Smart PuzzelBox Using Raspberry Pi

I am an MCT student from Howest in Kortrijk, Belgium.

My project is a Puzzelbox made for children 10 years old and up. It has 4 different games that the user must solve in order to activate the end button.

What are the features?

• Tracking of previous games
• Breakdown of the game you played per segment when finished
• live data feed for quiz segment
• 4 games that need some thinking to solve

Look at my code on github and try it for yourself if you like the challenge.

Github Repo: Github

Raspberry Pi 4B with 16GB SD Card

The Raspberry Pi is a computer that runs Linux, but it also provides a set of GPIO (general purpose input/output) pins, allowing you to control electronic components for physical computing and explore the Internet of Things (IoT).

My whole project runs on my Raspberry 4 with a configured image.

LCD Display 16x2 with PCF8574N expander

The LCD display shows the ip address and messages with instructions.

WS2812B - 12 RGB Neopixel ring

The neopixel ring shows the process of the player when playing

2 Servo motors

The 2 servo motors are used to trigger magnet contacts by magnets attached to sticks.

RFID Reader

The RFID reader is used to start the game. The user can choose from 4 different colors RFID card.

Magnet sensors

The magnetic sensors are mainly used in the quiz game to check whether the correct answer has been given.

BCD with PCF8574N

I read the BCD via the PCF8574N to know which number the user has dialed in the number game.

MPU6050

The MPU6050 is used to control the servos. When you turn the MPU, the servos turn with it.

PI T-Cobbler , breadboards and wires

Breadboards and wires are used to connect all components. The T-Cobbler is used to interface with the Pi.

The list of materials

The list of materials used can be found in the pdf.

The schematics for the project are made in Fritzing.

Colors used in schematics:

• Red = 5V
• Orange = 3.3V
• Black = GND
• other colors = data wires

IMPORTANT NOTE!

Look closely at all components when attaching power cables. DO NOT apply 5 volts to 3.3 volt components. Also make sure to connect the GND is connected to the GND of the PI.

All data from the sensors and actuators is stored in a relational SQL database (MariaDB).

Breakdown of database

Device

Here you find information about the sensor/actuator.

History

Here you find all logged information about the device's.

Example:

• Buttons been pressed
• RFID being used
• BCD number info

Action

Here are all the actions stored that can happen to the sensors and actuators.

Question

The questions are stored inside this table. These are used to display on the web page.

Player

The player table stores information about the player.

Time

The timetable stores the segment times and the total time spent on one run.

Before we can run the code we are going to prepare the raspberry pi.

1) Downloading Raspberry Pi OS.

Go to Raspberry Pi OS and download image (Raspberry Pi OS with desktop). This may take a while.

2) Writing image to your SD Card.

When it is finished downloading, you can write the image to your sd card with (recommend 16GB and up) Raspberry Pi Imager Video Tutorial : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntaXWS8Lk34

3) Configuring the SD Card. When writing is done, we can start setting up the SD Card.

• Open the file explorer.
• Go to my pc --> find boot disk
• Create a new file ssh without extension in Notepad++.
• Add 'ip=169.168.168.169 to the end of the file and save it.

4) Starting the Raspberry Pi.

• Connect an internet cable from your PC to your Pi
• Open Putty.
• Make sure you are in the same range as the Pi.
• Choose port 22 and enter the ip address of your Pi 169.168.168.169 and connection type SSH.
• Enter login pi and the password raspberry.
• If you get a warning message, click Yes.

5) Some configuration.

Enable I2C and SPI on the Raspberry Pi with:

sudo raspi-config

Choose Interface Options and enable (I2C and SPI). Navigate to Localisation Options --> change timezone and WLAN Country.

Then reboot the Pi.

sudo reboot

6) Adding WiFi.

Add your own home wifi.

sudo wpa_passphrase 'Networkname' 'Password' >> /etc/wpa_supplicant wpa_supplicant.conf

Reload your wireless network card in the PI.

wpa_cli -i wlan0 reconfigure

You can now check the connection by requesting the ip-address (wlan0).

ifconfig

7) Installation of packages.

Stay up to date with the latest version.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Install the following packages and libraries for python:

sudo pip install flask-cors
sudo pip install flask-socketio
sudo pip install simple-websocket
sudo pip install mysql-connector-python
sudo pip install gevent
sudo pip install gevent-websocket
sudo pip install selenium
sudo apt install chromium-chromedriver
sudo pip3 install rpi_ws281x adafruit-circuitpython-neopixel
sudo python3 -m pip install --force-reinstall adafruit-blinka
sudo apt install python3-dev python3-pip
sudo pip3 install mfrc522

Now reboot the Pi.

sudo reboot

8) Get github code.

Clone the github repository linked below.

git clone https://github.com/howest-mct/2021-2022-projectone-LagaeJens

9) Database

Installation of MariaDB and configuration of the program.

sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client -y

Securing the database.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Enter > Type a password (remember) > y > y > y > y Create a user on the database.

sudo mysql -u root -p
create user 'USERNAME'@'localhost' identified by 'USERNAME';
grant all privileges on *.* to USERNAME@localhost;
flush privileges;
exit;

Make a new connection in MySQLWorkBench

• Open MySQL WorkBench and make a new connection.
• Connection Method --> Standard TCP/IP over SSH.
• SSH Hostname: 192.168.168.169
• SSH Username: pi
• SSH Password: raspberry
• MySQL Hostname: 127.0.0.1
• MySQL Server Port: 3306
• Username: USERNAME
• Password: PASSWORD

10) Apache

Installation of Apache and configuration of the program.

sudo apt install apache2

nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

Replace the following lines with the following lines and change DocumentRoot to the path of your project (SAVE: CTRL + X > Y > Enter):

ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
DocumentRoot /home/student/2021-2022-projectone-LagaeJens/frontend

then:

service apache2 restart

next up you open:

nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

and change:  

<Directory />
Options FollowSymLinks     
AllowOverride All     
Require all denied
</Directory> 

to:

<Directory />
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes ExecCGI    
AllowOverride All    
Require all granted
</ Directory> 

(SAVE: CTRL + X >Y>Enter)

Then do the following commands to activate and check if the application is running:

service apache2 restart
service apache2 status

Next we are going to install the following library's:

Adafruit Neopixel:

• sudo pip3 install rpi_ws281x adafruit-circuitpython-neopixel
• sudo python3 -m pip install --force-reinstall adafruit-blinka

Mfrc522:

• sudo pip3 install mfrc522

To apply changes

sudo reboot

11) Running the server

Now you ready to start the server.

sudo /bin/python3 /backend/app.py

NOTE!

We need to run the program as sudo due to how the neopixel library works.

12) Starting the software automatically via services

If you would like Puzzelbox to start the program automatically when the power is connected, please follow these instructions.

nano /etc/systemctl/system/puzzlbox.service

Then edit the file and add the following:

[Unit]
Description=Puzzlbox
After=network.target
[Service]
ExecStart==/usr/bin/python3 -u /home/student/2021-2022-projectone-LagaeJens/backend/app.py
WorkingDirectory=/home/student/2021-2022-projectone-LagaeJens/backend
StandardOutput=inherit
StandardError=inherit
Restart=always
User=root
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

(SAVE : CTRL + X + Y)

Now we will enable the service.

sudo systemctl enable puzzlbox.service

Last we reboot the Pi

Sudo reboot

First, I created the wireframes in Adobe XD. Then I recreated the wireframes in HTML and CSS. Then I used javascript for visualisations and socket.io events.

To make the tables, I used this article.

The whole backend is coded in python.

If you want to make changes to the code, you can use the editor of your choice. I have used Visual Studio Code with the remote SSH plugin enabled

The task of the backend is to send data to the frontend, run the programs for the puzzles, socket.IO and threading.

API routes

The API routes take information from the SQL server and pushes it to the frontend. It can also receive data from the frontend or backend and publish that data to the SQL server.

Threading

We use threading to be able to run multiple tasks simultaneously. So that we do not have to wait until one is ready to start another.

Socket.io

We use socket.io to talk between the frontend and the backend. It also forwards live data to the web page without the need for refreshing. 

NOTE:

You must change the login data in Config.py to your Database login data.

This makes sure you have connection with your database.

First, I designed the box in Fusion 360.

Then I had to convert the pieces to an illustrator drawing.

In the illustrator files linked below, you will find the vector drawing of the finished project.

The casing is made from 12 mm plywood that has been laser cut. The size of the boards used are 400x600mm (15,748x23.622 inches).

The individual parts are held together with small nails. The top is held in place by the friction of the 5 segments below it, this ensures that you still have access to the inside of the box to make changes or repairs.

Mounting of the components

To assemble the components, you may need to use a dremel/mill to countersink the holes for some components.

To connect and layout the components follow the fritzing schema.

Have fun recreating the project and maybe inventing new games yourself. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions about the project.