Button soccer using the Arduino

This project was developed in partnership with Robô Lúdico School and JLCPCB Factory that offers 5 free PCBs of Arduino Compatible Board.

Introduction

This article refers to a game that participated in the childhood of many children in the 90s. It was basically composed of a few buttons that represented the players of the match and a small cylinder that was used as a ball.

The participants had to press the device that represented the ball over the button in such a way that the bull was fired towards the goal. Initially, it is decided which team will start with possession of the ball, soon after, one of the participants pressed the ball using the button and the ball until the opponent's goal, and when the ball hit and was in an opponent's button, the opponent took the possession of the ball and making the moves.

The game was conducted in this way until one of the participants scored a greater amount of goal. With this principle, the game became similar to a football game and was known as button football.

The entire development of the game was conducted manually or in logic, however, it is possible to implement this game including some devices, such as the LCD display to show the scoreboard and make the necessary settings such as the gameplay time scoreboard, among others through some buttons.

To make the automatic scoring of goals an electronic object detector device programmed through the Arduino development platform can be used, which through its programming is possible to make all the necessary settings for the development of the game.

Figure 1 illustrates a case developed for this game using these electronic devices.

In the development of this didactic case, the object detector infrared (IR) sensor module, the LCD display and 4 buttons were used to make the necessary configurations.

The developed case was designed with the intention of supporting the infrared (IR) sensor module, which will emit a signal when the ball is detected at the moment it passes through the goal line.

After that, the LCD display will be responsible for visually showing the point values of each participant and the development of the game itself.

In this way, the buttons will be necessary so that the participants can choose between the configuration options and confirm their choice, with the whole game being processed by Arduino UNO.

In this article, you will understand the assembly of the didactic case of the game, as well as know its mechanical structure, which was fixed by means of the nut bolt set, in their specific fittings.

Therefore, through this article you will learn:

• Know the structure of the teaching case using the infrared (IR) sensor module, the buttons, and the LCD display;
• Analyze the fixation of the mechanical structure of the case by means of screw, nut, and fittings;
• Understand the importance of each part of the case structure for the project as a whole;
• Understand the operating logic of the game Button Soccer Using Arduino.

Now, we will start the full presentation of the development of Button Football Using Arduino.

Developing the Button Football Project

This project consists of presenting a didactic model of a case for the game Futebol de Relógio using the LCD display, the IR sensor module, and some buttons among other components, as well as the assembly of its mechanical structure.

The project basically consists of the physical structure of the case to support the electronic components, which will process the signal to make the game work.

Figure 2 illustrates the internal region of the game case, as well as the lateral, front, rear, top, and bottom surfaces.

In its internal structure, it is possible to observe two IR sensors in one of the goals just below the field, in the region close to the goalkeeper, the LCD display and the Arduino UNO just below.

For the fixation of the structure, lateral supports were designed, with fittings dimensioned for M3 nuts and screws. The necessary support for the LCD display was only 5 holes, 4 of which refer to the fixing screws of the LCD itself and the last one necessary for its surfaces to be exposed.

The 4 holes for the buttons have a diameter of 12 mm equally spaced, with 4 buttons for the game settings, including setting the timer, starting a new game, among others. Figure 3 illustrates the holes for the configuration buttons and the location of the LCD display

The initial settings to start the game can be made through buttons and the LCD display, time of departure, and enter the names of the teams that will start.

The game follows the same rules as the traditional game, but for our case, we chose to have 10 players and a goalkeeper on each team.

The buttons are arranged in such a way that it will facilitate your choice without difficulty and thus confirm the choice, using the instructions on the LCD display.

The entire development of the game will be transmitted through the LCD display, which will show the instructions that the participants must follow.

The display was inserted on the surface of the side of one of the teams in the match, in order to better visualize the participants and those who are watching the dispute. Its fixation will be by means of screws suitable for the display, arranged according to its structure, as shown in Figure 4.

To indicate when a goal is scored, an infrared sensor module will be configured.

The IR sensor module will emit a signal through one of the LEDs, and the other will be responsible for detecting the reflection emitted by the object that will clash with the object's trajectory.

This device was fixed in the lower region just behind the goalkeeper where holes were drilled for its fixation. Figure 5 illustrates the attachment of the IR sensor module to the teaching case.

To fix the frontal structures, fittings were modeled with openings that would be connected laterally.

The front structure of the case has a stop, which will be responsible for containing the game ball when it falls from the goal, as shown in Figure 6.

The inserts were modeled in view of their importance in supporting the surface of the field, supported on the screwed sides, and both on the sides and on the lower and upper surfaces, "T" shaped inserts were modeled.

Figure 7 illustrates the spaces reserved for the screws and nuts responsible for fixing the right side in relation to the upper part of the case.

Arduino is basically responsible for its purposes: to perform the signal processing coming from the IR sensors and to make the necessary settings for the start of the game through specific programming developed involving its digital and analog pins.

In this way, when an object enters the detection field of the LEDs of the IR sensor module, the pin responsible for the digital output of the module sends a low logic level signal to the digital pin of the Arduino, and thus it is possible to develop a logic in which can count the goals.

The module has an adjustable trimpot to regulate the detection distance of objects.

Figure 8 illustrates the entire structure of the game in perspective exploded into a rendered image.

Next, we'll see how the programming logic works for the Button Football Game with Arduino.

Programming logic of the game Button Football with Arduino

For this project, we'll use the JLCPCB Arduino Compatible printed circuit board presented below.

You can obtain the Arduino JLCPCB compatible PCB for your projects for $2 in your first order with the link: Earn my PCBs Arduino Compatible.

Use the JLC-RECE coupon, earn a $2 off discount, and earn 5 PCBs.

Access the link and download the Gerber files of the JLCPCB Arduino Compatible Printed Circuit Board.

The game's operating principle is based on the original game, where its development is as each player has possession of the ball and uses the buttons as a player until the goal is scored, and when the ball hits the opponent, possession of the ball stays with him.

In this game, the user will be able to use the 4 buttons to make the time settings, add time, game interval, manually include the goals in case of an error with the sensor, among others.

After the two participants choose the desired options and thus confirm, the LCD display will send a message stating the processing and then start the game. When the result is defined, the display will emit a message indicating who was the winner.

Conclusion

Therefore, from the development of this project, it was possible to analyze the structure of the Futebol de Relógio game using the buttons indicating the options, and then the confirmation, the LCD display to show the result of the dispute, as well as its main structures.

The structure of the game was modeled with M3 fittings and screws for its fixation, and thus, creating better mechanical stability.

All its development was done with the purpose of making it as didactic as possible for its subsequent assembly with the electronic part because the physical structure of the game case was made by inserts.

With that, we conclude that each part of the structure was checked and analyzed in order to better understand the importance of correct assembly, observing the importance of each part.

The game itself was adapted in the best possible way because, at the end of its development, it meets all conventional rules, being translated into electronic media.

Acknowledgments

We thank the company JLCPCB - Printed Circuit Board Factory for the support and partnership in the development of this project.

We thank the Robô Lúdico School in Brazil to create several projects and courses about robotics and Arduino.

We leave a link for you to purchase your printed circuit boards for a value of $ 2 through that link.

Use the JLC-RECE coupon, earn a $2 off discount, and earn 5 PCBs.