🎮 Project 4 – Space Invader on MAX7219

📸 Photos

🔧 Project Goal

Build a simple Space Invader arcade-style game using:

• A MAX7219 8×8 LED matrix to display the game,
• A joystick to control the spaceship,
• A 1602 LCD display (non-I2C) to show the welcome screen and the current score.

This project combines electronics, interactive game logic, and display control — all in one fun package 🚀

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📦 Hardware Used

• 1× Arduino UNO
• 1× MAX7219 LED matrix (8×8)
• 1× Analog joystick
• 1× LCD1602 display (no I2C)
• 1x 220 resistors
• Jumper wires, breadboard, potentiometer (for LCD contrast)

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🔌 Wiring Overview

MAX7219

• DIN → Pin 11
• CLK → Pin 13
• CS/LOAD → Pin 10

LCD1602

• RS → D8, E → D7, D43-D7 → D9 to D12
• Potentiometer between V0 and GND to adjust contrast

Joystick

• VRx (horizontal) → A3
• Vcc / GND → 5V / GND

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🧠 How It Works

1. Startup Screen:
   The LCD displays: pgsqlCopierModifierSpace Invader Move to play! The MAX7219 shows a big « S » as the game logo.
2. Start Game:
   The game starts when you move the joystick left or right (X axis).
3. Gameplay:
   • You control a spaceship at the bottom of the LED matrix.
   • Shooting is automatic (one bullet at a time).
   • Three aliens fall from the top of the screen.
   • Every alien hit gives you +1 point (shown on the LCD).
   • If an alien hits your position → Game Over.
4. Game Over Animation:
   A quick animation is shown, and the game restarts automatically.

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✨ Results

• ✅ Fully playable and responsive
• ✅ Smooth joystick controls
• ✅ Clean, real-time score display on non-I2C LCD1602
• ✅ Easy replay loop, perfect for learning or fun

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💡 What I Learned

• How to coordinate two display systems (LED matrix + LCD)
• Handling analog joystick inputs for directional control
• Using millis() to handle timed movement (non-blocking delay)
• Basic game design logic using arrays and flags
• Writing clean Arduino code with modular functions

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🧪 Possible Improvements

• Add a button to manually shoot bullets
• Use a buzzer for sound effects (shoot, hit, game over)
• Implement a difficulty setting (alien speed increases over time)
• Make the matrix smoother by optimizing loop() with only millis() (no delay())

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📁 Source Code

🔗 Check out the full project and code on GitHub:
👉 My Github Link