3D-Printed Scanner Automates Deck Management for Trading Card Gamers
1 min read
Summary
Munich-based Fraens has designed a DIY automatic trading card game (TCG) scanner to help players build the best deck for games such as Magic: The Gathering.
The scanner automatically extracts card details and categorises them, doing away with the need for manual processes such as flipping through cards and typing information into a deck management app.
Fraens developed a conveyor belt system using 3D-printed rollers to pull each card from the bottom of the deck and place it on an imaging platen, where a smartphone takes a photo.
To avoid modifying the existing TCG deck management app, the scanner incorporates a microphone that listens for sound signals made by the app when it scans a card.
Additional features include an LED ring light to enhance imaging, and the scanner’s basic mechanism can be adapted for use in scanning other items such as business cards or family photographs.
