The unit pictured is the earlier Arduino Micro prototype (the "prototype 2" generation); the current firmware targets the Arduino Nano (ATmega328P) — see the story.
An electronic party game where players inflate a real balloon with punched cards until it bursts — whoever is holding the moment it pops loses.
Players insert optically-coded punched cards into a reader; the firmware decodes each card and drives a 12 V pump (or a valve) to inflate or deflate a real balloon. A software model tracks the balloon's fill level as a simulated "volume" percentage. Cross 100 % on your turn and the balloon pops — you lose. The whole thing runs on an Arduino Nano (ATmega328P).
Docs site: https://boomballoon.github.io/
- Insert a coded card. Each card is punched with a 5-bit optical pattern that the reader scans as it slides in.
- The firmware acts. It decodes the card and drives a 12 V pump to inflate the balloon — or opens a valve to let air back out.
- The volume climbs. A software model tracks the balloon's fill level as a percentage, ticking toward 100 % with every risky card.
- Burst = you lose. Cross 100 % on your turn and the balloon pops. Last player standing wins.
firmware/— Arduino/C++ firmware for the Arduino Nano (ATmega328P) control board.hardware/— PCB Fritzing files, PCB images, component datasheets, bill of materials, and enclosure CAD.cards/— card artwork and deck/code pointers.docs/— source for the MkDocs Material documentation site.media/— prototype photos.
pip install -r docs/requirements.txt
mkdocs serve -f docs/mkdocs.ymlThe site is built with MkDocs Material.
A root Makefile wraps the everyday commands — run make to see them all:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
make build |
Build the firmware for the Arduino Nano |
make upload |
Build + flash the Nano (PORT=… to force the serial port) |
make mock |
Flash the no-hardware serial mock build (drive the game over serial) |
make monitor |
Open the serial console |
make docs |
Build the documentation site (make docs-serve to live-preview) |
Firmware targets need PlatformIO (pio) on your
PATH; docs targets use a local virtualenv created by make docs-setup.
Docs are built and deployed to GitHub Pages automatically by .github/workflows/deploy-docs.yml on every push to main, publishing at https://boomballoon.github.io/.
© 2016–2026 Christian Volkmar and Dirk Wilden. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — share and adapt for non-commercial use, with attribution, under the same terms. Commercial use requires permission (contact dirkwilden@gmail.com). See LICENSE.