Summary of Snake Game on 8×8 Matrix using Arduino
Arduino Snake Game tutorial: A simple Arduino-based Snake implemented on an 8x8 LED dot matrix with score shown on a 16x2 LCD. Five push buttons provide Up, Down, Left, Right and Start controls. The snake begins as two dots and moves upward by default; eating food adds one segment and +5 points and increases speed. Collision with the matrix boundary ends the game. The project uses a 74HC595 shift register to drive the matrix and a POT for LCD contrast, all wired on a breadboard and powered externally.
Parts used in the Arduino Snake Game:
- Arduino UNO
- 8x8 LED Dot Matrix Display
- Shift Register 74HC595
- 16x2 LCD
- POT 1K
- Push Buttons (5 for directions and start)
- Connecting wires
- Bread Board
- Power Supply
Snake Game has been very popular since the beginning of the Mobile phones. Initially it was come in Black and white cell phones, and soon became very famous. Then with the advancement of the Cellphones, this game has also changed a lot, and now many graphical and colourful versions of this game are available.
Snake game has also become very popular DIY project for electronics Hobbyist and Students. So today we are going to demonstrate, Arduino Snake Game, with all its basic functionalities, while keeping it simple at the same time.
Components Used:
- Arduino UNO
- 8×8 LED Dot Matrix Display
- Shift Register 74HC595
- 16×2 LCD
- POT 1K
- Push Buttons
- Connecting wires
- Bread Board
- Power Supply
Working Explanation:
This is little complicated game to build. But in this tutorial, we have made it simple for you. To make this project, we have used an 8×8 red colour Dot matrix display for displaying the snake and its food dot, a LCD for displaying the points or score, 5 push buttons for giving directions and start the game and finally an Arduino UNO for controlling the whole the process. Pin diagram of 8×8 LED Dot Matrix Display with its original image has been given below:
When we power up the circuit, first we show a welcome message and then a “Press Start To Play” hint on the LCD. After this, LCD shows the score as zero and dot matrix display shows two dots as snake and a single dot as food.
Now user need to press the middle button to start the game and snake start moving in upward direction by default. Then user needs to give direction to snake by pressing the ‘Direction keys’ around the middle button. Here we have used five keys (push buttons) namely Left key, Right key, Up key, Down key and Start key. Whenever the snake reaches to the food dot or eats the food, score increases by 5 points each time and the Snake length is increased by one dot (LED) each time, also snake speed become faster than before. And whenever snake would strike at any wall or reach at the end of LED matrix, then it would end the game (“Game Over”). Then user needs to start game again by pressing start key.
Read More: Snake Game on 8×8 Matrix using Arduino
- How is the snake displayed?
The snake and food are displayed as lit dots on the 8x8 LED dot matrix. - How is the score shown?
The 16x2 LCD displays the score and messages like welcome and Press Start To Play. - Which buttons are used to control the game?
Five push buttons are used: Left, Right, Up, Down and Start. - What happens when the snake eats food?
Score increases by 5 points, snake length increases by one dot, and snake speed increases. - How does the game start?
User presses the middle Start button; the snake begins moving upward by default. - What causes Game Over?
The game ends when the snake strikes a wall or reaches the end of the LED matrix. - What component is used to drive the LED matrix?
The 74HC595 shift register is used to drive the 8x8 LED dot matrix. - Is the project built on a breadboard?
Yes, the components are connected using a breadboard and connecting wires.
