Rebuilding a childhood labyrinth game: an Arduino-powered prototype
Summary
A hands-on prototyping project that reimagines a childhood labyrinth toy as a working, Arduino-controlled game. Built from scratch in a castle theme with six escalating levels, it combines laser-cut fabrication, custom electronics, and hand-built mechanisms controlled through a repurposed PlayStation joystick.
Role
Role
Concept, Industrial Design, Electronics & Fabrication (Personal Project)
Client
Personal Project
Platform
Physical installation, built on an Arduino Mega 2560
Scope
Concept design, CAD & laser-cut fabrication, electronics and motor control, level design, prototyping
Project Detail
Every kid who grew up with a labyrinth toy knows the drill: tilt the board, guide the ball through the maze, and try not to lose it down one of the holes. After finding my old one tucked away in a drawer, I decided to build a 2.0 version.
Using the original as a starting point, I designed and built a prototype labyrinth game with secret hidden keys that unlock doors and levels as you find them. Instead of the two physical dials you'd normally turn between your fingers, I programmed a PlayStation controller to steer the board digitally.
Process
The Game
The finished build is a castle-themed puzzle with six levels. Each one hides a key icon on the board, finding it triggers a timer and opens a door.
Level 1: the first door stays open until the game is reset.
Level 2: both keys must be triggered; the door stays open for 15 seconds before closing automatically.
Level 3: both keys must be triggered; the door stays open for 4 seconds.
Level 4: both keys must be triggered; the door stays open for 3 seconds.
Level 5: one key must be triggered; the door stays open for 3 seconds.
Level 6: all three keys must be triggered within 6 seconds; the door then stays open for 4 seconds.
How Does It Work?
The game runs on an Arduino Mega 2560. A PlayStation controller drives two stepper motors, which in turn power the board's X and Y axes.
The ball itself is a round magnet, with reed switches (magnetically operated switches) hidden beneath each key. The doors are controlled by small SG90 servo motors.
How Is It Made?
I designed the layout of the castle and walls in Adobe Illustrator, then laser-cut the pieces from 3mm plywood, with the outer frame cut from 9mm plywood for strength.
Every sensor bracket and motor mount was custom-built to fit. The reed switches turned out to be the most sensitive part of the build: too close to the board and the magnet would stick, too far away and the sensor wouldn't trigger at all, so getting that height right took a fair bit of trial and error.
