Tag: status report

This week, I focused on completing the assembly of our second Catan board so that we can transition into synchronization and software integration over the next few weeks. I spent most of my time in TechSpark working on the hardware components. I finished wiring and soldering the entire switch matrix, and May and I worked together to solder and restructure all of the LEDs. I also laser-cut the remaining token and button pieces we needed for the board. Rhea and I assembled the LED board and cut the dowels used for the button-press mechanisms. As a team, we merged the two boards and finalized the LED-to-button mapping. By the end of the day on Friday, we were able to get the second board fully working, which positions us well for the upcoming software work.

I also spent time redesigning the dice-plate algorithm. I reframed the problem so that the algorithm detects the result of each die roll and lights up the corresponding tile, running directly on the Raspberry Pi. A key requirement is identifying when the roll begins and ends so that the board updates only once per roll rather than continuously. To reduce noise, the algorithm focuses only on the visible dice-plate region and filters for black pips on a white face. I experimented with bounding boxes to restrict the detection area and thought about ways to improve reliability, including using a custom die with colored faces so the system requires both the pip pattern and face color to match. I also considered replacing the physical dice entirely with a spinner wheel if it yields cleaner signal detection. I plan to test these ideas next week and begin integrating the algorithm with our tile-lighting logic. Below, I also listed my subsystem verifications:

Verification:

• Switch matrix (multimeter + press tests):
  Check continuity across all rows/columns with a multimeter and verify each button press registers correctly with no ghosting.
• LED–button mapping:
  Press each button and confirm the correct LED lights up.
• Dice detection accuracy:
  Run repeated rolls to confirm correct pip detection under different lighting conditions.
• Roll start/end detection:
  Verify the algorithm triggers tile lighting only once per roll.
• ROI filtering:
  Confirm bounding boxes correctly isolate the dice plate and ignore external pips.

We are currently on schedule. With the second board fully assembled, the major hardware tasks are complete, and the dice-detection work is progressing. Next week, I hope to prototype the revised dice-detection strategies, begin setting up the peer-to-peer communication system with Rhea and May, and connect the dice output to the board-lighting logic. I will also document the algorithm’s structure and gather photos and videos demonstrating my progress to support the next status update.

This week was midterm-heavy, so most of my project work took place later in the week. After exams, May and I focused on completing all soldering for the LED connections and repairing previously broken ones. While we secured the joints with electrical tape, several connections still came loose during testing, so we plan to explore more stable soldering or wire management methods next week.

In parallel, I continued developing the dice detection algorithm. I continue experimenting with multiple approaches, such as background subtraction, bounding box isolation, and DBSCAN clustering, to improve pip recognition accuracy. I successfully integrated the algorithm with the external Etron camera, enabling proper real-time testing. However, differentiating the dice from the surrounding background remains a challenge. Background removal often makes the dice less visible against the plate, reducing detection accuracy below our stated use-case requirement. A sample image of my current progress is below. I also placed orders for extra parts for our new design and second board.

After researching more effective techniques, I realized that pretrained models may not generalize well for our setup. Instead, I plan to train a custom YOLO model using images captured from our specific camera and lighting conditions. I will begin collecting training data once one board is fully assembled, which should be within the next two weeks. With midterms over, I also expect to help complete the second board next week and further refine the dice detection accuracy.

This week, Rhea and I focused on setting up SSH access for the Raspberry Pi. We initially encountered some connection issues because we needed to complete a head setup before enabling headless access. This was necessary to retrieve the Pi’s MAC address and register the device properly. After troubleshooting, we successfully configured SSH on both Raspberry Pis.

Rhea and I concentrated on building the switch matrix. This required soldering each button in sequence for input connections, followed by soldering diodes and completing all wiring. Although we checked connectivity throughout the process, we found several broken connections at the end. Because each button’s circuit is dependent on the others, fixing the broken ones would have required significant rework. Additionally, the current buttons are difficult to press, and the solder joints aren’t very secure.

To address these issues, we ordered new buttons and asked May to design a new board that will allow for a cleaner and more stable wiring setup. While we’ll need to rebuild the switch matrix, this iteration provided valuable insight into the design and wiring process and helped us identify key improvements for the next version.

In parallel, I worked on assembling the dice plate using the pieces May designed and laser-cut. While May primarily handled the CAD and laser-cutting process, I helped troubleshoot issues with engraving and cutting.  After assembling the dice plate (temporarily held together with hot glue for testing), we found that the angled wall version obstructed the view of the roads and houses on the board. We’ll move forward with a straight-walled design instead.

Because much of my time this week was spent soldering and waiting for laser-cutting jobs to finish, I wasn’t able to thoroughly test the dice algorithm with the new camera.

Once the new buttons arrive, I plan to finish assembling the revised switch matrix and fully test the dice algorithm with the camera in preparation for the interim demo.