What is it?

This is a carrier board for the ESP32 (NodeMCU-32 type) that makes building a TWANG32 super easy and robust. TWANG32 is a ESP32 version of regular TWANG, which is Arduino Mega based. The TWANG games are LED strip games inspired by the original Line Wobbler by Robin Baumgarten. This product includes all the unique hardware items you would need.

You can buy it in the following ways...

• As Partial kit as explained below.
• Fully assembled with 3D printed parts and programmed Arduino (you add power supply and LED strip). You should be familiar with using and connecting these types of LED strips.
• Ready to play will all parts and a 144 LED 1m Strip (WS2812b type). You should be familiar with using and connecting these types of LED strips.

Partial Kit Details

Included Parts

• Fully assembled shield
• Door Spring
• Fully soldered, wired and labeled accelerometer module.
• Fully soldered and wired speaker.

Not Included Items

• The 3D printed parts

• The ESP32 (NodeMCU-32S)

• An LED strip

Assembly Instructions can be found here. (post published soon)

What is the difference between a TWANG and a TWANG32

• Game Play: At this time the game play and levels are virtually identical.

• Which micro controller are you more comfortable with? With the partial kits you need to upload firmware via the Arduino IDE. You may want to upload newer firmware in the future or add new levels and features yourself. If you are more comfortable with the Arduino or ESP32, that might be a good reason to choose one or the other.

• Audio: The ESP32 audio can be set a little louder than the Arduino version, but the Arduino version has an external audio jack. The ESP32 version may get real digitized audio sound effects in the future.

• Wireless Features: The ESP32 version has Wifi and Bluetooth. Currently it features a wifi access point where you can adjust parameters like brightness and audio volume from a smartphone or computer. You can also access play statistics. Future uses of Bluetooth could come via firmware upgrades.

• Stability: The ESP32 tools are a little less mature than the Arduino Mega. The documentation is not as good on the ESP32. The Arduino Firmware has more testing on it. (I expect to find a few bugs for a while)

Why did you make it?

The LED Line games are amazingly fun and challenging. They are a huge hit at parties and events. The game is easy to learn and very hard to master. My first one was hand wired and soldered. It worked great, but it was messy and prone to problems. I made the shield to make it super robust.

What makes it special?

It is very easy to build. You don't need an electronics or soldering skills. All soldering is already done. The board is clearly labeled and so are the wires.