NYUAD Design and Innovation 2020 Group 2
Game Ring
Objectives:
Create a device for entertainment purposes that makes use of a set of LEDs and an accelerometer/gyro sensor. The device can be used as the controlling element in a game or be a game in itself.
The following game/game modes were decided to meet the requirements:
- Catch the coin
This game mode makes use of the accelerometer and LEDs to make the player control a pixel that needs to be moved in order to catch a "coin" while avoiding an enemy. The player dies if they run into the enemy. The final score of the player is shown after they die. Shake the device to play again
- Tap Delight
This game mode requires the user to tap the device when a moving pixel reaches a certain point in order to score. The player dies if they do not manage to stop it at the correct time twice in a row after which their final score is shown. Shake the device to play again.
- Spinner
The device acts as a conventional spinner that can be used in any sort of situation. Shake the device to spin the spinner again
- Dice roll
The device lights up a random number of leds from 1 to 6 to simulate a dice. Shake the device to throw the dice again
- Reaction game
This is a 2-player game, each player is assigned a colour and they have to tap the device as soon as their colour shows up on the ring. The winner is the user that has the lowest reaction time
Flipping the device upside down and flipping it back up again should change the game modes
Requirements
- The form factor that would be the most suitable for all the game modes above is a ring of pixels.
- 16 leds seems to be the right amount to suit all the games while preserving resources.
- The accelerometer/gyro module (mpu-6050) needs to be in the center of the device to ensure accurate readings
- The device should be compact enough to fit into one hand to make is easy to play with
- The device should be able to lay flat on the table as well in case it is used as a spinner
- The LEDs should be clearly visible to the player
- The device should work off a AAA battery
Design
PCB
Please refer to the Bill of Materials file for a detailed list of the components used.
Going from the requirements, the pcb was made in a circular format following the schematics and the mpu-6050 module was placed in the exact middle of it. The PCB has a diameter of 70mm and 16 leds. The LEDs were placed equidistantly along the edge of a circle with the center at the middle of the pcb and of radius 30mm. The software used (EasyEDA) did not support automatic arrangement of components in a circle. So, a python script was written to calculate the coordinates and rotation values at which the LEDs should be placed on the PCB to ensure a perfect circle. The traces were mostly made using auto-routing features with some manual corrections. Mostly all components were placed on top of the board with the exception of the battery holder. 4 mounting holes were also placed on the PCB along the edge of a circle of radius 31mm .
Enclosure
The enclosure was designed with Fusion360. It has a bottom part on which the PCB is fixed an a threaded top lid that screws on the bottom part. The top part is to be translucent for the LEDs to shine through.