Pomodoro Timer + Bonus
I am a big fan of time management, so I have used Pomodoro timer apps for a while. But I have always wanted a timer that I could physically interact with. So why not create one myself?
Background: This is a fun personal project that I have been working on the side at home. One my biggest personal development goals it use my time very wisely and intentionally, so using pomodoro timer apps are something I love using. Inspired in my Lightbox project, I want to create a companion device for my studies!
Specifications:
Be able to select how long I want my study and rest periods to be.
Have a easy-to-use interface that allows pause, resume, and reset functionalities.
Display time clearly.
Sound an alarm when study periods end.
Have a small and minimalist enclosure.
Either have a custom PCB, a protoshield or a small breadboard to minimize size and increase robustness.
Results:
This is my current circuitry for the design:
I am still working in improving the code, refining the system and selecting the best components, so stay tuned for more updates!
However, you might notice that the screen above has some Xs. After working in the Pomodoro Timer for some time, I went to sleep. When I woke up, for some reason, I woke up really wanting to create a game with these buttons, speaker and LCD. I have always wanted to design a game, and this sounded like a fun little opportunity!
Bonus - Falling Floors Game
Background: My idea for this game is pretty fun but a little challenging. Basically, there are 32 spots in the LCD display. Every round, there is a countdown of 10 seconds that is dictated by a speaker (it gets faster as time goes down), and then a random spot in the map is removed (i.e. the floor falls - not the strongest analogy haha). In these 10 seconds you have to choose a spot in the map for your circle to be. Then, all of it again. This goes on until you are in the last spot of the screen.
It is simple, but I learned a lot from it, such as how to move the dot using print() commands, what happens when you want to move to a floor that the one between you and that floor is destroyed, etc.
And here is what happens when you floor falls! You get a noisy alert saying this on the screen:
Stay tuned for updates as I make progress with it.
