A collection of frequently asked questions here:

What is LTHQ?

Lazer Tag HQ is a PC based hosting station developed in cooperation with Shoot the Moon for fans of their Lazer Tag Team Ops and Phoenix LTX (and hopefully future products) outdoor laser tag gear.

How does it work?

Two parts, the LTHQ Adapter (formally known by it’s internal acronym: “MPN”) which converts serial data to/from infrared data. The LTHQ Adapter doesn’t make heads or tails of what it is converting between serial and infrared. The second part, the computer based software that performs hosting functions and programs the LTTO (and LTX and future taggers) gear for hosted games.

What are the requirements?

A modern PC with 1GB RAM or more (recommend more if installing inside a Virtual Machine such as VMware player). You will also want a USB-to-Serial (RS232 with DB9 connector) adapter.

Which USB-to-Serial?

I highly recommends a FTDI chipset based USB to DB9 RS232 of which there are many different styles, length of cable, ones with lights, etc. Get a cable that meets a) the length you need and b) ends in a DB9 male (typical) connector. www.ftdichip.com is the company that makes the chipset and has wide acceptance and good performance. You can Google Shop Search and find many. Other companies also sell and release USB to (DB9) RS232 adapters using the same chips for similar prices but do NOT indicate theirs is FTDI based.

What is the support?

As this is a hobby — I am willing to share my works with others. As such, my support on this will be limited (primarily limited to time), but I plan to support this for some years. Support is limited to setup and usage of the hardware/software. I anticipate some questions and issues, but I have tried to make this very robust. Feature request will be considered relative to the capabilities of the Lazer Tag Team Ops protocol as well as other factors (time, audience, etc.) — this is done in my spare time and isn’t my primary job. I hope this all makes sense.

What does the cost include?

The cost is purely my cost of the hardware (and shipping if shipped). The software I develop for it is a “bonus”, with free updates as I develop and release them. The hardware (MPN=Multi-Point-Node, an old name that has a story behind it) was designed to handle the timing specifics of the protocol and convert it into a serial string, the PC software is what makes heads-or-tails out of the information. That way future upgrading will require NO* firmware updates to the micro-controller in place of simpler PC software updates (newer virtual machines images). *=hopefully however field updating can be done for low cost at worst case by shipping a pre-programmed micro-controller (the shipping would probably be more than the chip).

Why the wait list?

Ordering PCB boards in bulk save money (which lowers the cost to you). The majority of the “scale of economy” (aka buying bulk) savings is realized in the PCB cost; the other parts have some savings but are not as significant. If you want one and there is nobody else on the list, my cost go up. If I have a large number of request to make one, my cost go down (assuming all of them are sold — I might require a non-refundable down payment to ensure I don’t have a large number of drop-outs). I expect changes to the hardware platform (I have begun some early research into wireless technology) and the cost will adjust accordingly. I have no working prototype hardware except for the current hardware.

What are some of the features?

Full PC based hosting of all current games plus additional games as designed and developed including future games that require additional hardware (namely Lazer Tag Bases (no link yet), of which I have barely begun work on) to spice up the game play. The system currently produces printable scores using an HTML file created upon scoring. The file can be copied or stored for later review as well. Each player position can optionally be named (aka a players Handle or Name) and is used in the scored output (HTML file). Additionally, because the hardware interface (MPN) has been made generic the TIMING using the the protocol, future products and devices can be supported by simply updating the PC software. Also there is nothing to stop an individual to take my interface and attempt their own software.

Who are you and why are you doing this?

My name is Doug (dx9s) and I am a fan of the Lazer Tag Team Ops gear (now/currently discontinued) and understand that this system is able to do far more than what people initially realize. After befriending Brian Farley (see links for his site), I gain his trust and worked with his company (signed a NDA) in producing a fan based hosting station, something that his company (that MADE the Lazer Tag Team Ops gear) intended to do but was kept from producing.

Can you tell me where to get Lazer Tag Team Ops or Phoenix LTX?

Both product lines are suspended / discontinued so the only products out there available in new condition are generally from Internet scalpers. eBay and Craig’s List are two sources for finding the products and you can generally find them for reasonable prices. However don’t be surprised if you see the cost of these gear from such places for MORE than I’m charging for the hosting station. Those that have a collection of gear will probably continue to horde their stash. However keep tuned to the various news groups (see Yahoo’s LT group in links), there might be something new next year (2012) that is also compatible with this protocol.