Introduction

 I have been building puzzles for several escape rooms for about 4 years. The hardest thing for most owners is the electronic portion of the puzzles.  I decided to start a blog to help owners understand how I decide what electronics are needed and how to figure out the software.  I should probably start with a little bit about my background.

My name is Jerry Gable, and I live in Phoenix, AZ. I am a retired electronic engineer.  I have spent my career designing hardware and writing the software to run on that hardware.  Most of the time this was building validation platforms to test out a new chip.  This gave me the opportunity to do more generalized work.  Many engineers end up doing hardware or software but not both.  Building puzzles has been a way to use those skills and have some fun.  As my wife says, it keeps me out of the bars and off the streets.

My plan is to post a series of posts covering the various aspects of the puzzle.  Here is what I have in mind right now.

  • Processor and software framework.  You have a lot of options here, but I have settled on one for almost everything I do.  This lets me reuse parts of the design and software as I move forward.  It also makes stocking spare parts easier.
  • Building the Hardware System.  Besides the processor, you will need other hardware to build the control electronics.  This section doesn't describe the sensors you will use but describes the hardware that you need to build the controller.  I'll also go into some of the things that make building this easier.  
  • Software development environment.  I have tried several different environments and have settled on one for 99% of my work.  I will tell you why and help you set it up.
  • Standard software blocks.  I have developed several blocks that I tend to use on almost every puzzle.  These will speed up software development on any puzzle.
  • Command and control systems.  I have some customers that want hard wired bypass and reset control and others that use MQTT and Node Red for complete integration into their control systems. I will show you how I implement both of these extremes.
  • Common sensors.  There are a few sensors that get used on most puzzles.
This list should give you a good start on what it takes to design your own electronics for a puzzle.  I hope this helps you with your own unique designs.

One final note.  I tend to call what I build as puzzles.  Some people prefer the term props.  I hope my referring to them as puzzles doesn't drive you too crazy.


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