournaments coming up, league night, Happy Hour etc.

These all work pretty seamlessly - you create a playlist with all the items you want to show and then set the amount of seconds you want each piece to display for, then push a button to send it to the player.

My observation - Players really like the leaderboard. I see a bunch of people coming in to try chipping away at top spot. It turned into an easy way to have some passive competition. I get texts from a few people showing me they edged someone out.
20221020_121856 (resized).jpg20221020_121856 (resized).jpg

#4316 1 year ago
Quoted from TroyS:

Interesting. I know the badge parties are on Dec 3rd. Whatever the date or location I am real excited to pump of cash into a machine and get the new badges.

I was told our Bond shipped yesterday. If that's the case we should have it in the brewery by late next week.

It's a little bit of a drive from Longmont to Living The Dream Brewery in Littleton.. but.....

I need to follow up on Monday and see about maybe hosting a launch party.

1 week later
#4346 1 year ago

My insider pro account seems to be having some issues - can not see my machines or locations on the pro tab. Probably temporary, but just a heads up incase others are having issues right now.

1 week later
#4423 1 year ago

Hopefully we don't have leaderboard and badge issues at our launch party tonight.

Living the Dream Brewery in Colorado if anyone is interested. 9 games on IC.

20221213_165344 (resized).jpg20221213_165344 (resized).jpg
#4426 1 year ago
Quoted from TroyS:

The badges did finally show up and others that earned them since Stern fixed it show up same day (as I heard from a few others).

Looks like the badges worked for our launch.

#4431 1 year ago
Quoted from TroyS:

AWESOME! How was the launch and what high score got the GC trophy?

218k. Bond was being played continuously the whole night. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. There was just enough people to make it fun and not too many that it was overcrowded or people had to wait to play games.

Quoted from thekaiser82:

I got my badge at your launch! It was a great launch party.
[quoted image]

Thank you for coming out to join us. I really appreciate the support! I hope I can start running a couple events a month in January - another FreePlay pinball night and maybe a tournament night.

#4436 1 year ago

Operators - An interesting leaderboard thing I learned at our launch party... If you have 2 of the same machines on location and connected to the leaderboard - Both of the machines will show up on the leaderboard under 1 title.

Example:
-We had 2 Deadpool Pro's on the floor.
-Both were IC, and both were selected for the leaderboard.
-The leaderboard only shows 1 Deadpool scoring.
- Games played on either Deadpool were consolidated on the leaderboard under the single Deadpool title.

1 month later
#4642 1 year ago
Quoted from dpkzone:

last few days the insider connected daily play counts for the location (pro) does not match the totals of the games at this location. anyone else seeing this?

Yes I've noticed the same issue.

#4647 1 year ago

The play counts are definitely not working correctly. I'm observing it now, and it's way off. Heck, it seems like - not oybis the main count not even close to the per game count. But neither of the counts appear to be keeping up with the dollars I am seeing being put into the machines.

1 week later
#4674 1 year ago

Operators/Pro - I'm still seeing the disconnect between game counts on the main page and game count in the per game breakout.

I have not followed the clock and data posting enough to see if there is any correlations.

#4677 1 year ago
Quoted from doublestack:

Yep it’s still present. I can’t find a correlation to when their clock restarts. Almost appears to be mid day, if it was just an hour or two off at midnight we wouldn’t notice it.
The main page which shows plays today totals per location appears correct, when you open up the location the numbers are then all off on plays per machine on the current day.

Watching it a little more. It appeared as though the detailed play screen seamed stopped updating play counts as of around 3-4 pm. When midnight came it looks like everything reset; however, the detailed screen didnt reset to zero. All the games still show a lingering count associated with them.

#4680 1 year ago
Quoted from northvibe:

Kinda feels like they outsourced the programming and so if changes are made, it can break other things and takes forever for the contractor(s) to fix etc.

Is there a direct email or something we can report problems to? (as an operator) Please PM me if you have one.

#4722 1 year ago

I get a bunch of alarms - but you have to take them with a grain of salt and ignore them. The only error I have had that turned out to be legit was a lost ball alarm. A ball was stuck on the playfield. However, I just had the same alarm on another machine and everything was fine when I got there.

Seems like maybe the reporting has a big delay in its updating times - programmed to keep all errors for say 12-24 hours before allowing them to clear?

Not the end of the world - but it is a bit of chicken little type reporting. A little too sensitive, making it aless useful feature.(since it is there to be ignored now)

#4727 1 year ago

Looks like the play count on the main page is now matching the play count on the per game page.

As of this moment anyway..

#4728 1 year ago

But.. It also looks like it hasnt updated ANY play counts in the past 5-6 hours either.... hmmm

#4731 1 year ago

ok, is 5am. What I see right now is..

Both pages add uo to the same play counts. Great.

Except, The brewery closed at 10pm last night, so there should be zero plays on the count right now.

It does look as though some reset took place as the count is lower than when we closed last night. But looks like it didn't reset to zero.

#4732 1 year ago

Just FYI - I just heard from Stern support. They are aware of the issue and we should see a fix by later this week.

Thank you Stern - if you are watching this.

5 months later
#5086 7 months ago
Quoted from dpkzone:

Any operators having IC play counts off like it was last year? On Thursday night just before midnight EST and all my locations had zero plays. I know it’s wrong. Thinking they changed the reset time? In the past it had been 8 or 9pm EST before the change to midnight.

Yes, I just came in here to see the same.

My counts are definitely off, I haven't been watching enough to get any data on it. But it defiitely is off again.

I'm watching games beingvplayed in real time, but the count is not updating.

#5088 7 months ago
Quoted from Brk_oth:

What it looks like to me is that the play count for today is so far only the people who have logged with their IC accounts, no other games are being counted.

You are probably right - I'll be able to check this tomorrow from my end and see if I can confirm what you are seeing.

#5092 7 months ago

I'm showing zero plays for today - but I can see via cameras it's pretty busy and games are certainly being played. They do not appear to be using IC.

#5094 7 months ago

I was able to test this today, and you are right - it is only registering the IC log ins as games played.

I sent an email to Stern, will see what they say.

#5107 7 months ago

It may be fixed now. one of my regulars just popped in and he doesn't use IC, play counts are now showing up on the machines he is playing.

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