The Nakaya Electronics are composed of a mainboard that a ItsyBitsy32u4 microcontroller is socketed into. The mainboard connects to 4 sensor boards and 4 led light boards. Each Sensor board has 12 reed switches that are read by 2 shift in registers. Each light board has a 24 rgbw neoPixel ring attached. The software for the microcontroller checks each Sensor board for the snow pucks that correspond as a correct answer to the description of the snow for that section. Each section has 2 answers that work. When a correct answer is placed in the slot the light board fades in a light in the center of the snowflake and the mainboard triggers a sound. When the piece is removed the light fades out.
The way the software works is that there are Sensor object instances that each loop read the sensor data store it in a data object and then there is some logic that checks wether or not a correct sensor has been just places or has been just removed. This in turn calls the led modules trigger functions that begin fading in or fading out. The same logic is also responsible to trigger sounds to play when the pieces are inserted or removed. If all 4 of the same type of snowflake are in the correct slots a victory sound will play.
The software is built using platformio. You can use Arduino IDE by copying the src folder and renaming it to Nakaya and renaming the main.cpp file to Nakaya.ino. This will allow you to use Arduino to make modifications. You will need to install any missing libraries through the Arduino Library manager.
- docs : documentation and pictures
- src : source code
- eagle : pcb files
- examples_tests : code to help test and trouble shoot
- audio_assets : wavTrigger files
- readme.md : basic project info its the file you are reading
- docs/Nakaya BOM v2.xls (BOM is on sheet 2)
- some other directories are used by platformio and vscode
10” by 10” square board size, sensing distance at 5/8" and less.
- Shift Register x 2
- Reed Switches
- Phoenix Connectors
- Spacers - Between board and Milkplex
- Stand Offs - Between board and bottom plate
- reverse voltage protection
- phoenix connectors
- MCU is Adafruit ItsyBitsy32u4
The wavTrigger is the audio player that interfaces with the main board via a 5pin rectangular connector. KK254 series molex connector. This connector carries a serial signal over TX and RX lines. The connector also has 5v and gnd to power the board. The wavTrigger needs a pad solder birdged to allow for power intake from the serial input connector.
Software wise an AudioOut object is used to trigger sounds from the main code. It has a private instance of wavTrigger that is the hardware module that plays wav files. The wavTrigger library has a line un-commented to allow interfacing via the hardware Serial1. The audio files are stereo wav files.
- Each set will have 8 game pucks. Each game puck will have 1 more magnet then the previous piece. So 1 + 2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 = 36 magnets per set. 3 sets total = 108 magnets.
- The sensors count how many magnets are in the game piece to determine what piece they are.
- Each Sensor section can have 2 corresponding game pieces that trigger a success animation.
74hc165 inputs are enabled by a low level at the shift/load input. clocking is accomplished by a low-to-high transition of the clock (CLK) input while SH/LD is held high, and CLK INH is held low. (In my design CLK INH is tied to ground via a trace)
Parallel load is inhibited when SH/LD is held high. While SH/LD is low the parallel inputs to the register are enabled.
The SN74HC165 I am using needs clock to pulse from LOW to HIGH. Opposite of arduino shiftIn().
- Scan the sensors every timeStep interval & insert results into DataObject
- Update Data that holds sensor results
- Run logic on Data
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- If a corresponding puck is detected, Trigger LedModule leds to FadeIn
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- If puck is removed since lastStep Trigger LedModule leds to FadeOut