**BreakDemon** **Prototype Documentation** # What's All This, Then? If you've received a BreakDemon device, you should already know what it's for. Here are some things you may not know: * Know that your Demon was lovingly hand-build by me, Paul. * This is a **prototype**. Some aspects may not feel like a fully polished final product. * I am actively adding features and polishing what's there. * Your Demon will receive updates automatically (see the Demon Updates section.) * Your Demon comes with a companion mobile app (see the BreakDemon App section.) * Your Demon was designed to be "Always On, Always Ready". It will sleep after 15 minutes and automatically wake up if it registers a break. !!! Note: Things are constantly changing As the software is updated, some of this documentation may be out of sync. If things get too far out of sync or additional information is needed, rest assured this documentation will get updated. If you find that the Demon images here do not match your Demon, then that's good! You have a newer Demon! In a hurry and want to see it working as quick as possible? Jump to In A Hurry And Want To See It Work? section. # Getting The BreakDemon App If you have an iPhone or iPad, you'll definitely want the BreakDemon App since it provides more functionality. To get access, simply send me your Apple ID (the email address that you use for your iPhone.) I'll send you an invite which will require that you install Apple's TestFlight app. Instructions will be included in your invite. The BreakDemon App only exists for iPhone and iPad devices (no Android version yet, sorry.) # Turn It On Start by just plugging it in using the provided adapter. After about a minute, you should see something like this:  Setting the timezone is important if you want your Demon to show the correct time. If you want to set it up later, you can do so from the Settings page. !!! WARNING: Scrolling in the Timezones is quirky Timezone support is new and at the time of this writing, is a bit quirky. Don't worry, we're working with our vendor and should have this resolved soon. For now, just tap the scrollbar you want to scroll and it should expand. Then use the scrollbar to find the entry in the list you're looking for. Before we go further, let's cover what you're seeing on the screen. You're probably seeing an offline notice. Go ahead and close that for now. Along the top is the status bar with the date/time on the right. Your Demon is probably showing the wrong time unless you live in the GMT timezone. Timezone settings are coming soon, but for now, just let Paul know and he'll set your timezone for you. To the left of the date are two dimmed icons. The plug icon indicates a connection to the cloud services and the shield icon indicates the Demon is registered to an account. We'll get you online and registered in the following sections. The four icons along the top are for different modes. Go ahead and poke around them. The Home icon shows a single speed indicator and the current time. The Dashboard view is the one with all the gauges. The arrow-icon lets you setup your table and cue ball position. The final gear icon is for settings and Demon information. Focusing on the Dashbaord view, the large speed gauge in the center is the most recent break. As you break, this is where your break speed will register. The timer on each gauge shows the age of the break. This can also be a userful indicator of how long a game takes, since they begin with the break shot. The three gauges on the right are your recent history, with the most recent on top. As you break, the new break will appear in the large central gauge. The break that just previously occupied that gauge will be shifted over to the top gauge on the right. And the top history gauge will be shifted down, and so on. The gauges on the left show your Average speed (top gauge) as well as the Minimum & Maximum speeds (bottom gauge) over the most recent 10 breaks. # Setting Up WiFi Setting up WiFi is simple. Here are the steps: * Open up your phone or computer and look for a WiFi access point called _BreakDemon_ * If you don't see it, just give it a minute or two and try again * Connect to the _BreakDemon_ access point * You should see a list of WiFis in your area, select yours and enter the WiFi password * This securely stored on your Demon and never shared (not even with me) * After about a minute, the online icon (plug icon in the status bar) should light up # Registering your Demon Registeration allows you to connect your Demon with your account so you can access your data or control your Demon from anywhere. This requires the BreakDemon App. To register your Demon, simply tap the **Demons** tab and then tap the **+** icon on the top-right. The BreakDemon App will walk you through the process. The process is quick and simple and will probably take less than a minute. # Getting Your First Update Updates come frequently so its likely that your Demon isn't fully up-to-date. Just give it a few minutes. If the screen goes blank, that means it is updating. Once the screen returns, your updates are complete. If you don't see a blank screen in ~5 minutes, there wasn't an update. You're done. Your Demon is ready! # Hooking It Up To Your Table Because of the Demon's "Always On, Always Ready" motto, if you have the option of providing constant power (that is, even when your light box is off) then that is recommended. Every home setup is different. I won't instruct you on how to provide power to your Demon. But here are some things to keep in mind: * Your Demon can take about a minutes to get to a working state after turning on. So if you can provide constant power, you'll enjoy your Demon a little more. * If it is more convenient to use a different USB power adapter, make sure it provides at least 3 amps. !!! Note: Microphone Mounting Position Due to delays introduced by the speed of sound, these are the ideal mounting positions for the microphone, in order of best-to-worst: * Within 6 feet (~2 meters) above the table center * Within 6 feet (~2 meters) above the table center-line that connects the side pockets * Within 6 feet (~2 meters) above the table, as close to the center as possible * In the same room as your pool table * In your inlaws closet under a musty blanket Note that if the microphone is closer to the head spot (the side you break from) then the reported speeds will read slower than actual. Alternatively, if the microphone is placed closer to the foot spot then the speeds will read faster than actual. A future software update will allow you to specify the mounting position of the microphone, allowing your Demon to automatically correct for speed of sound delays. # Configuring For Your Table Size The arrow-icon at the top of your Demon's screen will take you to the settings (more info in the Demon Settings section). Make sure to select your table size. This, combined with the cue ball position, is important for BreakDemon to properly calculate the speed of your break shots. !!! WARNING This bears repeating: It is very important to configure your table size. Not doing this will lead to incorrect break speeds. # Before You Break Speed calculations require distance and time. Your microphone will provide timing, but the distance is calculated based on the table size and cue position. If you change the position where you break, be sure to update the settings before you break. If you forget to change the cue position before your break, don't worry, it is simple to edit the settings for a break that has already happened. See the Editing A Break section for more information. # Editing A Break If you need to change the settings for a break that has already registered, simply tap the gauge for the break in question. You'll be presented with a pop-up that will allow you to change the break settings. When done, simply tap an area outside of the pop-up. !!! NOTE Editing a break will only affect the single break being edited. If you want to change the settings for future breaks, you will still need to make that change in the settings via the arrow-icon. This can also be done in the BreakDemon App (see the BreakDemon App section.) Any changes to a break will be reflected across all devices. That is, if you edit a break from your Demon, that change will be reflected in the BreakDemon App (and vice versa.) # Demon Settings From the main Dashboard view, use the Gear icon to access the settings screen. This screen allows you to configure your Demon in vairous ways. ## Break related settings The following settings are applied to all incoming breaks. They do not affect previously registered breaks. To edit a previously registered break, see the Editing A Break section. At the top of the settings are the table size buttons. Use these to select the size of the table that your Demon is mounted to. You generally will not need to change this unless moving your Demon to a different table or adjusting your rack position to simulate a different table size. The table view allows you to adjust the cue position for the break. Simply drag the table around to perform the adjustment. Note that you drag the table and not the cue ball. Dragging the cue ball would be difficult as your finger would be covering the ball as you drag it. Enable grid snapping. As you drag the table around, the cue ball will snap to the following locations: * Each intersection of the diamond grid * A spot just left and right of the head spot (common for 10-ball breaks) * A spot on the head string just inside the side rails (common for 9-ball breaks) Enable precision movement. As you drag the table, it will move at 1/2 speed, allowing you twice the precision of cue ball placement. Enable when using a second ball break. As the second ball is farther than the head ball, this can affect timing calculations. Enabling this allow for more accurate timing calculations for break speeds. Note that when enabling this option, the 9-on-the-spot option will be disabled. Enable when the racking the center ball on the spot (for 9-ball, often referred to as "9 on the spot".) As the location of the rack can affect the travel distance of the cue ball, this can affect timing calculations. Enabling this allow for more accurate timing calculations for break speeds. Note that when enabling this option, the second ball break option will be disabled. ## Other settings **Show speeds in KPH** -- Shows all speeds in Kilometers Per Hour instead of Miles Per Hour. # Demon Updates I prioritize bug fixes over feature development. Bugs get fixed right away and pushed out to all Demons. Your Demon will start downloading updates the instant they are pushed (or shortly after it is powered on.) Once the update is fully downloaded, it will install them. During this time, your Demon's screen may go blank for a few seconds. In some cases the update may require a restart. All of this is automatic; you don't need to do anything. !!! Note: Update frequency Update frequency depends on the complexity of what's being updated. Sometimes a feature takes only a couple days, sometimes they can take longer. Just know that updates are pushed within minutes of a feature passing validation and QA. # BreakDemon App When you first load up the app, it will ask to login with your Apple ID. While the system supports generic logins (email/password), this functionality needs more work, so for the time being, Apple Sign-In is the only method available. It is very secure and allows you to hide your email address for privacy. On the main home page, you'll see a Green dot in the lower-right corner. This is your connection indicator. Below are some tips on navigating and using the app. ### Home Tab Selecting the Home tab at the bottom of the screen brings up the Home view. At the top of the home view are three Orange icons with text. On the left is the active Venue. In the center is the active Demon. On the right is the current Break. Tapping on either of the first two will allow you to select a new active Venue/Demon. Tapping on the current Break speed will bring up your break history, where you can select past breaks to view/edit them. If ome of these doesn't activate when you tap it, then there aren't any other options to choose from. #### Break Editor Tapping on the main speed gauge will bring up the break editor, where you can alter the table size and cue position for that break. In addition, you can also examine the audio waveform and the selected key points which determine the timing. This waveform view will allow you to edit the selected "tip" and "rack" positions in the audio waveform that are used to determine timing (and thus, will alter the reported speed.) You can also listen to the recorded break by pressing the round **Play** button between the **TIP** and **RACK** labels above the waveform. Note that whenever you edit the settings for a break, those changes are propagated to the cloud service, which will then push those updates to other Demons associated to the break. That is to say, your Demon should reflect the change as well as other apps running on other Demons that are monitoring the same Demon. ### Venues Tab The Venues tab allows you to view a list of all of your venues. Create new venues by tapping the **+** icon at the top. To edit or delete a venue, simply tap it in the list. ### Demons Tab Similar to the Venues tab, this works with your Demons. Note that adding a Demon will walk you throgh the process of registering a Demon. You can remove and re-register your Demon as many times as you like. Just be aware that when you do this, all prior data captured from the Demon will be lost when it is removed. ### Public Tab This is under construction. It will be the place where you can search for venues that have been made public, to view breaks for leagues and tournaments. ### Settings Tab This is where you configure app settings. Not all settings are currently active and more will come. Note that the "Use miles per hour" and "Use metric units" are separate features. The former impacts how speeds are displayed, while the latter impacts the distance displayed below the main speed gauge on the Home view. # In A Hurry And Want To See It Work? To get the most out of your Demon, you definitely want to get it online and registered with the app. Your Demon by itself is only half of the power you have available to you. But you've just unboxed it and are anxious to see your Demon in action? Just want to play with your Demon before making it a formal member of your pool room? Okay, then, follow these steps: 1. Power up your Demon using the provided USB-C power adapter. * If you are providing your own power source, make sure it is at least 3 amps (15 watts.) * If it's easier, you can use a mobile Power Bank (remember: 3 amps / 15 watts) 1. Wait a minute or so for the interface to appear on-screen. 1. If you have an offline notice covering the screen, close it by tapping the **X** icon. 1. Using the third icon at the top of the screen (the one that looks like 4-way arrows) set your table size and position the cue ball where you plan to break from. 1. Make sure the Gauge icon (next to the Home icon at the top) is selected. 1. CAREFULLY place your Demon near one of the side pockets (on the side nearest the breaker.) * Check it to make sure it's balanced properly and not ready to fall over! 1. Place the microphone next to the side pocket, pointing toward the center of the table. If it looks like this, you're good to go. Just break!