Ludo, a beloved childhood game, holds a special place in our hearts with its simple and engaging gameplay, fostering fun and connection. As times change, many now experience classics like Ludo through screens, losing the tactile charm and social interaction of traditional board games.

What if we could blend the nostalgia of the original with the convenience of today’s technology? Enter the Digital Ludo Board—a fresh take on the classic, combining the physical charm of the game with interactive digital features. Designed from scratch, it’s not just a fun project but also a chance to explore the possibilities of a custom multicolour PCB.

Features

• Custom Multicolor PCB: Manufactured by PCBWay, for a clean and minimalistic look.
• Powerful ESP32-S3 SoC: The main controller, equipped with 16MB flash and 8MB PSRAM, ensures smooth gameplay and easy programming.
• 88 Addressable RGB LEDs: Reverse-mounted SK6812MINI-E LEDs provide vibrant light effects to indicate token positions.
• Touch-Based Input System: Users can use the onboard touch pads to play the game.
• IPS LCD Display: A 1.28-inch round IPS LCD in the centre of the board displays game status and virtual dice.
• Cheat proof: Random number generation used for the virtual dice ensures that the dice rolls are really random
• Open Source: It is easy for you to modify it according to your needs.

Components Required to Build Electronic Game Board

Here is the list of components we would require to build our digital Ludo board. The exact value of each component can be found in the schematics or the BOM.

• ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 x1
• WaveShare 1.28” Round IPS display with 240x240 pixels resolution x1.
• SK6812MINI-E addressable RGB LEDs x88
• IP5306 power management SoC x1
• 74HC595 Shift registers x2
• MIC5219-3.3 LDO x1
• Other passive components
• Switches and connectors
• Custom multicoulor PCB
• 3D printed parts.
• Other tools and consumables.

Digital Ludo Board Schematic Diagram

The complete circuit diagram of the Digital Ludo Board is displayed below and is also available for download in PDF format from the GitHub repository linked at the end of this article.

Power Section

To simplify the explanation, let’s break the schematics into sections. Starting with the power section, it is straightforward and uses only a few components. The USB Type-C port serves a dual purpose: powering the board and programming the onboard ESP32-S3 SoC. The 5V input from the USB port is routed to the IP5306 power management chip. This chip charges the internal battery, manages power paths, and ensures a stable 5V output, whether powered via USB or directly from the battery. It can supply up to 3A of current—essential for controlling the numerous LEDs.

The IP5306 includes four LEDs to indicate the battery’s charge status and features a low-current shutdown mode, which disables the output and enters low-power mode if the load current remains below 45mA for 32 seconds. The chip can be reactivated with a tactile button connected to its fifth pin. This feature is utilized to automatically turn off the Ludo board after 15 minutes of inactivity to conserve power. The 5V output is further converted to 3.3V using a MIC5219-3.3V ultra-low noise LDO regulator to power the ESP32.

ESP32-S3 SoC

The next section covers the ESP32-S3 SoC, chosen in its 16MB flash and 8MB PSRAM variant to handle graphics-intensive tasks smoothly. A 1.28” round IPS display module from Waveshare was selected for its aesthetic compatibility with the design. The display communicates with the ESP32 via the HSPI interface.

The schematics also include two 74HC595 shift registers, used alongside the ESP32’s seven ADC input pins to detect touch inputs. The touch system operates using a matrix keyboard-like logic. Each output of the shift registers is enabled sequentially, activating a row of touchpads. Adjacent pads are scanned for touch inputs. This scanning process is repeated in a continuous loop to detect touches.

Addressable RGB LEDs and Touchpads

The final section highlights the addressable RGB LEDs and touchpads. To streamline schematic design and component placement, custom schematic symbols and PCB footprints were created for the LEDs. In this custom design, pins 1-4 correspond to the RGB LED pins, while pins 5 and 6 represent the touchpads.

The LEDs, being reverse-mountable, are positioned on the PCB's backside with precise cutouts to expose them, while the touchpads are placed on the top side. The LEDs are connected in series, with the data input pin of the first LED linked to GPIO16 of the ESP32.

PCB for Smart LED Dice

For this project, we have decided to make a custom multi-colour PCB. This will ensure that the final product is as compact as possible as well as easy to assemble and use. The PCB is designed with KiCad. All the design files are available to download from the GitHub repo linked below this article. The PCB has a dimension of each face is approximately 260mm x 260mm. 

Here are the top and bottom layers of the PCB.

And here is the top and bottom 3D view of the PCB.

Here is one more 3D view of the PCB with the display mounted.

We have ordered the multicolour PCBs from PCBWay, and within no time we have received our PCBs.

Assembling the Ludo board PCB

The first step in assembling the PCB is to organize all the required components as listed in the BOM. Once sorted, place the components on the PCB and solder them one by one. To simplify the process, you can use an SMD stencil to apply solder paste, position the components, and then reflow the PCB using an SMD rework station or a reflow oven. Below are images of the fully assembled Ludo Board PCB.

3D Printed Parts

A custom 3D-printed enclosure was designed to securely house the Ludo board, making it easier to handle during gameplay. The design files for the enclosure, along with the Arduino sketch and bitmap files, are available for download from the GitHub repository linked at the end of this article.

Due to the enclosure's size exceeding the build volume of my 3D printer, it was divided into two parts for printing. These parts are designed to slide over the PCB edges and are secured with screws. Below are the 3D renderings of the two enclosure parts.

Finally, here is the fully assembled Ludo board with its enclosure.

How to Use the Digital Ludo Board

To play the Ludo game with the Digital Ludo Board, begin by powering on the board. The game starts with a boot animation on the screen, followed by a message prompt, prompting players to touch their respective start areas to register. A total of four players can participate, represented by the colours Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red. When a players register, the game will determine the starting player by rolling a virtual die for each participant. The player with the highest roll goes first, and their turn is highlighted on the board.

During a player's turn, they touch their designated start area to roll the dice, and the roll result will be displayed on the screen after a small rice-rolling animation. If the roll is 6 or 1, the player can move a token from the starting area onto the main board or move a token already in play. The 6 and 1 will be used to take out the tokens from the starting area until all the tokens are out of the starting area. After a dice roll, if there is only one valid move the system will automatically do that movement for the player. If there are multiple possible moves the system will wait for the user to select the token to move. The system automatically highlights valid moves and resolves any collisions by sending the opponent's token back to their starting area. If a player has no valid moves, their turn is skipped. The game continues with turns rotating among players until a winner emerges. A player wins when all four of their tokens reach their respective home zone. The system celebrates the winner with animations and highlights their achievement on the screen. 

This project was originally published on Circuit Digest. To learn more, including a detailed code explanation and other details, check out How to Build a Smart Digital Game Board Using Multicolor PCB for the complete guide.