Final Project
Finally, coming back to the present day, I feel confident about what my final project will be. After realizing that politics is not something I want to focus on, I decided to create a game that helps people relax and think about positive things.
The game is built on an MDF board, featuring a robot controlled by a joystick. The goal is to collect 5 NFC coin tags within a limited time. Each coin is a unique NTAG213 sticker detected by an RC522 NFC reader mounted under the car. Collect all 5 before 00:00 to win — miss any and it's GAME OVER.
▸ AI prompt: "Generate a photorealistic image of a tabletop maze game made from wood, featuring a small robotic car collecting glowing coins, obstacles, and walls..."
COLLECTOR
| COIN # | TAG UID | TYPE | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1D 05 99 C5 08 10 80 | NTAG213 | ■ COLLECTED |
| 02 | 1D 02 99 C5 08 10 80 | NTAG213 | ■ COLLECTED |
| 03 | 1D 04 99 C5 08 10 80 | NTAG213 | ■ COLLECTED |
| 04 | 1D F7 98 C5 08 10 80 | NTAG213 | ■ COLLECTED |
| 05 | 1D 03 99 C5 08 10 80 | NTAG213 | ■ COLLECTED |
WK-02
OpenSCAD — Maze Design
DONE
▶
I already had a clear idea of how I wanted the game environment to look.
During this week, I learned OpenSCAD and transferred my ideas onto paper, then modeled them digitally.
WK-03
Laser Cut — 300×300mm Prototype
DONE
▶
I improved my OpenSCAD skills and modified my design.
I created an algorithm to generate the labyrinth randomly, so each run produces a different layout.
I used a laser cutter to make a 300mm × 300mm test version and also created cards generated from random designs.
WK-04
Timer System + Restart Button
DONE
▶
I programmed a timer system. Using a button, the timer resets and starts again.
This helps the player track how fast they collect the coins and allows restarting the game.
WK-05
Robot Car Eyes Design
DONE
▶
This week, I created eyes for my robot car. I hope to include them in the final version 😄
WK-06
PCB Design — Motors + NFC + LCD
DONE
▶
This week, I worked on a more serious part — designing the PCB for my robot car, which includes:
LCD (timer + coins display), NFC reader RC522 (coin detection),
2 motor drivers (movement), and RP2040 microcontroller (main logic).
WK-07
CNC Cut — Full Game Board
DONE
▶
This week, I got much closer to the final result by using a CNC machine to cut a larger,
more refined version of the game board that I initially tested in Week 3.
WK-08
PCB Milling + NFC Working
DONE
▶
This week, I milled the PCB design, which I plan to further improve and optimize in the coming weeks.
The NFC reader is now working and detecting tags reliably.
WK-09
Joystick + OLED + ESP-NOW Link
DONE
▶
This week I implemented one of the main components of my final project — the joystick 😍
Wireless communication between joystick and car via ESP-NOW protocol,
with OLED display showing live timer, coin count, and battery percentage.
The complete game is now working end-to-end. Joystick controls the car wirelessly, NFC tags are detected as coins, the OLED shows live game state, and both devices flash their LEDs on coin collection. WIN screen shows your time. GAME OVER shows coins collected. Press SW to restart anytime.