I've done my best to search the forums but really not finding what I need! So hopefully the lovely community will be able to help me out.
This is my first post, first project, to give you some background I've got over 10 years in software development and tinkered with electronics since I can remember but this is certainly going to be my most grand venture yet...
So I'm thinking of creating a nerf gun target range.
My idea is 6 targets (probably made from a plastic plate) with some kind of trigger on it (piezo trigger maybe). Ideally each of these targets will have a few LEDs on it so when it's hit it flashes, or indeed flash it first to say "hit this target", ideally several LEDs ideally individually assignable but I'm guessing I'd need a shield if I have too many, also how many can I realistically drive without one, and I'm guessing not super bright ones either?!
On top of that I'm thinking an LED dot matrix display for scores and maybe a bit of text "player 1" etc. Which I know I'll need a shield for that.
Then audio output so it can make a load of noise (which I appreciate I'll need an amp and speakers to make that run) not sure if standard boards have an audio out, so maybe another shield?
SD card for storage of the WAV files for the audio, so again, another board and shield from what I understand.
And then any outputs left over to make a load more lights flash all over the place!
I'm thinking something bombastic like a pinball table, lots of noise and lights!
I think it is doable, if you take it step-by-step.
The biggest challenge is how you place the piezzos on the target, so that most/all of the target area is covered.
I think you still need to play with the examples and get feel for what it can do. You do need some experience to be able to then see for yourself if it’s doable with the device and your skill levels .
Otherwise it’s hard for others to answer . I wouldn’t do it as the effort outweighs the results , others on here may see it as fairly trivial.
I'm really after someone to give me guidance on what chips and shields to use so I can create a shopping list. The actual build once I know the bits should indeed be relatively trivial and the coding should be simple as!
My biggest stopper is knowing which chip to start with, the mega looks like a good start, but if I need shields to drive the target LEDs then I don't need nearly as many outputs.
I'd advise against the "one huge shopping list made at the start" approach.
I think you'll find your ideas changing as your project progresses. So you'll end up having to buy more stuff, and a lot of your initial hoard will go unused.
Build it up in stages. Shop for the current stage.
Those no-name shields seem mostly OK, from the threads I read here.
A mega might be a good way to go. Or an Uno.
A hint about your LEDs - you've got a lot of them. I think addressable LEDs might be the way to go. Probably WS2811 or WS2812 ones (like Adafruit Neopixels). You connect them in long chains and can control dozens of them from a single pin. There are higher-spec types that use a couple of pins if you need faster refresh rates.
Karma for you GypsumFantastic! Buying more than needed up front is a bad idea indeed.
Robfarley, what is it with you and shields? Those are expensive for what they do, they certainly aren't the only answer either.
You need more pins? Use shift registers or led drivers or addressable led strips or rings or wired 13mm leds, search on ws2812 led.
If you need more power, run power lines external to the controller and use transistors to switch those on and off with the controller.
1 piezo disk on a stiff target can detect if the target was hit. A "dumb" target with piezo, 4 diodes, a transistor (BJT type), battery, resistor and led could flash itself when hit. If the controller can pick that up through a phototransistor that only sees that led (narrow view) then you'd need no wires or wifi. A Fancy Target would need a controller and m-o-a-r part$.
I think maybe I wasn't clear, probably needed a sketch of what I expect it to look like, so the whole thing will be one board, with 6 static targets and a dot matrix led display at the top, ideally with a couple of big speakers making a tonne of noise! And lights making the whole thing remarkably overstated and silly!
Thanks for the advice so far, I'm still researching how this needs to go together, also if regular LEDs are going to give enough impact or if I need to use super bright ones which may require their own power lines.
I'm not obsessed with shields, just ignorant! So please let me know how horrifically wrong I'm going and what the better options are!
