Bomb Defusal Puzzle: STM32 Microcontroller Project - ECE362

Project Report

1. The Team

Our team, consisting of myself and 3 other Electrical Engineers, were dedicated to creating an engaging bomb defusal game. Inspired by cinematic representations of high-stakes defusal scenarios, our project challenges players to accurately guess a sequence of five characters under the pressure of a countdown timer. The game aims to deliver an experience similar to Wordle, combining strategy and quick thinking to enhance player enjoyment. We commenced work on our project on April 3rd, 2024, laying the groundwork for a successful implementation.

2. The Components

Our circuit design closely mirrors that from one of our embedded labs, with notable updates including the substitution of the OLED display with a TFT LCD. The key components are:

• 7-Segment Display: Fully operational using SPI, successfully displaying the countdown timer in real-time.
• Keypad: Captures inputs using 4 pin-keypad. Mapping each button to a letter in the alphabet was completed using a conversion key matrix.
• MSP2202 TFT LCD Display:Using letter tracing functions in C, the combinational logic was viewable via this screen.

3. The Challenges

As with any project, we have encountered challenges that could impact our timeline:

• Game Logic: Developing the logic to accurately hold and validate input values poses a significant challenge, particularly in integrating Wordle mechanics.
• TFT LCD Configuration: Navigating the complexities of integrating the TFT LCD display, which presented a learning curve for the team.
• Key mapping: Deciding how to implement the entire 26-letter alphabet on a 16-button keypad proved challenging.

Despite these challenges, the team's collaborative efforts and commitment to problem-solving enabled us to overcome obstacles and deliver a successful project.

4. The Demo

Take a look at a quick demo video made by one of my teammates on his breadboard:

Unfortunately, I am unable to share specific code from this project, as it was part of an assignment with restrictions set by my instructors. However, I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating on this project and found it to be a valuable learning experience! If you would like to learn more detailed information about the project, contact me!