# Starting to build a puzzle



## OmegaForge (Apr 22, 2020)

After watching alot of Chris Ramsay videos on YouTube I decided to start making a puzzle box of sorts. It will involve electronics and some fun moving parts. I am not sure if this is the right forum to share ideas and get feedback becuse see mostly rubik's cube content on here.

I have started off with two interface ideas one is using an arduino to make pieces of metal into capacitive touch sensors. The other involves rotating round ring patterns, I have used reed switches and magnets so the system knows what positions the rings are in. I think I am going to use both but need to decide how to make them fit together.

I am still working on the over all theme but I like the idea of something with a sci-fi feel to it. Like a bomb you need to defuse or some kind of alien storage device. 

Let me know if you want photos/video of what I have made so far.

Thanks in advance


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## DerpBoiMoon (Apr 22, 2020)

Make a part where you need to twist, and you're in the right place. Could you show photos?


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## OmegaForge (Apr 22, 2020)

DerpBoiMoon said:


> Make a part where you need to twist, and you're in the right place. Could you show photos?


I will put up photos and video tomorrow, I'm tired after spending all doing building a closet organizer. glad to have a place to share ideas. I might need help on some of the elements.


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## Zain_A24 (Apr 22, 2020)

Hello OmegaForge,

This is a great place to post your progress. I, as well as many others, would be interested in how you get on with your puzzle design progress. An electronic puzzle I particularly like is the *Ex-Mars* cube, which is a creative use of LEDs, stepper motors and intricate programming, designed to be more than just a 3x3 when toggling various modes the cube has. Good luck with your progress and I look forward to seeing some of your innovative concepts.


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## OmegaForge (Apr 22, 2020)

So here are the photos and video I promised.

 

Video of rings spinning:





So here are my rotating rings, the symbols are just place holders because I wanted something on them. They have a ball detent for each ring so that it will snap into one of the cardinal directions. There are two reed switches for each ring and two sets of magnets inside each ring and the combination of how they line up will tell the Arduino what position the ring is in. I can go over how this is constructed in more detail if requested.

Touch sensors:





The second part is the touch sensors, these are pieces of copper hooked up to an Arduino, and using a capacitive library and a resistor I can measure if the plates are touched. I also added an Adafruit sound fx soundboard and mini amp so I can have sound effects too. The lights in the background are Neopixels, individually addressable RGB LEDs. The Neopixels will save on Arduino pins because I can control a ton with just one data pin.

Please let me know if you have any more questions or ideas.


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## brododragon (Apr 22, 2020)

Zain_A24 said:


> Hello OmegaForge,
> 
> This is a great place to post your progress. I, as well as many others, would be interested in how you get on with your puzzle design progress. An electronic puzzle I particularly like is the *Ex-Mars* cube, which is a creative use of LEDs, stepper motors and intricate programming, designed to be more than just a 3x3 when toggling various modes the cube has. Good luck with your progress and I look forward to seeing some of your innovative concepts.


Can we just take a second to realize that in the Ex-Mars ad it says *you have to have another person to scramble it*? Whoever made that ad forgot that scrambles existed.


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