Buzz Game - Steady Hand

Thread Starter

Byken

Joined May 21, 2018
30
Hi All,

I'm looking to create a Buzz Game for my kids school's summer fair but not sure where to start on the circutry and would appreciate some advice on how and what components.

I want to be able to switch it on and off and probably run off a 9v battery.

When the wire is touched I'd like to have a buzzer sounds and several lights flash.

I'd also like to include a 30/60 second timer that has a visible count down and again when zero is reached the buzzer and lights go off.

Thanks in advance
Byken
 

ericgibbs

Joined Jan 29, 2010
18,766
hi Byken,
Welcome to AAC.
I guess you are asking for a LED or LCD numeric display of the 30/60Sec.?
E
 
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Thread Starter

Byken

Joined May 21, 2018
30
I'm not sure, I've not done any electronics since high school

If what you suggest has an adjustable two digit timer then... Yes

I suppose my question is two... What parts do I need and how do I join them all together to work as needed?
 

Thread Starter

Byken

Joined May 21, 2018
30
Yes I think something like that would be good and the price isn't bad, although I'd want to beable to have the LED Counter separate from the circuit board so that it can be mounted separately on top of a piece of wood while the wires and circuits are underneath...
 

Thread Starter

Byken

Joined May 21, 2018
30
I would also like to know if its possible to somehow have three lights indicating lives on and then turn one off each time the wire is touched... When the third turns off, a buzzer sounds and other lights flash??
 

AnalogKid

Joined Aug 1, 2013
10,986
What constitutes "winning"? If you maneuver successfully through the pattern with fewer than three touches in fewer than 30/60 seconds, then what? How does the game know that you reached the end of the pattern successfully? Another touch point?

And what does the game do to signify success?

ak
 

Thread Starter

Byken

Joined May 21, 2018
30
Id not thought about that side of it ..the success would be reaching the other side without the buzzer/lights going off :)

What constitutes "winning"? If you maneuver successfully through the pattern with fewer than three touches in fewer than 30/60 seconds, then what? How does the game know that you reached the end of the pattern successfully? Another touch point?

And what does the game do to signify success?

ak
 

Bernard

Joined Aug 7, 2008
5,784
Post # 6, might use a shift register with LEDs wired to be on at reset. Clock attached to wire with with bounce protection, wand with current limiting tied to + bat. At each touch a LED goes out, & on 3rd is inverted triggering a 555 buzzer driver . When wand reaches end it touches a plate triggering another 555 , triggering bigger flashing LEDs & sounds. 555 inhibited if any touches were made.
 
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Thread Starter

Byken

Joined May 21, 2018
30
Not 100% sure what your saying but it sounds exactly like what I want.... Can you explain it so that a complete novice can understand please :)

Post # 6, might use a shift register with LEDs wired to be on at reset. Clock attached to wire with with bounce protection, wand with current limiting tied to + bat. At each touch a LED goes out, & on 3rd is inverted triggering a 555 buzzer driver ??
 

AnalogKid

Joined Aug 1, 2013
10,986
Reset / power on / start
3 lights on, buzzer off
First contact - lights flash and buzzer sounds for a fixed length of time; ends with light stack decreased by one
Second contact - same
Third contact - buzzer, lights, some kind of game over indication
Press reset

or

Finish line contact - some kind of winner indication
Press reset

Sound about right?

Of course all of this can be done in a PIC or Arduino, but where's the fun in that?

ak
 

Thread Starter

Byken

Joined May 21, 2018
30
Yep.... That would do it lol...

What is PIC and Ardunio?Also need to consider cost, don't want it to be overly expensive as it's for charity.

Reset / power on / start
3 lights on, buzzer off
First contact - lights flash and buzzer sounds for a fixed length of time; ends with light stack decreased by one
Second contact - same
Third contact - buzzer, lights, some kind of game over indication
Press reset

or

Finish line contact - some kind of winner indication
Press reset

Sound about right?

Of course all of this can be done in a PIC or Arduino, but where's the fun in that?

ak
 

-live wire-

Joined Dec 22, 2017
959
Hi,
Given that cost is a factor, I recommend an Arduino nano or something similar. You can get one for a few dollars off of ebay. Then just connect all you lights, buzzers, and buttons to it. Use a mosfet and an external power supply if they require more than a few milliamps though. You can easily expand on functionality (playing sound patterns, blinking LEDs too, etc) through coding. You do not need more hardware. Especially if you need more complex patterns or voices, a microcontroller is the way to go. More specifics will help in determining what exact parts will be best.
Live Wire
 

-live wire-

Joined Dec 22, 2017
959
You just need a cable and the arduino IDE to program an arduino. You can learn very easily. And, if you just need something to work and do not care about learning, you can ask someone else to code it.
 

Bernard

Joined Aug 7, 2008
5,784
You could build this up on a solderless breadboard one function at a time. Resistors all 1/4 W.
If there is trouble finding the ICs, we can go to 74HC--- family with 5 or 6 V power supply.
For 9V I would use an AC adapter or 6 Alk. AAs.
More tomorrow, must run.Steady Hand 00000.jpg
 

Bernard

Joined Aug 7, 2008
5,784
A thought on clock. Could use 2 SRs like U1 to make a remaining time bar graph. At start, 15 LEDs would be on & one would go out every 2 sec. until last one goes out 30 seconds later.
Bar graph could serve double duty as a reward for successful travel down the wire by speeding up & inserting alternate hi & lo as inputs ??

' Have about 10 min. SR, U1 , operation. At power on, C3 holds U1 reset low for a few ms. & signal is double inverted for reset of U2. All outputs are lo, which turns LEDs 1, 2, & 3 on. A touch of the loupe to wire quickly charges C1 giving a clock pulse. A second touch within about 200 ms. is blocked. Clock loads a hi into the first stage turning off LED 1.
 
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