Electronic Ludo
In the classic board game Ludo, players throw a dice by hand and move their pieces on the board by the number of squares shown on the dice. The number of dots on the dice's six flat sides…
Know the mission before touching a wire.
Understand what you are making, prepare the right tools, and make the workbench safe.
Project details
Electronic Ludo is a electronics project. In the classic board game Ludo, players throw a dice by hand and move their pieces on the board by the number of squares shown on the dice. The number of dots on the dice's six flat sides…
- Source pages
- 547-548
- Named parts
- 2
- Build goal
- Working, tested prototype
Tools you need
- Digital multimeter
- Wire stripper and side cutters
- Soldering iron with a fine tip
- Current-limited bench supply
Use eye protection, good lighting, and a clean insulated surface throughout the build.
Safety precautions
- Disconnect every power source before changing a connection.
- Check component polarity, pinout, and supply voltage twice.
- Use a current limit for the first power-up.
- This project may involve hazardous voltage. Work only with qualified supervision and proper isolation.
Gather, identify, and understand every part.
Use the standardized inventory, then open What's this? to learn each part's role, advantages, limitations, handling, and specifications.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
Power supply
A power component supplies, converts, stores, or regulates energy for the project.
What it does hereIt must provide the documented voltage, polarity, isolation, and sufficient current safely.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Stable power improves reliability
- Current limiting protects first tests
- Regulation reduces resets and noise
Limitations
- Wrong polarity can cause immediate damage
- Underrated parts overheat
- Mains circuits require qualified supervision
Handling
- Measure output before connection
- Use a fuse or current limit
- Insulate exposed conductors
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for Power supply; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm input/output voltage, current, polarity, connector, isolation, and thermal rating.
What's this?Image, role, pros, cons, handling & specifications
NEGATIVE
A named project component whose exact role is defined by the source circuit and build guide.
What it does hereIt performs a documented electrical, control, interface, or construction function in this project.
Buy / compare this part ↗Advantages
- Selected for this project
- Can be checked independently
- Supports modular troubleshooting
Limitations
- Substitutes may differ
- Generic names can hide variants
- Pinouts and ratings vary
Handling
- Compare the received part with the source
- Keep it labelled
- Do not force connectors or adjusters
Specifications to verify
- Use the exact model, value, package, and rating listed for NEGATIVE; similar-looking parts are not always interchangeable.
- Confirm dimensions, ratings, connection method, polarity, and environmental limits.
Connect one verified path at a time.
Explore the named components and standardized signal flow, then use Source Check to verify exact physical pins, values, and topology before applying power.
Trace this circuit.
Electronic Ludo: interactive parts, standardized terminals, responsive anchored wires, student explanations, and the original circuit reference in one shared system.
Trace before wiring
Follow power, ground, inputs, processing, and outputs in that order. Never guess a pin from package shape alone.
Connect with power off
Make short, labelled connections and share a common ground only where the schematic requires it.
Inspect every joint
Check continuity, polarity, adjacent shorts, and loose connections before the first power-up.
Open all source diagrams and build views 1 visuals
Confirm the hardware-only control path.
This project does not include firmware in the source. The circuit itself provides the required behaviour.
How to connect
- Match every controller label to the circuit view and source pin map.
- Join grounds before signal wires when separate low-voltage supplies are used.
- Keep motors, relays, pumps, and other loads on a suitable driver and external supply.
Common mistakes
Reversed VCC/GND, board-label versus GPIO-number confusion, missing common ground, and charge-only USB cables.
Troubleshoot
Disconnect loads, continuity-test one path at a time, then test with a current limit.
Software preparation
No IDE, board package, library, or firmware upload is required for this project.
If you add a programmable controller as an extension, document its pin map separately.
How to upload code
The original design is implemented entirely in hardware, so proceed after verifying the circuit and supply.
Assemble, deploy, test, and troubleshoot.
Use the complete source notes in build order, then pass the final checks before calling the project finished.
Build in functional stages
- Power and regulation
- Controller or processing stage
- Inputs and sensors
- Outputs and loads
- Enclosure and strain relief
Power up safely
- Inspect unpowered continuity first
- Apply the lowest safe current limit
- Measure supply rails before signals
- Add one load at a time
- Record expected and actual results
Work from simple to complex
- Confirm power, ground, polarity, and orientation
- Compare each pin with the source
- Test inputs separately from outputs
- Replace only one variable at a time
- Power off before every correction
Follow the documented instructions.
These notes come from this project's source and remain in their original order.
Project overview
Project build noteIn the classic board game Ludo, players throw a dice by hand and move their pieces on the board by the number of squares shown on the dice. The number of dots on the dice's six flat sides determines how far you can move forward. In this electronic version of Ludo, instead of throwing the six- sided dice, players have to push a button. The 7-segment digital counter shows a number right away when the switch is pressed briefly. As with the manual dice, the numbers are randomly shown between "1" and "6," depending on how long the player presses the switch S1. Electronic Ludo Circuit The Timer IC 555 (IC1) is wired in the astable mode to make a very high- frequency clock pulse that depends on the values of the capacitor C1 and
the resistors R1 and R2. To turn off timer IC1, pin 4 is pulled to the negative power supply through resistor R3. Circuit operation When switch S1 is briefly pressed, IC1 begins to make a clock pulse. When S1 is set free, IC1 stops counting. The output pin 3 of IC1 is wired to the clock input pin 14 of IC 7490, which is a binary decade counter (IC2). Pins 11, 8, 9, and 12 of IC2's output are connected to pins 12, 13, 14, and 15 of IC 7442's BCD input (IC3). Inverter N2 flips the signal from pin 9 of IC3 and sends it back to pins 2 and 3 of IC2. This resets IC2 after every six counts. To operate the 7-segment common-anode display LTS542, the outputs from IC2's pins 11, 8, and 9 are additionally linked to the respective BCD input pins 6, 2, and 1 of the BCD-to-seven segment decoder/driver IC
7447 (IC5) (DIS1).
Project build noteThe clock pulses from IC1 would normally cause IC2 to produce binary code from 0 to 9, but the output from pin 9 of IC3 resets it after every sixth clock pulse. The count output will always be between 0 and 6. Diodes D1 and D2 make an "OR" gate and change the first "0" to a "1." This keeps the count on the screen between "1" and "6."
You built Electronic Ludo.
You followed the full workflow from understanding the mission to testing the finished project. That is a real engineering achievement - well done.
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