Reaction-Tester Arcade

Learning Goals 5 min

1. Polish the L02-40 reaction timer into an arcade-quality experience: LCD scoreboard, EEPROM-backed high score, big light, satisfying buzzer.
2. Combine LCD (Cluster E), EEPROM (Cluster G), millis() timing (Cluster F), and debounced buttons (L02-37) into a single fun-feeling game.
3. Add a 3-attempt round structure: best of three counts as your "score", then it's the next player's turn — proper arcade pacing.

Warm-Up 10 min

L01-22 had the bare-bones game: random delay, LED, button, reaction time. L02-40 added EEPROM high score. Today we add an LCD and arcade pacing. Same core mechanic, but now it feels like a thing you'd play more than once.

What "arcade" means here

The difference between a sketch and an arcade game:

• Visible high score on every "ready" screen.
• Multiple attempts per round (3 attempts, best counted).
• Big visible cues (LED + LCD + buzzer all reinforce the GO signal).
• Tight loops — the next round starts immediately, no thinking required.
• Score history on the LCD (this attempt, best in round, all-time best).

New Concept · Arcade-style game state 20 min

State machine — bigger than v1

The arcade version has more states than the simple version:

RESULT cycles back to READY for the next attempt; ROUND_OVER cycles back to IDLE.

Round structure

const int ATTEMPTS_PER_ROUND = 3;
unsigned long roundTimes[ATTEMPTS_PER_ROUND];
int attemptIdx = 0;
unsigned long bestThisRound = 0xFFFFFFFF;

Each round: 3 attempts collected, best computed, compared against the EEPROM high score. The all-time high score is the BEST OF ALL ROUNDS, not BEST OF ALL ATTEMPTS — meaning you can't just spam the button hoping for one lucky try.

Two-line LCD layout for IDLE

Press to play
Best: 247 ms

Two-line layout for RESULT (mid-round)

That: 312 ms
1/3 done

Two-line layout for ROUND_OVER

Round best: 247
** NEW HIGH **

Worked Example · The arcade sketch 25 min

Step 1 — wiring

If you have a 5+ V tactile arcade-style button (the kind with a metal ring), use it for D2 — feels great. Otherwise a regular pushbutton works fine.

Step 2 — the sketch

Save as reaction-arcade.ino:

#include <Wire.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>
#include <EEPROM.h>

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27, 16, 2);

const int LED=9, BUZZ=8, BTN=2;
const int HIGH_ADDR = 0;
const unsigned long NO_SCORE = 0xFFFFFFFF;
const int ATTEMPTS_PER_ROUND = 3;

unsigned long allTimeHigh = NO_SCORE;
unsigned long roundTimes[ATTEMPTS_PER_ROUND];
int attemptIdx = 0;
unsigned long bestThisRound = NO_SCORE;

enum State { IDLE, READY, ARMED, RESULT, FALSE_STATE, ROUND_OVER };
State state = IDLE;
unsigned long stateEnteredAt = 0;
unsigned long armDelay = 0;
unsigned long armedAt = 0;
unsigned long lastReaction = 0;

// ---- Debounced button ----
struct Btn {
  int pin;
  unsigned long lastChange;
  int rawState, stableState, prevStable;
  bool justPressed;
  void begin(int p) {
    pin = p; pinMode(p, INPUT_PULLUP);
    rawState = stableState = prevStable = digitalRead(p);
    lastChange = millis();
  }
  void tick() {
    int n = digitalRead(pin);
    if (n != rawState) { rawState = n; lastChange = millis(); }
    justPressed = false;
    if (millis() - lastChange >= 50 && rawState != stableState) {
      prevStable = stableState; stableState = rawState;
      if (stableState == LOW && prevStable == HIGH) justPressed = true;
    }
  }
};
Btn btn;

void drawIdle() {
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0); lcd.print("Press to play");
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
  if (allTimeHigh == NO_SCORE) lcd.print("No high score");
  else { char buf[17]; sprintf(buf, "Best: %lu ms", allTimeHigh); lcd.print(buf); }
}

void drawReady() {
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0); lcd.print("Wait...");
  char buf[17];
  sprintf(buf, "Attempt %d/%d", attemptIdx + 1, ATTEMPTS_PER_ROUND);
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1); lcd.print(buf);
}

void drawArmed() {
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0); lcd.print("** GO ! **");
}

void drawResult() {
  lcd.clear();
  char buf[17];
  sprintf(buf, "That: %lu ms", lastReaction);
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0); lcd.print(buf);
  sprintf(buf, "%d/%d done", attemptIdx, ATTEMPTS_PER_ROUND);
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1); lcd.print(buf);
}

void drawFalse() {
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0); lcd.print("False start!");
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1); lcd.print("Press to retry");
}

void drawRoundOver() {
  lcd.clear();
  char buf[17];
  sprintf(buf, "Round: %lu ms", bestThisRound);
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0); lcd.print(buf);
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
  if (bestThisRound < allTimeHigh) lcd.print("** NEW HIGH **");
  else lcd.print("Try again?");
}

void enterState(State next) {
  state = next;
  stateEnteredAt = millis();
  switch (next) {
    case IDLE:
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
      drawIdle();
      break;
    case READY:
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
      armDelay = random(2000, 5000);
      drawReady();
      break;
    case ARMED:
      digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
      armedAt = millis();
      tone(BUZZ, 1800, 80);
      drawArmed();
      break;
    case RESULT:
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
      drawResult();
      break;
    case FALSE_STATE:
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
      tone(BUZZ, 250, 350);
      drawFalse();
      break;
    case ROUND_OVER:
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
      if (bestThisRound < allTimeHigh) {
        allTimeHigh = bestThisRound;
        EEPROM.put(HIGH_ADDR, allTimeHigh);
        tone(BUZZ, 2200, 150);
        delay(180);
        tone(BUZZ, 2600, 200);
      } else {
        tone(BUZZ, 1500, 100);
      }
      drawRoundOver();
      break;
  }
}

void setup() {
  Wire.begin();
  lcd.init(); lcd.backlight();
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT); pinMode(BUZZ, OUTPUT);
  btn.begin(BTN);
  Serial.begin(9600);
  randomSeed(analogRead(A0));
  EEPROM.get(HIGH_ADDR, allTimeHigh);
  enterState(IDLE);
}

void loop() {
  btn.tick();

  switch (state) {
    case IDLE:
      if (btn.justPressed) {
        attemptIdx = 0;
        bestThisRound = NO_SCORE;
        enterState(READY);
      }
      break;

    case READY:
      if (btn.justPressed) enterState(FALSE_STATE);
      else if (millis() - stateEnteredAt >= armDelay) enterState(ARMED);
      break;

    case ARMED:
      if (btn.justPressed) {
        lastReaction = millis() - armedAt;
        roundTimes[attemptIdx] = lastReaction;
        if (lastReaction < bestThisRound) bestThisRound = lastReaction;
        attemptIdx++;
        enterState(RESULT);
      }
      break;

    case RESULT:
      if (millis() - stateEnteredAt >= 1500) {
        if (attemptIdx >= ATTEMPTS_PER_ROUND) enterState(ROUND_OVER);
        else enterState(READY);
      }
      break;

    case FALSE_STATE:
      if (btn.justPressed) enterState(READY);
      break;

    case ROUND_OVER:
      if (millis() - stateEnteredAt >= 4000 || btn.justPressed) enterState(IDLE);
      break;
  }
}

Step 3 — play your first round

LCD shows "Press to play" + high score. Press the button. The round begins:

• Attempt 1: Wait → GO → tap → "That: 312 ms" → next attempt.
• Attempt 2: Same flow.
• Attempt 3: Same.
• ROUND_OVER: shows your best of three. If it beat the all-time, double-tone celebrates + EEPROM updates.
• After 4 seconds (or a button press) it returns to IDLE.

Step 4 — play several rounds

Notice how the pacing feels. The 1.5 s RESULT display is just long enough to read your time, not so long you get bored. The 4 s ROUND_OVER lets the player savour a new high. The auto-return to IDLE means "next player, press the button" — perfect tournament rhythm.

Step 5 — power cycle, beat your record

Unplug, replug. LCD shows your high score from before. Play. If you beat it: celebration tone, EEPROM updates again.

Try It Yourself 15 min

Mini-Challenge · Tournament time 15 min

Set up a real tournament. Get 4–6 people. Each plays one round (3 attempts). The system tracks who has the current high score, who's second, etc.

For this challenge, polish the device:

1. Mount everything on a flat board so the LCD and button are clearly visible to a standing player.
2. Make sure the button is loud and tactile (big arcade button if you have one, or a tactile switch with a label).
3. Use the trophy character (Easy task above) for new-high signalling.
4. Run a 6-person tournament. Track results on paper.

It's arcade-quality when:

• A player who's never seen it can play their first round without verbal instruction (the LCD prompts are clear enough).
• The round-over screen makes new-high winners feel proud.
• Multiple people want to play more than one round in a row.
• Someone, eventually, beats the high score and there's genuine applause. That moment is the whole point.

Recap 5 min

The Reaction-Tester Arcade closes Cluster H's integration builds. The new lesson today wasn't technical — it was the pacing-and-polish discipline that turns a working game into a fun one. Six states (IDLE, READY, ARMED, RESULT, FALSE, ROUND_OVER), proper round structure (3 attempts), EEPROM-backed high score, LCD scoreboard, celebration audio for new highs. None of these required a new library or technique; all the parts came from earlier lessons. Cluster H's overall lesson: integration is its own skill, separate from the underlying tech. Tomorrow we wrap up L2 with schematic reading, debugging, and the recap before assessment.

Round structure

A repeatable unit of gameplay (here: 3 attempts, best counted). Provides pacing, comparable results between players, and natural breakpoints.

Best-of-N

Scoring multiple attempts and taking the best. Reduces the impact of one lucky / unlucky attempt, rewards skill over luck.

Idle screen

The attract-mode display shown when nothing is happening. Should communicate what the device does, how to start, and what's at stake (the high score).

Celebration feedback

Distinctive audio + visual cues for the most important events (new high score). Makes the moment feel earned. Generic beeps don't.

Auto-return

After a final screen, returning automatically to IDLE without requiring a press. Keeps the game ready for the next player without manual handoff.

Pacing

The rhythm of state transitions and screen durations. Too fast = confusing; too slow = boring. Tune by playtesting, not by guessing.

Attract mode

Old arcade-cabinet term for the screens shown when nobody's playing — designed to attract someone to step up. IDLE is your attract mode.

Tournament-ready

Designed for one-after-another play with minimal between-player overhead. Auto-return to IDLE, persistent high score, clear LCD state — all part of being tournament-ready.

Homework 5 min

Run the tournament. Recruit 4+ players. Each plays one round (3 attempts). Record the data:

Then answer:

• Who won? By how much?
• Did the winner improve from attempt 1 to attempt 3? Why might that be?
• The current all-time high after your tournament — whose is it?
• What single feature would you add for a v3 to make this even more fun for repeat players?

Bring back next class:

• Your filled-in tournament table.
• Your four written answers.
• Your hw-l02-45.ino sketch.
• Cluster H wraps tomorrow with Schematic Reading II — the engineer's view of all the projects you've been building.