The new Strike 10 bowling alley in Boca Raton, FL, features a giant DVLED display, tunable color LED lighting, a professional DJ booth, a 37-camera surveillance system, 17 video zones, and eight audio zones. It is powered by a Control4 automation system that can activate everything at the push of a button, making Strike 10 equal parts bowling alley and high-tech night club.
According to Albert Mizrahi, owner of Miami Smart Homes, the owners of Strike 10 initially contacted him to design a club-worthy audio system to match their trendy, energetic interiors, but ended up investing in a full slate of audio, video, and control technologies from Snap One.
“During the daytime Strike 10 is a fairly normal bowling alley, but at night the tone shifts from family-friendly fun to a night club-style party, complete with programmed light shows and DJ performances,” Mizrahi explained. “There’s so much technology inside, from the massive dvLED display to the Madrix LED lighting system, that we decided a professional control and automation system was the best way to simplify operations and maximize the entertainment capabilities of all the connected solutions.”
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Thanks to the Control4 system, the bowling alley virtually runs itself. Mizrahi said that staff don't need to interact with the system on a regular basis because it has been programmed with scheduled automations for opening, closing, and daypart transitions that activate and tune the lighting, TV, music, and surveillance systems to specific settings. When they do need to make a change, staff can use a 10-inch Control4 touchpanel at the service counter or the Control4 mobile app to easily update automations or make one-time adjustments.
From the bowling lanes to the billiards room to the bar, every space is designed to convey a chic, luxurious atmosphere. Lighting is a key component of the experience, with a Madrix LED lighting solution blanketing the interior with colored light that seems to emanate from everywhere—LED strip lights follow contoured ceiling decorations and provide backlight inside the bowling ball racks, custom hanging fixtures feature circular LED strips, and almost every available ceiling location includes recessed lighting. It’s all integrated with the Control4 system, so different zones can be programmed for different lighting colors or intensities and staff can easily make changes on-the-fly. It also enables custom lighting for parties or private events and can be adjusted by DJs through a Control4 keypad in the DJ booth that activates multiple lighting presets.
“The most visible special feature besides the lighting is the wall-to-wall DVLED display that’s mounted above the end of the bowling lanes, where there might traditionally be static images or neon signs,” Mizrahi added. “This display can be whatever the owners want it to be. During the daytime it might show traditional bowling and pin graphics, but it can also be split into five smaller ‘windows’ to show live DirecTV feeds, Apple TV programming or any other video content they choose. And it’s all super easy to manage through the Control4 interface.”
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The integrator was also asked to design two 2x2 video walls at the bar, but knowing that multiple display setups are more complex to operate and have bezel lines, Mizrahi convinced them to go with two 100-inch screens with a Metra component that divides each screen into four individually controlled segments. To simplify management, they also integrated a new driver from Control4 that enables multi-display control from a single interface screen.
The audio system is a main attraction as well, featuring more than 30 high-performing Triad in-ceiling speakers and subwoofers, plus five outdoor speakers. They are powered by a Triad 8-zone, 16-channel amplifier and routed through a Triad audio matrix switch, with connections to the DJ booth for DJ control. The various zones allow Strike 10 to blanket distinct areas with different music, or to adjust volume for each zone. There are also dozens of additional 4K TVs located throughout the interior, with content managed through Control4.
A robust internet connection is required to ensure reliable operation of all the technology, as well as provide Wi-Fi for customers, so Miami Smart Homes and installed Pakedge and Araknis components to deliver enterprise-grade performance and offer three distinct networks to separate traffic for customers, media streaming and the establishment’s order system. A total of seven wireless access points deliver high-speed connections everywhere on the property, including the outdoor lounge area and the kitchen.
“They were also aware that bowling alleys have lots of liabilities due to it being a physical activity, so they wanted video recordings of the entire property in case of an accident,” Mizrahi said. “Therefore, we installed a surveillance system that combines 37 4K cameras, three Luma 16-channel two terabyte NVRs, and three extra Luma 8 terabyte hard drives to provide peace of mind. Additionally, there are two Control4 Chime doorbell video cameras that allow the owners to see who’s there even during off hours.”
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Miami Smart Homes didn’t install the security system, but they did integrate it with Control4 to allow custom multi-system automations, such as bringing up the lights and silencing music when the fire alarm is triggered.
All of the core equipment is mounted in a Strong rack that’s protected by a Wattbox 12 Outlet UPS and 12 Circuit IP Power Conditioner that guarantees clean, consistent power and safe shutdown in case of a power outage.