This is the source code for my Mechatronics I final project in Fall 2015.
The concept of the project was to build an "arcade" game. The specific requirements were that it have a minimum of two actuators and two sensors, that it be activated by dropping a penny through a slot, and that a single "round" of the game last between 30 and 60 seconds. Additionally, the game was required to be battery powered and able to maintain continuous operation for over three hours. Students were given the opportunity to work alone or in pairs. I elected to work alone, as work on the project largely took place during Thanksgiving break, and I didn't want to have to coordinate with someone over vacation.
To meet the requirements, I designed, fabricated, and assembled a variety of parts into what I christened "Marble Insanity".
Mable Insanity consists of a 3D-printed pyramidal ramp structure mounted on top of a square acrylic platform, which sits atop a 3D-printed cone. Through two servos attached to adjacent edges, the player controls two axes of tilt of the platform with a Wii Nunchuck. The goal is to roll a ball up the ramp structure and reach the top within 30 seconds. The name was inspired by Marble Madness, though the actual game plays more like e.g. Monkey Ball.
Unfortunately, as a game, the project was not incredibly successful. The amount of response lag between input and ball movement was large enough that controlling the ball was borderline impossible, which was exacerbated by the no-rail design of the ramp structure. Additionally, there being only an absolute goal did not help to inspire a sense of achievement in a round of gameplay. The ability to accrue multiple points in a single round would probably have engaged players more successfully.
Models of all of the parts designed for this project are available in this repository.
This code is not particularly general purpose or likely to be useful for
anything besides this project. Regardless, all the original code (i.e.
everything except notes.h) in this project is licensed under the ISC
license, reproduced below.
Copyright (c) 2016, Scot Tomer
Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
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