Chess: Lit Edition
This is a twist on the ancient game of chess, in which physical pieces are replaced with LEDs that are moved using wireless joysticks. Tis the latest way to connect with the homies in corona season.
Design
This two-piece board was designed in Inventor to be 3D printed, due to fabrication constraints while working at home. A 1 meter LED strip (WS2812B or SK6812) fits between the ridges in the base, and the oval shaped holes on the right side are for routing the input and output wires, reducing stress on the strip itself.
Atop this board sits a square sheet of sanded acrylic, which diffuses the light, spreading out the light from each of the LEDs. I likely would have designed the whole board out of acrylic if I had easier access to a laser cutter and other fast fabrication techniques, but this model is more accessible for anyone who wants to try it out on their own.
Prototyping
This is version 2 of the board design, and the prototyping process has included both wiring the LED strip by soldering the connections between sections, and soldering the controller (Teensy 4.1 and ESP8266 Micro-controller) onto a protoboard.
Future Goals
The ultimate goal is to make a seamless chess gaming experience that appeals to this generation, while also retaining the core of what makes chess interesting and fun. It can be helpful for new learners by teaching them how to play and general strategies on their own. Who knows how playing chess with colors affects how you think about the game?
Check out the Github repository for more info!