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I have been hacking the light’s out big brother, “Henry” that I picked up from a thrift store yesterday and I’ve figured out how to map out the switches.
I’m going to assume that you have a multimeter, and if you don’t, go get one.
I drew a full schematic of the way the LEDs are driven. Common Anode (whichever Pin I identified as +). The two connections that must be driven low allow the transistor to act as a switch and move the current from + to your LED. Still not sure what the voltage limit for those LEDs is, but I’m going to guess somewhere around 9V. A strong 5V source lights them up nicely.
Now – To map out the buttons.
The buttons are also arranged in a matrix. Figuring out the layout is pretty straight forward: Multimeter in continuity mode, one end on the pin you’re testing, then test for continuity on the button pads. You have to watch your meter because sometimes there’s not enough connection to get a beep, but enough to see the numbers change. Most of the pads also have a test pin.
That’s how I mapped out the “Henry” game. Haven’t set up a micro-controller for scanning the matrix yet, but it’s a clear matrix that mostly makes sense.
If I can find my lights out, or get another one, I’ll do the same mapping for the button pad.
Peter
PS – post pictures / Schematics some time this week.
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