1.03 Tachyon Midi Ether Co-Keypad 1

Order

1.03

Status

::BUILD-READY::

Location

Status: "Dorian Clair Laboratories" -- actually Dorian Clair Antique Clock Repair, 1301 Sanchez Street San Francisco, CA 94131-2005

GC PoC: Allen, (650) 395-8463, lab@trenchwood.com

Parking: Street, some metered

Notes: Done deal; agreed to by Dorian Claire

Type

Mandatory Puzzle

Plot Setup

(Obsolete) The solution to the previous puzzle tells Prof. Chronos to examine the machine's Midi Ether Co-Keypads, which turn out to be defective. ("Wesley never was any good at keypads...luckily I did my dissertation on them!") She needs 20 replacements...and luckily there are 20 teams!

Props

• 55 blank keypad sheets (3 per team + 7 spares)
• 35 copies of Connections Requirements Analysis for Pad #34 (2 per team + 3 spares);
• 17 sets of keypad kits (1 per team + 1 spare)
• Lab coat -- WEAR THIS
• "Dorian Clair Laboratories" name badge and lanyard -- WEAR THIS

Plot Point to Convey

The machine is partially fixed after co-keypad designs are sent to the Institute, new co-keypads are manufactured and installed.

Short Description

Team designs new co-keypad based on specifications from Prof. Dorian Claire to replace damaged one.

Open Time Period

Saturday, 10:00 AM to 13:30 (1:30 PM)

We expect the earliest possible to team to leave the lab at around 9:40 AM, and the latest to leave around 11:00 AM. It's about a 30-minute drive, and teams might stop for lunch. The playtest teams took 103-145 minutes to finish this event (including driving time and lunch), so you may need to stick around until 13:30 for hints and support.

Staff Instructions

Site Setup: Call or e-mail GC so we know you are ready to receive teams. Have your props ready.

Your Role: You're either Professor Dorian Clair, or you're his/her lab assistant. You've been working on the design of midi-ether co-keypads and have kits, but have never actually made a working one. There are millions of possible configurations so you won't be able to help the team until they actually give you the proper number (34).

Handout Script:

PLAYERS:

Prof. Clair, we need your help! Doctor When has become lost in time because one of the tachyon midi ether co-keypads within his time machine failed... Number 34. We have to design a new one so that we can rescue him. Prof. Chronos said you had some sort of kit? PROF. DORIAN CLAIR

That's terrible! Of course I'll help. Unfortunately I've never created a complete tachyon midi ether co-keypad; the materials are way too finicky. But I do have a design kit that should help. Unfortunately, there are millions of configurations and I’ll need to know the pad number to get you the correct diagnostic dump. What was the number again?

VISITOR

Number 34. PROF. DORIAN CLAIR

Ah yes, I should have guessed. Prof. Chronos always knew that one was going to be finicky. I’ll get my assistant to print out the diagnostic dump; with that and the kit, you should be able to figure out a good design to photograph and send to her.

Site Close Down:

• Thank the host (Dorian Clair Clock Repair). They're nice people.
• Call or e-mail GC to tell us you're shutting down.

Other Instructions:

• Stay in character.
• Except ... if a team says "time out," break character and help them.

How To Give To Teams

After solving Core Dump 1 at the Institute, Prof. Chronos tells them to go to Dorian Clair (see script). Her instructions include an email address to send their co-keypad design of keypad #34 (out of hundreds) to and an Institute phone number to call if they have trouble. These should probably be a handout as well (along with parking & bathroom information). An onsite lab assistant should enter each team's time leaving the Institute into the online tracking system and send out the supplemental email.

SUPPLEMENTAL EMAIL

Research Project Title: Co-keypad

Objective: Design a replacement for broken Tachyon Midi-Ether Co-Keypad #34

Location: Laboratory of Prof. Dorian Claire, 1301 Sanchez Street San Francisco

Upon Completion: Email picture of design to Institute at lab@trenchwood.com

Parking: Street, some metered

Bathrooms At Location: None

Food At Location: Restaurants and cafes a few blocks away

Once at Dorian Clair's shop, a GC member pretending to be "Prof. Dorian Claire" says,

Unfortunately I've never created a complete tachyon midi ether co-keypad. But I have computed the starting specifications for one.

Perhaps you can use the specifications to design the rest of the circuitry?

He hands them a packet of co-keypad parts and specifications. The teams know from Prof. Chronos's speech back at the Institute to email their solution.

Puzzle Answer

(if prompted: username: tester, password: streetsetter)

http://trenchwood.com/keypad/answers/34.html

Budget

A set of three keypads is $4.75 from Electronic Surplus. Wei-Hwa bought 34 sets (in case some get destroyed during prototyping). Total price, $181.50 (including $20 shipping).

More will be needed for the cases.

Credits

Wei-Hwa - concept, prototype, implementation

Manager

Wei-Hwa

Response to Correct Answer

(Email from Institute)

SUBJECT: Co-Keypad Design

FROM: Prof. Chronos

That's fantastic! We're so much closer to getting the machine working again and then rescuing Doctor When because of your help.

Next I need to get into the Doctor's Brain-O-Matic 9000 supercomputer. But I don't know the password.

He always had a bad memory, so he told me he used an important memory from childhood for a password. Perhaps if you visited his childhood home you could figure it out. He lived at 632 Cole Street in San Francisco.

If you need help, please call the lab assistants - but when you figure it out please call and ask for me at that same number. I may have follow-up questions so be sure you do it on a speakerphone and have the whole group in on the call.

Research Project Title: Password

Objective: Find password to Doctor When's Brain-O-Matic 9000 supercomputer

Location: Doctor When's childhood home, 632 Cole Street San Francisco

Upon Completion: Call lab on speakerphone and ask to speak with Prof. Chronos

Parking: Street, some metered; nearby lot at 801 Stanyan Street

Bathrooms At Location: One

Food At Location: Restaurants and cafes around the corner

Other Notes

This is a "trainer" puzzle for a series of them appearing later in the act.