The original aim was to take the original Apple 2 version of Taipan! and port it to run on an Arduino Duemilanove. Yes, I could have used a Mega or a Raspberry Pi or any number of other things but to get it working on a normal Arduino was the challenge (and it flaming was).
Turned out to not be possible. In the end I had to use two! One runs the game and the other runs the display using the Arduino TV-Out library. Due to memory constraints all the strings are stored on an external EEPROM chip read via I2C. The comms between the two Arduinos is done over serial using customer commands. The keypad is custom made and functions to allow entering letters and numbers. I am using a resistor voltage divider hooked to the keys so the keypad only uses one analogue input. Output from the TV-Out library is fed to a small LCD screen and also to a RCA socket so it can be displayed on an external video monitor. The library also allows sounds so the original game sounds were manually recreated.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
Used to play this during lunch break in high school. Always fun.