Laser-guided Ghost Climber

Step 9 Operating the finished ghost climber

The ghost climber should run as follows:

• Turn on the power and a red LED will indicate that the device is in Mode 1 - Record.
• Press Button 1 to record a route. A short series of beeps will countdown to the start of the route. If you wish to aim using the servo turret as well as or instead of the sensor turret, press Button 2 to toggle it on or off.
• Use the sensor turret to track a climber to the top of a route, then press Button 1 again to indicate that the route is complete. A different brief tune will indicate the recording process is over.
• If you wish to re-record the route, repeat the previous two steps. Otherwise, press Button 3 to toggle to Mode 2 - Playback. A green LED will confirm this mode.
• Press Button 1 to play the recorded route back via the servo turret, projecting the "ghost climber" onto the wall as a laser point.
• Press Button 3 to toggle to Mode 3 - Playback, record and compare, indicated by the green and red LEDs both being lit.
• As before, press Button 1 to start playback. At the same time, be prepared to track the new climber with the sensor turret. A series of beeps will again indicate the start.
• As the new climber climbs, the ghost climber will be projected onto the same wall. When the climber overtakes the ghost, a positive alert sound will be played. When the ghost overtakes the climber, a gloomier sound will be played. Similarly, at the end of the route, different sounds will be played depending on whether the climber or the ghost reached the top of the route first. During the race, the yellow LED will light up while the climber is ahead of the ghost.
• At the end of the route, only the yellow LED will be lit. This indicates that you have the option to overwrite the ghost with the newly recorded route. Press Button 2 to overwrite or Button 3 to discard the new route.
• Press Button 1 to toggle between modes as desired.

Below is a brief tech demo with the lasers turned off. This video is also shown on the Intro page.

Comments

[Build_it_Bob]

I must also add that it is great that you used materials that are easy to find and work with. How many prototypes did you make in building this device? How long did it take from start to finish to design and debug this?
Way to go ! I enjoy it when a unique Ible like this is presented in the way you did it. There is mechanical , electronics , coding and a well layed out tutorial.
Awesome!
Build_it_Bob

[PenfoldPlant]

Thanks for the positive comments, Bob. This is just the first iteration of The Redpointer, but I think it turned out pretty well. From start to finish I'm not quite sure how long it took to build and program. Now that I know what I'm doing, I think it would probably be possible to build it from scratch again in less than a day if I really put my mind to it.

Feel free to contact me about any questions you might have with the code. Cheers!