Akshit Jalli

Project

Arcade

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Arcade project view 4
Final assembly and wiring pass before gameplay.
Arcade project view 1
Front view of the finished mini arcade build.
Arcade project view 2
Internal layout showing embedded component placement.
Arcade project view 3
Control and display integration during testing.

What is the project

A custom-built mini arcade machine featuring Pong and Snake, powered by an Arduino Uno R3 with joystick controls, an LED matrix, a 16x2 LCD, and a passive buzzer.

  • Built a compact arcade system from scratch around an Arduino Uno R3.
  • Implemented game logic for classic games including Pong and Snake.
  • Integrated joystick controls for gameplay and a passive buzzer for game feedback.
  • Used an LED matrix for the live game display and a 16x2 LCD for supporting interface output.
  • Designed the enclosure and physical layout to keep the build lightweight, accessible, and low-cost.

What I learned

  • Engineering is often about resourcefulness: the enclosure and casing were built using household scrap materials, keeping the total project budget under $10.
  • End-to-end responsiveness matters in embedded systems; I observed real latency from joystick input to controller processing to LED output.
  • Functionality alone is not enough; clean wire management significantly improves maintainability, debugging speed, and overall product quality.
  • I combined multiple communication pathways in one build: SPI for the LED matrix, a parallel interface for the 16x2 LCD, and analog and digital I/O for joystick and potentiometer controls.
  • Running these protocols simultaneously on Arduino taught me how to balance display refresh cycles and game logic while keeping gameplay responsive.

Skills Learned

  • Embedded Systems Programming
  • Hardware-Software Integration
  • Communication Protocols
  • Real-Time Performance Tuning
  • Resourceful Product Building