Whack a Mole - Arduino Game (full arduino tutorial with code)

[@RobKohr]

The resistor trick was brilliant!

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Thanks 🤠

[@Lakshoe]

I have now completed The building of this game and it works perfect! So I just wanted to say thank you. It was my first arduino experience and it made me learn alot 😊

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Wow... that’s impressive! Great job!!

[@Leandro-mp6tj]

Can you help me? I have to finish this job, but I got stuck.

[@mintsanesta]

hello patrik how did you do it, i tried when i compile i got an compilation error, it s my first time using arduino . thank you

[@mintsanesta]

hello patrik , i tried it but it s not working at all, did you use the program and the same wiring ?

[@Lakshoe]

@@mintsanesta Hello, I am No expert so I don't think i can help you. But I did everything that was explained.

[@jc8608]

Thank you for linking to all the resources needed ! Now I'm off to get a box and all the other supplies!

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Good luck on your build!

[@mytransfriendbobbie7308]

You guys are amazing! I'm currently building a very similar (but smaller) game using an arduino nano, and this video helped a lot! Subscribed.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Robert White Thank you Robert! Grateful for the comment :-)

[@andresaguado2208]

I have a problem! Everything is done but all lights light at same time Checking the code (what I little understand) I've noticed a randomseed...A7, but my A7 pin (arduino nano) is not wired!!!! What did I do wrong...or how to solve that? I appreciate your welldoing!!!!!

[@Ricuncu]

Great Project, I'm going to build it to play with my son, I was thinking if it could be possible to transform the project in a reaction/fitness trainer putting all the buttons on the same side and using 1 display for the score and the other for timer countdown. I expect that all the wiring is the same and just some coding needed, what do you think?

[@ulaB]

Great game. Also a nice idea on how to use less pins for the buttons.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Thanks Balu!

[@maxe9239]

Hi guys! After some hours in soldering, I finally reach to the point of compiling with arduino. Infortunately, I have the following issue : whack:11:10: fatal error: Parola_Fonts_data.h: No such file or directory #include "Parola_Fonts_data.h" ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ compilation terminated. exit status 1 Parola_Fonts_data.h: No such file or directory Thank you for your answer and congrats for this wonderful project! It's awesome!

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! You need to download the library. The link to the code is in the code!

[@alfredalf333]

Hi, first of all thanks and congratulations. Is is really brilliant! I am currently building something similar (less brilliant, of course), and paying the fact I am almost totally inexpert in electronics. However, the prototype is working on the breadboard. My question for you is (sorry if it is stupid): I am waiting the delivery of the pushbuttons (for the "real" game) like the ones you used (12v), and, if I understood well, you have been able to power them directly from Arduino (5v) by changing the built-in resistor. If this is true, did you use 250 Ohm resistors? Or could you please suggest me how to calculate it? Many thanks for sharing the project and again congratulations!

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Thank you! About 150 Ohm will do :-) Make sure the LED does not heat up to much. 250 Ohm will increase the lifespan of the LED, but it will not be as bright.

[@alfredalf333]

@@DIYTECHBROS Thanks a lot!!! I will do it as soon I will receive the pushbuttons.

[@unholycanine_tv]

i love this but one question can this be adapted for just one player as my son wants to build this but only for one

[@mnsmat]

wonderful project ! buttons for players 1/2 aren't in the code nor the schema, right ? game is always launched with 2 players by default ?

[@rafaelnvales]

show de bola jaja vou construir um.. os botoes 1 jogador e 2 jogador qual a finalidade

[@christineanderson4117]

Do you have a picture of what you did underneath the motherboard? First time building and I am a little lost.

[@bhavnas6509]

Hi. I really like your video. Just had a few questions. I'm working on an arduino whack a mole project on tinkercad that involves two arduinos, LCD Display, LED lights and two 7 segment displays. The goal is to play the game and it has levels like easy medium hard and when the user begins to play each level a message should appear on the LCD screen such as "Easy Level" before the LED lights start flashing and throughout each level the score should be recorded on the 7 segment display and the time should count down from 20s (on the LCD display) for each level. I'm not sure how to make the timer loop on its own as it seems I cannot have 2 void loops in my code. I want to make the code so that it fits the vision of this game as I described above.

[@TheAutisticWorldAwesome-2023]

With an arduino uno, do you have to replace the resistors?

[@optimusprime699]

Is there a way to have just one player take their turn, then the score is stored in the display and then the second layer takes their turn after a timer is up for their go and the scores are displayed

[@iwebexp]

I have built this and LED Display is not working correctly, it appears the segments are not in order, until a few plays into game, then they align showing correct numbering. Then at end, the Winner/Looser display is reading right to left (backward). Any help?

[@alinaawan4639]

Did u find a solution??

[@iwebexp]

@@alinaawan4639 yes. It was a ground issue. Was not making connection properly

[@alinaawan4639]

@@iwebexp thankyou

[@costasrodi6837]

Hello! Where the Player's 1 start button connect and where Player's 2? Thank you very much!

[@costasrodi6837]

Is it parallel?

[@mintsanesta]

hi guys, im interested in this game but to adapt for paintball shooting range . indeed, i do have arduino mega2560, can i use the program and i also have piezo sensor as inputs .what is the size of the resistor for a new led push buttons thank you

[@jessiediep5196]

Question: In the code you provided, what does the if statement for the (step counter > action speed) do? Why do we need it and what's the purpose of printing the action_speed value? Thank you again for this tutorial! I'm excited to try it.

[@thespot2971]

Hey Guys! Great Project! I have a question, how do you wire the Player 1 and Player 2 buttons? I don’t see them mentioned in the code. I’m currently building the exact project. Everything is working perfect. Is just the player’s button what I can’t figure out yet. Thanks guys. Cheers!

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi The Spot! It’s currently wired to the reset pin. So basically, they restart the game. They are there in case you want to create other kinds of games on it as well, like a Simon says game :-)

[@BeatFusion456]

Hola. Esos botones grandes son de 110v no? Solo el led integrado es de 12v.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Excellent question! The LED (and resistor) is set up for 12V. BUT, but button it self do not have any rating (the only markings are the NO/NC and common pin)... so I'm not sure. Sorry. When comparing it to my other (rated) micro switches it feels a bit light weight. So I would not feel comfortable recommending the button above 12V.

[@bernhardbrandlhuber6022]

nice game. I have an idea for expanding the game. if you press buttons that don't light up, a point should be deducted! would be great if you would implement it and make the code available.

[@yashmohan]

Fantastic project! I have a few questions... 1. Is it possible to increase the buttons to 8 per player? 2. Can the displays be stacked to increase the size of the display? 3. Is it possible to add a sound effect everytime a button is pressed? 4. Can the difficulty be changed? (flash for shorter duration) Thanks...

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi Yashwin! (Cool profile picture!) 1.) Yes, 8 buttons will still leave enough difference in analog values. You might have to reduce the btn_tol and leds_cnt values. 2.) Yes, have a look at the library - it is great! 3.) Yes, by adding a speaker the Arduino can produce simple sound effects with little storage requirements. Just make sure you really want extra sound, the button smacking down often dives enough player feedback. 4.) Yes, you can change the action_speed and action_speed_min values! Best of luck :-)

[@v1ktus_126]

Hi, I've recreated the game that u guys made on this video and all the connections are correctly done , but i have some issues , the issue that i have is that the buttons dont affect the score for player one and it incrementally increases the score without pressing any buttons . Can you guys resolve this problem please .

[@jersonalexandermogollonfal9378]

hola y has intentado agregar este juego pero con un modulo de 7 segmentos ?

[@tiforashaunae.6506]

Can I have a list of all the materials needed for this project? Thank you

[@emmanuelay3956]

Cool project! Where can I buy the motherboard with the screw-terminals?

[@neoretropinball5437]

Impossible for me to charge a ino into the nano :/ Error message

[@qww12111]

Hi, I noticed that you added a single player button and multiplayer button. But I can't find how to wire them up by the circuit that you gave. Btw it's a interesting stuff. I am going to do this to be my homework haha. Thank you for sharing this.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! They are optional, in case any one would like to build several games using the same platform (like a Simon says game?). But, having a start button tied to reset would be smart :)

[@jonathanmendozaintriago9930]

de cuanto es el resistor celeste que cambia

[@allendelpozo7115]

regards, I would like to know if instead of connecting 5 buttons for a player I could connect 10 buttons per player. Thanks in advance

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Yes, but not on the same analog pin. The voltage difference would be a bit too low. BUT, if you move two of the LEDs over to digital pins you have two additional analog pins. So let each player have 5 buttons on two different analog pins = 10 buttons. You can also use a pin extender :-)

[@rosejo8645]

hi, I am very new to ardunio.. i have to solve a problem using ardunio.Can you please help me with it.? my problem is,Your task is to develop an Arduino-based Whack-A-Mole-like game using LEDs. Connect a 3x3 grid of LEDs to the Arduino. When the game starts, one of the LEDs is randomly chosen as the mole (this should be signaled to the player e.g. by flashing three times in a row while all other LEDs are off). During the game, the LEDs should light up randomly for a given duration. When the mole-LED lights up, the player has to press a button to hit the mole. A display should visualize the results. Think of a score and level system (e.g. increasing speed of LEDs lighting up, faster or even random durations, …).

[@blastbeatproductions7832]

I ordered all parts and started building this for my daughter and me. So I tested the led segments and the zero is not currently aligned on the 4 segment display. They seem to be reversed. When I'm hitting the number ten, zero is left, one is right. How can I fix this?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! Does single digit numbers look normal, so 2 is 2 and not 5, and 6 is not 9?

[@blastbeatproductions7832]

@@DIYTECHBROS no. Can I somehow send you pictures? Single digits are split. So the second segment should be the third and the third should be the second.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Sure, our email is on our about page :-)

[@blastbeatproductions7832]

@@DIYTECHBROS Thank you! I just sent you an email :) I really want this thing to work :)

[@blastbeatproductions7832]

Okay so if anyone wants to build this with the exact same parts but does have the same problems as I do, here is the solution. Change line 11: #define HARDWARE_TYPE MD_MAX72XX::FC16_HW Delete line 55 and 57 Have fun!

[@alejandroblanco334]

Guys! I have a problem with my game. For whatever reason every time a press a buttom, both displays start counting. I tried completely disconnecting one player and still both displays record once I press a button. Any ideas? The code is exactly the same, just the pin assigments are different. I'm also using an Arduino R3.

[@zulynayelijaramillovalarez9598]

Please, can you tell me the name of the two small buttons that have the image of a woman and that of a man.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! You can find them here banggood.app.link/sHjKNnHLV4

[@sifrak8027]

Hi, how did you calculate the values for the resistors?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

There are many great online calculators that help you so you don't have to memorize it! I just google LED CALCULATOR :-)

[@jerrylee3789]

Awesome build! Thanks DIY TechBros. I do have a question though.... I see you have player 1 and player 2 button on the play surface. However, i don’t see it in the schematics. Is that for further expansion?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Well spotted :-) Yes, this is a basic frame where you can create multiple games, like strike a light, Simon says and so on.

[@webfiles4utube]

@@DIYTECHBROS I have all the the components wired up and verified it multiple times against the schematics. Something isn't quite right. After pressing the reset, all the button LEDs light up in some kind of sequence and they all just stay on. Button press on any of the buttons does not seem to do anything. Any assistance would be greatly appreciate it. I went back a viewed the video a few more times, it had mentioned a start button. I'm also not seeing that in the schematics.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

webfiles4utube Hi! If you the diagram, one option is to connect it to reset :-)

[@DIYTECHBROS]

webfiles4utube Regarding the lights not switching off might be due to an error on the analog readings. Make sure you use the same value resistors. If that do not help try expanding the values for registering analog inputs. If you are using an Arduino clone / compatible board there might be different internal resistance on the device. If that do not help either, try outputting the value to the Arduino terminal. Keep us posted, and let us know if we can help further!

[@webfiles4utube]

@@DIYTECHBROS Wish I have good things to report. I've comb through the entire circuit and not finding any issues. I've also tested on three different Nano broads, tried different resister values at the LED 220ohms 470 ohm and at the voltage divider 10k and 20k ohms. Only thing I get is all the LEDs lights up in pairs (player 1 red, player 2 red, player 1 blue, player 2 blue..etc). Even the simple adding of the 1k ohm resister at the towards ground on the reset button does not function properly. But the reset works perfectly w/o the 1k resister.

[@icroZz]

Hello again. Is it possible to program this so when you hit a "black" button it gives you -1 point?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi icroZz! Yes, it is possible to rewrite the code so that you will get deducted a point if you hit a button that is not lit up. I must admit that this will require a bigger rewrite of the code. But you are right, this may be an improvement to the game. I will put it on my TO DO list. Remember to click the Watch list in GitHub to get notified!

[@icroZz]

@@DIYTECHBROS Thanks!

[@jyothishomanaamma6808]

One doubt, in the circuit player selection switches are missing..

[@jyothishomanaamma6808]

One player or two players!!

[@degesus521]

hola que tal espero que se encuentren bien, este proyecto es una hermosura y lo estoy haciendo como trabajo en la escuela, pero tengo un inconveniente y es el siguiente: subi el programa al arduino conecte todo bien y nada mas me encienden las luces y se quedan prendidas como si estubieran esperando alguna otra indicacion, preciono el boton de reiniciar pero luego sigue sucediendo lo mismo. Por favo, Si me pudieran ayudar se los agradeceria muchas demaciado

[@priscilagomez8358]

Hola como estas? Me podrias explicas como hiciste la parte electrónica? Porq en el video te muestra pero por partes. Y en lo de tinkercad la imagen lo sacaron al parecer. Yo lo estoy haciendo este año para un proyecto informático. Te lo agradecería muchísimo!

[@safetyshouldbefun]

Hi, love this project. I have some spare time over and a box of electronics so I thought why not build this for my son, fun project for me and fun game for him. Now, question number one is if it’s possible to redo the code and make it one player only? And if there is any help to get with this. I have built the system and loaded the code in my Nano, but it doesn’t work , button one is lighting up all the time. That’s it. I hope you have time to answer. Great project.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! You can actually use this as a one player game. Just don't connect any of the opponents buttons. But, do pull the 2. player analog pin to ground with a 1K+ resistor. If only the same button is lighting up make sure have connected the buttons according to the array: int p1_leds[5] = {2,3,4,5,6}; So, using pin 2,3,4,5 and 6.

[@TwistedStoriesTube]

@@DIYTECHBROS HI again guys, i am really sorry to bother you but i am struggling here. I cant manage to figure out what i am doing wrong. I read the analog inputs and all i get is 14, constant. No changes whatever i do. I even tried changing board to Arduino Uno, but the same thing happend there. Do you know what i am doing wrong. Probably something with the wiring but i cant figure out what. Thank you.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

That is strange! Since 14 means a low voltage... if it was floating (not connected) it would show all kinds of random values, and not only 14. See our about page, there you will find our email address. Snap a few pictures and send us, and I’ll have a look. If you are Swedish, you can just write in Swedish (a hunch based on your name)!

[@rafimovsisyan]

Hello, Thank You for this amazing project. I need help in the case. Wene it starts all lights turn on one by one and that's all. How to start the game ? I am doing this without matrix, I just wanna test it.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi Raf! Seems like your Arduino has a difference in internal resistance on the analog pin. There is a support case for this on the github :-) In short, the button values are a bit off. Try expanding the tolerance. If it does not help, just check the analog values on the Arduino Serial Monitor and use those values and it will work :-)

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi Raf! Did you sove it? :-)

[@rafimovsisyan]

@@DIYTECHBROS Thanks for advice, tomorrow I will try it at work. Mwy you say if you turn on it starts automatically?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Yes, a game starts when turned on!

[@rafimovsisyan]

@@DIYTECHBROS May I get that github link ?

[@Leandro-mp6tj]

you can take a picture of the two sides of the arduino? how urgent please

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! We are happy to help! Just let us know what the problem is. See our about page if you need to send us an email!

[@nicoletgee6167]

Hello! Good day. May I ask what is MD_Parola library mean? Thank you so much. It would be a great help for our project.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

+Nicole Gotera Hi! It’s the library for handeling the Red Dot Matrix Display :-)

[@nicoletgee6167]

@@DIYTECHBROS How can I download it? Thank you

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Sorry your comment was tagged as "likely spam" so took a while before we discovered it. You can download the library from here: github.com/MajicDesigns/MD_Parola

[@tseckwr3783]

Good one!!

[@M.4y]

Where can I get the stencil/template for the buttons?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

I just pressed the button against a piece of cardboard and cut around the indents. First for the "tube" and then for the two tabs. A simple template, but it works :)

[@coskunsoba7072]

hi exit status 1 studio.h : no such file or directory

[@Lakshoe]

What is The size of The box that you're using?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi Patrik! It’s 60x40x23,5 cm or about 23.5x16x9 inches.

[@poojakoduru2706]

I have an other problem also...the led's are not glowing randomly

[@DIYTECHBROS]

what kind of arduino or compatible board ar you using?

[@iwebexp]

I built by schematic, uploaded to nano and LEDs will 1 by 1 come on and stay on

[@iwebexp]

I got this to work finally, the button values were different than in your array. Could you work with me on coding to accept a range of values from the buttons rather than a single value?

[@vhieltechhub254]

thank you i will build it and repurposed it for nerf target games

[@icroZz]

Can't see how you connect the 1 player and 2 player buttons?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

They are optional. More in case anyone would like to build more games on the box. But connecting one of the to reset might be an idea :-)

[@icroZz]

@@DIYTECHBROS Okay, is it possible to get them to work so you can play 1 player?

[@poojakoduru2706]

I have a problem...by pressing any button the score increases...because all buttons are commonly connected to A0 or A1 and the code is also written that way ...any solution

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! Have you created the voltage divider?

[@poojakoduru2706]

Yes

[@DIYTECHBROS]

​@@poojakoduru2706 Try to connect the Arduino to your computer and read the analog values to the Serial Window.

[@poojakoduru2706]

Already done

[@poojakoduru2706]

Basically there is a lot of problem in this... 1)both the matrix are responding for buttons.. 2)and leds are not glowing randomly 3)and the score is not increasing by a step 1

[@dominikklen2581]

Can somebody help me I have issue with buttons, they all light up and they arent doing anything.

[@miked2742]

hello i have the same problem did jou already find the problem ?

[@dominikklen2581]

@@miked2742 No we didnt. We started writing code for game on mega arduino, there you can just plug all wires on. And with code just turn on random button and led diode.

[@alinaawan4639]

Did u find the solution??

[@dominikklen2581]

@@alinaawan4639 No we made a new code for game. And we took arduino Uno to do it. For every led diode and every button we made input. So every diode turns random with program not with resistors.

[@itzelglez5832]

hi, what is the programming language of your code?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi Itzel Glez! The code is written in standard "Arduino language". It's a C/C++ language with a lot of special functions. It's very easy to learn.

[@edwinsalguero2126]

hello friends to compile it throws me errors I would appreciate if you could upload the file to compile it directly

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi Edwin! You have to download the library for the LED Matrix (MD_Parola) at github.com/MajicDesigns/MD_Parola

[@DIYTECHBROS]

I have also updated this in the code! Good luck on your build!

[@Leandro-mp6tj]

Can you help me? I have to finish this job, but I got stuck.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Sure, we can try! Where did you get stuck?

[@Leandro-mp6tj]

@@DIYTECHBROS In the part where we have to connect the leds to the arduino. I didn't understand the connections

[@Leandro-mp6tj]

@@DIYTECHBROS it is possible to have a better connection, because I have to deliver this work urgently.

[@ESLBuzzerGameSystems]

woooooooooooooow love it

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Thanks :-)

[@icroZz]

I use FC16_HW and its mirrored, why is that?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! There is no standard when it comes to Connecting these displays. When you buy a row of 4, they may be connector from left to right, right to top, bottom to top and so on. Not taking about pin out but when one display is full, what is the first dot on the next display... But keep tweaking and you will find the correct setting for your display!

[@rickardandren283]

@@DIYTECHBROS I found the answer in a older comment. Now my game also works! Thanks for the guide and all the work you have done!

[@M.4y]

What is the size of the box

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! It’s 60x40x23,5 cm or about 23.5x16x9 inches.

[@christiansanchez6460]

I have 2 doubts 1-what did the arduino feed with? 2-of how many ohms can be the resistance that go in the LEDs?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! Feed the Arduino with your preferred powersupply. Also, the LEDs are regular LEDs, so you can use a resistor calculator or just 250 :)

[@christiansanchez6460]

@@DIYTECHBROS Thank you very much :) , how many volts do you recommend to put the arduino?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

5V if you are using the USB port, and 7 - 12V if you are using the VIN pin. This may depend a bit if you are using an Arduino compatible board and an original one. But 7 - 12V works on most of them.

[@abdelhmidrhim4620]

Can you guys give me the code pls .. what is in the description isn't IDE file .

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi! Just copy the content of the code (link in description) and paste it into the Arduino IDE :-) We will upload the file as an arduino file as well.

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Here is a link to the Arduino file: github.com/DIYTechBros/ButtonSmack/blob/master/Smak_a_button.ino

[@pandamanantoine9737]

Hello , is be able to have the link of your tinkercad.com thank a lot for this video

[@coskunsoba7072]

hello which version gives md password compile error

[@DIYTECHBROS]

password?

[@coskunsoba7072]

@@DIYTECHBROS sorry my english is less, ı loaded the library md_parola but it gives errors when ı clik check codes

[@coskunsoba7072]

@@DIYTECHBROS everybody is doing if i can t but where

[@electroprosknowhowto]

Can I use Arduino Uno?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Yes! It’s basically the same chip, just a different layout.

[@electroprosknowhowto]

So, any changes in the schematic and code?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Nope, the pinots are the same!

[@electroprosknowhowto]

OK

[@electroprosknowhowto]

Can we use LCD or Serial monitor instead of LED's Display?

[@naturalvip1]

CUAL ES LA LOGICA DEL JUEGO?

[@DIYTECHBROS]

first player to hit a button scores a point. First player to 100 points wins the game!

[@AndersonSilva-mn5zs]

Parabéns muito legal

[@lolabeautyanabieza]

Sending full support new friend fr, RA garcia

[@dimasdimas6480]

Hi i have an issue with this project and opened one on github If you have time pls check it out i am stuck :((

[@edwinsalguero2126]

or if someone already compiled it could pass me the file to open it directly with arduino thanks in advance

[@DIYTECHBROS]

Hi Edwin! You have to download the library for the LED Matrix (MD_Parola) at github.com/MajicDesigns/MD_Parola

[@yupingliao4078]

Thank you

[@cristiankikyelx6300]

Alguien que hable español ha intentado hacerlo?? Me estoy volviendo loco...😭

[@DIYTECHBROS]

I can't reply in Spanish, but I understand some. What's the problem?

[@cristiankikyelx6300]

@@DIYTECHBROS If you want I can pass you my number by email and I can pass you photos of what happens by WhatsApp or Telegram

[@anthonyinabo2382]

waaaw

[@DIYTECHBROS]

😄