GambleBox for Airsoft, NERF, etc. by izytronic

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

GambleBox
This thing is in early dev stage, but I wanted to publish it to give others the possibility to comment on it and to post ideas. Once finished the Box will be available as a kit and fully assembled. All parts, PCBs, firmware, etc. will be opensource.
Please comment your ideas to improve the GambleBox
The GambleBox provides some nice and exciting gamemodes for all kind of LARP like Airsoft, NERF, etc.
Description
The Box can act in different ways, depending on the selected gamemode. One time it's a bomb, the other time it counts your captures on CTF. To plant the bomb or to defuse it you use the keypad to enter a code. On CTF you use RFID-Tags as flags that can be scanned on the box. A 2.4GHz radio makes the Boxes to communicate with each other (untested range ~3000ft, ~1000m). The radio is also used to send information about the reamining playtime, current score, etc. to a small display for each player.
The planned size is about 19.5" length and 8" diameter (50cm length, 20cm diameter). It's a lying cylinder and the bottom will be flat at about 1/4 of the height.
Technical gimmicks
RFID Reader: used for scanning tags, e.g. to score a capture on CTF
Keypad: Setting up gamemode, playtime, ...
3.2" TFT: show all needed information
2.4GHz radio: let the Boxes talk to each other and send information to the players
external connections: with some isolated connectors you can add your own stuff to the box and maybe let a small firework explode when the bomb detonates or let some lights flash when a team wins or the playtime is over
Arduino Mega 2560: this wil be the heart of the Box. It's a very common microcontroller and has enough I/Os to control everything
All used parts are very common, so they are low-cost and if something brakes you don't need to spend much money to replace it.
Gamemodes
Capture the Flag (each team has one Box): scan your flag and the opponents flag at your own base to score
Centerflag: Try to scan your flag at the box in the middle
Domination: Scan your rfid-tag at the box to conquer it. The team which conquered the box the most time at the end of the playtime wins
Seek and Destroy: One team has to protect the box until the playtime is over, the other team has to find the box and arm it. If the bomb explodes before it got defused again the attacking team wins
Bomb defusal: The bomb is already ticking and it must be defused. If your team makes it you win, otherwise your opponent will laugh at you
Current BOM
Arduino Mega 2560: http://goo.gl/uiD78o
3.2" TFT Display: http://goo.gl/wwTmVr
3x4 Matrix Keypad: https://goo.gl/oDvSDm
RFID Reader RC522: http://goo.gl/Xyc7t6
2.4GHz Link NRF24L01: http://goo.gl/idF03Y
Key Switch: https://goo.gl/jHgMxt
5mm RGB LED (34x): https://goo.gl/zvQzHe
Push Button Green (2x): https://goo.gl/PKgpb2
Push Button Red (1x): https://goo.gl/WEwxC1
Push Button Orange (2x): https://goo.gl/Y57XYM
USB Cable: http://goo.gl/En1ZiS