Arduino, Chess, Robotics, Coding, Automation, Electronics, Arduino Mega Board

Playing Chess with Arduino Mega

Chess is one of the oldest and most popular board games in the world. Until recently, playing chess required two opponents to be physically present, but now technology has enabled us to make the game much more accessible! Using Arduino Mega microcontrollers, you can build your own Arduino mega chessboard to play against.

What You'll Need

• Arduino Mega 2560
• Breadboard
• USB Cable
• Drive Shafts
• Cube Solenoids
• LED Lights
• DC Motors
• Micro Servo Motors
• Resistors
• Capacitors
• Laser cut Plexiglass Pieces

Setting up the Board

The first step to creating your own Arduino mega chessboard is to set up the board. Start by connecting the Arduino Mega 2560 to the breadboard using the USB cable. Next, connect the drive shafts, cube solenoids, LED lights, DC motors, and micro servo motors to the board. To complete the circuit, attach the appropriate resistors and capacitors to the board. Finally, glue the laser cut Plexiglass pieces together to form the board.

Programming the Arduino

Once the board is assembled, you can begin programming the Arduino Mega 2560. Using the Arduino IDE, write a program to control the LED lights, drive shafts, cube solenoids, DC motors, and micro servo motors. This program will enable the board to make all of the necessary moves in a game of chess. When the programming is complete, upload it to your Arduino.

Testing the Board

Now that the board is programmed, you can begin testing it. Start by having two players take turns making moves on the board. Observe the board closely to ensure that all of the pieces move correctly. If any pieces do not move as expected, check your code for errors and re-upload it to the Arduino. Once you are satisfied with the board’s performance, you are ready to start playing chess with Arduino Mega!

Playing chess with an Arduino Mega involves using sensors to detect the movement of chess pieces and an LCD display to show the current state of the game. Here's an example source code for implementing a basic chess game with Arduino Mega:

#include <Wire.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x3F, 16, 2); // Set the LCD address and dimensions

const int colPin[8] = {22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36}; // Column pins
const int rowPin[8] = {23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37}; // Row pins
int prevCol = -1, prevRow = -1; // Previous position
int curCol = -1, curRow = -1; // Current position

char board[8][8] = {
  {'R', 'N', 'B', 'Q', 'K', 'B', 'N', 'R'},
  {'P', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'P', 'P'},
  {' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.'},
  {'.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' '},
  {' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.'},
  {'.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' ', '.', ' '},
  {'p', 'p', 'p', 'p', 'p', 'p', 'p', 'p'},
  {'r', 'n', 'b', 'q', 'k', 'b', 'n', 'r'}
}; // Initial chess board

void setup() {
  lcd.init();
  lcd.backlight();
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
  lcd.print("    CHESS GAME");
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
  lcd.print("    STARTING...");
  delay(2000);
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
  lcd.print("WHITE: PLAYER 1");
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
  lcd.print("BLACK: PLAYER 2");
  delay(2000);
  lcd.clear();
}

void loop() {
  // Check for movement
  for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
    pinMode(rowPin[i], OUTPUT);
    digitalWrite(rowPin[i], LOW);
    for (int j = 0; j < 8; j++) {
      if (i == 0) {
        pinMode(colPin[j], INPUT_PULLUP);
      }
      if (digitalRead(colPin[j]) == LOW) {
        curRow = i;
        curCol = j;
        break;
      }
    }
    pinMode(rowPin[i], INPUT_PULLUP);
  }
  
  // Update LCD if movement detected
  if (curRow != -1 && curCol != -1 && (curRow != prevRow || curCol != prevCol)) {
    lcd.setCursor(prevCol, prevRow);
    lcd.print(board[prevRow][prevCol]);
    lcd.setCursor(curCol, curRow);
    lcd.print(board[curRow][curCol]);
    prevRow = curRow;
    prevCol = curCol;
  }
}

In this example, we first include the necessary libraries for using the LCD display. We also define the pins for the row and column sensors and create variables to store the current and previous positions of the chess pieces.

In the setup() function, we initialize the LCD display and print some introductory messages. We then clear the LCD and set the player information