Duck Hunt Video Game

Objective: While taking MIT’s 6.1151, each student was tasked with creating a final project that would serve as the cumulation of what we had learned about embedded microcontrollers, using either the 8051 or PSoC (Programmable System on Chip). The objective of my particular project was to build an assortment of games that would take advantage of the modularity and flexibility of the PSoC5. The games would be played using an accompanying wireless controller run on a PSoC5LP Stick. Ideally, the two processors would run separate programs, but would operate smoothly enough not to impede gameplay. The system should be able to run three distinct games, including TIC-TAC-TOE, Pong, and a simple version of Duck Hunt.

Solution: My design featured two distinct parts. A wireless controller powered by a PSoC Stick and a Receiver/VGA Connector attached to the main PSoC5. The PSoC Stick encoded controller button states from the user and would transmit them wirelessly to the PSoC5 responsible for running game mechanics and updating the associated monitor.

On the main PSOC 5, a VGA2 board was wired for 2-bit color using an 74LS245N. Furthermore, a HC05 Wireless Bluetooth module and LCD Display was also wired to support Bluetooth communication with the separate controller. On the PSoC Stick, four buttons, a joystick potentiometer and HC05 module were attached to function as a controller.

The PSoC Stick encoded joystick positions and button states as a series of bytes representing cursor velocities and button presses. The main PSoC5 would generate a fixed frame given the current state of the game and upload that to the buffer to update the monitor. An ISR was used to receive bytes and update cursor positions and remaining targets without conflicting with screen refresh rates. The ISR triggered at a slower clock to prioritize screen refresh rates. Each game was coded in C and could be selected on startup.

Applied Skills: C (Programming), Assembly (Programming), Circuit Design, Analysis, and Construction