Author: Petcu Tudor-Mihai, grupa 333CD

The purpose of this project is to build an interactive digital puzzle game based on the ATmega328P Xplained Mini development board. The game will run directly on a 16×2 LCD, where the user will see the current level, the remaining time, and the puzzle state. The user will interact with the system through a keypad, while a bi-color LED and a buzzer will provide visual and audio feedback.

The main idea behind the project is to create a simple embedded game that combines display control, keypad input, timing logic, and feedback signals. The project started from the idea of a simple access system, then evolved into a puzzle box concept, and finally became a fully digital puzzle game displayed on the LCD. This version is more practical, easier to test, and better suited for the available hardware.

We chose this idea because it is interactive, easy to demonstrate, and allows us to combine several topics studied during the laboratory sessions, especially interrupts, timers/PWM, and UART for debugging. We think the project is useful for us because it gives us practical experience with both hardware and software integration.

The project is built around the ATmega328P Xplained Mini development board, which controls all the hardware components. The system has the following main modules:

• Main control unit – the ATmega328P Xplained Mini coordinates the entire system.
• Input module – a 4×4 keypad is used for user input, menu navigation, start, finish, and reset actions.
• Display module – a 16×2 LCD shows the puzzle, the current level, the remaining time, and result messages.
• Feedback module – a buzzer and a bi-color LED indicate game status, success, timeout, or errors.
• Game logic module – software manages the countdown, level difficulty, puzzle updates, state transitions, and result validation.
• Debug module – UART can be used for debugging and testing the hardware modules during development.

A simple logical flow of the system is the following:

• the system waits in an idle state
• the user presses a keypad button to start the game
• the LCD shows the puzzle, the current level, and the countdown timer
• the user interacts with the puzzle using the keypad
• the puzzle state is updated on the LCD
• if the user solves the puzzle before timeout, the system shows success and moves to the next level
• if the timer reaches zero first, the system signals failure
• the user can restart the game or continue to the next round

The project can be described using the following software states:

• Idle
• Start Game
• Game Running
• Success
• Fail / Timeout
• Next Level / Reset

The following block diagram presents the main hardware modules of the system and the way they interact. The ATmega328P Xplained Mini is the central control unit. It receives input from the buttons, controls the LCD, drives the servo motor, activates the buzzer and LEDs, and can optionally communicate with a PC through UART for debugging.

• 1 x ATmega328P Xplained Mini development board
• 1 x micro-USB data cable
• 1 x 4×4 keypad
• 1 x 16×2 LCD, 5V
• 1 x active buzzer
• 1 x bi-color LED (red/green, 3 pins)
• 2 x 220 Ohm resistors
• 1 x 10 kOhm potentiometer
• 1 x breadboard
• jumper wires

If I use other components in addition to those mentioned, they will be added to the list of components, if it is necessary.

The ATmega328P Xplained Mini development board is the main controller and coordinates the entire system. Unlike a standalone microcontroller mounted directly on a breadboard, this board already includes the basic support circuitry, the programming interface, and the USB connection, which simplifies both development and debugging.

The LCD will display the current level, the timer, and game messages such as:

• “Press Start”
• “Level 1”
• “Time left: 45 s”
• “Success”
• “Time over”

The keypad will be used as the main input device. It replaces separate push buttons and allows the user to start the game, confirm actions, reset the round, and potentially navigate through levels or menu options.

The buzzer will provide sound notifications:

• game start
• warning near timeout
• success
• failure

The bi-color LED will provide simple visual feedback:

• green = success
• red = failure or timeout

The breadboard is used for the external hardware connections, such as the buzzer, LED, resistors, LCD interface, and signal routing between the development board and the external components.

The 10 kOhm potentiometer is used to adjust the contrast of the LCD.

The firmware will be developed in C for AVR using PlatformIO as the main development environment. PlatformIO is useful for this project because it offers an easier build system, project structure, library management, serial monitor support, and firmware upload integration.

At this stage, the implementation is still in progress, so this section presents the general software structure and the main ideas that will be used in the final version.

• PlatformIO – used for project management, building, uploading, and serial monitoring
• AVR toolchain – used for compiling the firmware for the ATmega328P
• AVRDUDE – used for uploading the compiled code to the development board
• UART serial monitor – used for debugging and hardware testing during development

For the moment, the project mainly relies on standard AVR headers and basic low-level control of the microcontroller peripherals. Depending on the final implementation, simple helper modules may be added for:

• LCD control
• keypad scanning
• UART debugging
• timer management
• game logic

At this stage, the focus is on understanding and controlling the hardware directly, without relying too much on complex third-party libraries.

The software will be organized into simple functional modules, each responsible for one part of the system. A possible structure is the following:

• `main.c` – main program flow and initialization
• `keypad.c / keypad.h` – keypad scanning and key detection
• `lcd.c / lcd.h` – LCD control and message display
• `buzzer.c / buzzer.h` – buzzer control and sound signals
• `led.c / led.h` – bi-color LED control
• `timer.c / timer.h` – countdown and timing logic
• `uart.c / uart.h` – debugging through serial communication
• `game.c / game.h` – game states, puzzle logic, and level progression

The exact number of source files may change during implementation, but the software will follow this modular idea.

The project will be based on a finite state machine, because the application naturally moves through several distinct stages. The most important software states are:

• Idle – the system waits for user input
• Start Game – a new round begins
• Running – the puzzle is active and the countdown is displayed
• Success – the user finishes in time
• Fail / Timeout – the user does not finish before the timer expires
• Next Level / Reset – the system prepares the next round

The main software logic will include:

• keypad input reading
• LCD screen updates
• countdown handling using timers
• buzzer and LED feedback
• digital puzzle generation and update
• level progression and reset logic
• UART-based debugging during testing

At a general level, the firmware is expected to work as follows:

• initialize all hardware modules
• wait for the user to start the game
• display the puzzle on the LCD
• show the current level and remaining time on the LCD
• read user commands from the keypad
• update the puzzle state according to the pressed keys
• detect whether the puzzle is completed in time
• signal success or failure using the buzzer and bi-color LED
• move to the next level or restart the game

This project is a good example of combining embedded programming with interactive user input and simple game logic. Even though the implementation is still in progress, the project already has a clear structure and a well-defined goal.

From an educational point of view, the project is useful because it brings together several important concepts studied during the laboratory sessions, such as UART, interrupts, timers / PWM, I2C, GPIO usage, and hardware debugging.

The final objective is to obtain a complete and functional digital puzzle game that is simple enough to be implemented with the available hardware, but also complex enough to demonstrate practical embedded systems design.

• Week 1
  • the project received approval this week
  • work started on both the hardware and software parts
  • the main components were selected and the project structure was outlined

• Week 2
  • the plan is to complete most of the hardware setup by the end of next week
  • the main hardware modules will be connected and tested
  • software development and debugging will continue in parallel

• Week 3
  • the goal is to fully complete both the hardware and software parts
  • the final integration and testing of the whole system will be carried out