Physical Computing • 2024
This is a physical version/replica of the bomb from the "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes" game. It was developed in the course "Physical Computing 2023" at the Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University. Our group aimed to create a replica of the bomb in the video game KTANE, adhering to the functionality of interchangeable modules, which is the essence of the video game KTANE. Therefore, we strived towards a completely modular design where each module can be removed from the "bomb" and then inserted anywhere in the box again, and still function. Each module has a standalone PCB set up for I2C communication. The "master" module is responsible for creating a "pseudo" random serial number, keeping track of the time, and transmitting the serial number to the other "slave" modules. The "slave" modules then determine how to set up their individual puzzles based on the contents of the serial number. The prototype was designed in Fusion 360, and several different fabrication techniques were utilized: The module lids and ball corners were 3D printed. The outer box and module boxes are laser-cut. The PCBs are milled from copper plates, and through-hole components were soldered to the individual milled channels (see report for details). Additionally, the slots in the backplate of the outer box were also milled to make room for the wires for 5V, GND, SDA, and SCL. We realize that it might be hard to replicate on your own, as we designed this to fit within the requirements of our uni-course. And we also did not get the I2C communication working perfectly due to a lack of pull-up resistors on the bus. But, we hope that it can serve as inspiration for someone trying to create something similar! ~ However, if you would like to replicate the project, we recommend going to the "Prototype Design" section in the attached final report PDF. That outlines in somewhat detail how the prototype was manufactured. Otherwise, feel free to leave a comment.
Created by: Mie Grøftehave Nielsen, Joakim Rosenfeldt & Gustav Emil Holm Simonsen