Question Box Puzzle

This is a video game themed puzzle box based run on an Arduino Mega.  I just used what I had laying around, so if you wanted to build something like this yours will likely be different.  I wanted this tutorial to be more about the idea of the puzzle box and how to do a few general things instead of how to replicate my exact puzzle box.  I feel like I'm just starting on this project and there's a lot more that could be done with it.

The things I'll cover in this tutorial:
1. connecting a bunch of LEDs to a project
2. integrating a toy into a project
3. The coolness of Shapelock
4. Running motors, servos and steppers (using the motor shield)
5. Connecting an Xbee if you don't have room for the shield
6. Remote Controlling your application from a web application over Xbee
7. Connecting to I2C devices (LCD, Wiimote, another Arduino)
8. Connecting to a Parallax Knock sensor
9. Making sound with a speaker
10. Getting input from buttons
11. General Puzzle trickery


For the puzzles I thought I'd all for Myst type puzzles (you've been given a box, figure it out), and Mario style (generally you know what you're supposed to do, sometimes you even get a chance to practice parts of it before doing it for real).

The attached video shows a "level" where you have to put the Contra code in on buttons that look kind of like a NES controller.

Step 1 Stuff Used in This Project

One goal of this project, as it progressed, was to complete overengineer.  I think I did that.

1 -  Unfinished wooden box from a craft store
7 - small push buttons
1 - Arcade push button
1 - 5-way button
1 - Serial/I2C LCD
32 - LEDs
1 - resistor
1 - GPS
1 - Keypad
1 - Parallax Knock sensor
1 - Xbee
1 - speaker
4 - Nixie Tubes
1 - Nixie Tube Shield
1 - Adafruit Motor Shield
1 - Buzz Lighyear gun disc gun
1 - Stepper
1 - Servo
1 - Pack of Shape Lock
1 - Wiimote Nunchuck
1 - Xbee shield from SeeedStudio
1 - Arduino Uno
1 - Arduino Mega (Sparkfun free day goodness)
A few random screws
Lots of random wires
Lots of batteries