Candy Cane Conundrum - Arduino Technical Guide

Arduino IDE:

Download from: https://www.arduino.cc/en/software
Version 2.x recommended (or 1.8.x if preferred)

Required Libraries (install via Library Manager):

LiquidCrystal_I2C - For I2C LCD displays
FastLED - For WS2812B addressable LED strips

To Install Libraries: In Arduino IDE, go to Tools → Manage Libraries, search for each library name, and click Install.

Arduino Board Selection

Easy & Medium Stations: Arduino Uno (sufficient pins)
Hard & Expert Stations: Arduino Mega (more pins required for 5-8 buttons)

Pin Assignments

Component	Easy (3 btns)	Medium (4 btns)	Hard (5 btns)	Expert (8 btns)
Button Inputs	22, 24, 26	22, 24, 26, 28	22, 24, 26, 28, 30	22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36
Button LEDs	23, 25, 27	23, 25, 27, 29	23, 25, 27, 29, 31	23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37
Display (I2C)	SDA=20, SCL=21
LED Strip	Pin 6

I2C Display Address: The sketch uses I2C address 0x27. If your display uses a different address (common: 0x3F), update this line in the sketch:
LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27, 20, 4);

Step 1: Select Difficulty Level

Open candy_cane_conundrum.ino in Arduino IDE.

Find these lines at the top of the file:

// #define DIFFICULTY_EASY // #define DIFFICULTY_MEDIUM // #define DIFFICULTY_HARD #define DIFFICULTY_EXPERT // <-- Currently set to EXPERT

Uncomment ONLY ONE line to select the difficulty level for this station:

Station Type	Uncomment This Line	Buttons	Total Presses
Easy	`#define DIFFICULTY_EASY`	3 buttons	12 presses
Medium	`#define DIFFICULTY_MEDIUM`	4 buttons	13 presses
Hard	`#define DIFFICULTY_HARD`	5 buttons	27 presses
Expert	`#define DIFFICULTY_EXPERT`	8 buttons	27 presses

Example for Easy Station:
#define DIFFICULTY_EASY ← Remove the // at start
// #define DIFFICULTY_MEDIUM
// #define DIFFICULTY_HARD
// #define DIFFICULTY_EXPERT

Step 2: Connect Arduino to Computer

Connect Arduino board to computer via USB cable
In Arduino IDE, select correct board: Tools → Board → Arduino Uno (or Mega)
Select correct port: Tools → Port → (select USB port)

Step 3: Compile and Upload

Click Verify button (checkmark icon) to compile the sketch
If no errors, click Upload button (arrow icon)
Wait for upload to complete (status bar shows "Done uploading")

Upload Time: Takes approximately 10-30 seconds depending on board and complexity.

Step 4: Test the Station

Open Serial Monitor: Tools → Serial Monitor
Set baud rate to 9600
Test Phase 1 with correct sequence
Test Phase 2 mechanics (varies by difficulty)
Verify candy cane lights up green on success, red on failure

Use this table to verify stations are working correctly:

PRIMARY SYSTEMS (Easy) - 12 Total Button Presses

Phase	Solution
Phase 1	Buttons 2 → 3 → 1 (GREEN → BLUE → RED)
Phase 2 Part 1	Button 2 (GREEN) × 3 times
Phase 2 Part 2	Button 1 (RED) × 4 times, then Button 3 (BLUE) × 2 times

SECONDARY SYSTEMS (Medium) - 13 Total Button Presses

Phase	Solution
Phase 1	Buttons 2 → 4 → 1 → 3 (GREEN → SILVER → RED → YELLOW)
Phase 2 Part 1	REVERSE of [2, 4] = Buttons 4 → 2 (SILVER → GREEN)
Phase 2 Part 2	REVERSE of [1, 3, 2] = Buttons 2 → 3 → 1 (GREEN → YELLOW → RED)
Phase 2 Part 3	REVERSE of [4, 2, 1, 3] = Buttons 3 → 1 → 2 → 4 (YELLOW → RED → GREEN → SILVER)

ADVANCED SYSTEMS (Hard) - 27 Total Button Presses

Phase	Solution
Phase 1	Buttons 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5
Phase 2 Part 1	Press AS they light (1.5s): 2 → 1 → 3 → 4 → 5
Phase 2 Part 2	Press AS they light (1s): 5 → 2 → 1 → 3 → 4 → 2 → 1
Phase 2 Part 3	Press AS they light (0.75s): 3 → 4 → 2 → 5 → 1 → 3 → 4 → 2 → 1 → 5

MASTER CONTROL (Expert) - 27 Total Button Presses

Phase	Solution
Phase 1	Buttons 1 → 7 → 4 → 5 → 8
Phase 2 Round 1	Buttons 2 → 6 → 5 → 3 (4 buttons)
Phase 2 Round 2	Buttons 8 → 1 → 4 → 7 → 2 (5 buttons, NEW sequence)
Phase 2 Round 3	Buttons 3 → 5 → 1 → 8 → 6 → 4 (6 buttons, NEW sequence)
Phase 2 Round 4	Buttons 7 → 4 → 2 → 6 → 3 → 1 → 8 (7 buttons, NEW sequence)

Difficulty	Phase 2 Mechanic	Skill Tested
Easy	Power Pulse Count - Watch buttons flash, count flashes, press that many times	Counting (2 parts: 1 button, then 2 buttons)
Medium	Zone Reactivation - Watch sequence, press in REVERSE order	Working memory + mental reversal (3 parts: 2, 3, 4 buttons)
Hard	Rapid System Check - Press buttons AS they light up	Reaction speed (3 parts: 5, 7, 10 buttons with increasing speed)
Expert	Memory Sequences - Watch pattern, repeat from memory	Button position memory (4 independent rounds: 4, 5, 6, 7 buttons)

Adjust Timeout Duration

Default timeout is 120 seconds (2 minutes). To change, modify this line:

const unsigned long TIMEOUT_MS = 120000; // 120 seconds

Change 120000 to desired milliseconds (e.g., 180000 for 3 minutes).

Adjust LED Brightness

Default brightness is 100 (out of 255). To change, modify this line in setup():

FastLED.setBrightness(100);

Increase for brighter (max 255), decrease for dimmer.

Adjust LED Count

Default is 50 LEDs. To match your candy cane tube, modify this line:

#define LED_COUNT 50

Change Display Size

Default display is 20 columns × 4 rows. For different size, modify this line:

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27, 20, 4); // columns, rows

Adjust Phase 2 Timing (Hard Difficulty)

Hard difficulty uses reaction speed timing. To adjust:

const unsigned long RAPID_PART1_TIMING = 1500; // 1.5 seconds const unsigned long RAPID_PART2_TIMING = 1000; // 1 second const unsigned long RAPID_PART3_TIMING = 750; // 0.75 seconds

Increase values to give players more time, decrease to make it harder.

Problem	Solution
Compile error: "LiquidCrystal_I2C not found"	Install LiquidCrystal_I2C library via Library Manager
Compile error: "FastLED not found"	Install FastLED library via Library Manager
Display shows garbled text	Check I2C address - try changing `0x27` to `0x3F` in sketch
Display shows nothing	Check wiring (SDA/SCL pins), verify display has power, adjust contrast potentiometer on display backpack
Buttons don't respond	Check button wiring, verify pull-down resistors are connected, test button with multimeter
LED strip doesn't light up	Check data pin connection (pin 6), verify power supply to LED strip, check LED_COUNT matches actual strip length
Upload fails: "Port not found"	Reconnect USB cable, select correct port in Tools → Port menu, install CH340 drivers if using clone boards
Station resets randomly	Check power supply - may be under-powered. Use higher amperage power supply (5V 5A recommended)
Phase 2 doesn't start (Easy/Medium/Hard)	Verify Phase 1 solution is correct. Check Serial Monitor for debugging output.
Expert flashing buttons don't work	Check BUTTON_LED_PINS wiring for buttons 6, 7, 8. Verify flashing only during Phase 1.
Hard difficulty too fast/slow	Adjust RAPID_PART timing constants in code (see Customization Options)

The sketch includes Serial.println() debug statements. To view them:

Connect Arduino to computer via USB
Open Serial Monitor: Tools → Serial Monitor
Set baud rate to 9600
Press buttons and observe output

Expected output when buttons are pressed:

Phase 1 - Button pressed: 1 Phase 1 - Button pressed: 2 Phase 1 - Button pressed: 3 Complete success! Station reset

Tip: Leave Serial Monitor open during initial testing to verify all buttons are registering correctly and to debug Phase 2 mechanics.

Programming Checklist for All 8 Stations

Program 2 Easy stations (set #define DIFFICULTY_EASY)
Program 2 Medium stations (set #define DIFFICULTY_MEDIUM)
Program 2 Hard stations (set #define DIFFICULTY_HARD)
Program 2 Expert stations (set #define DIFFICULTY_EXPERT)
Test Phase 1 on each station with correct solution sequence
Test Phase 2 on each station (varies by difficulty)
Label each Arduino board with difficulty level
Keep 1-2 backup pre-programmed Arduinos (one of each difficulty)

Pro Tip: Write the difficulty level on a piece of tape and attach to each Arduino board before installing in stations. This makes troubleshooting easier if you need to swap boards later.

Testing Phase 2 Mechanics

Easy: Verify buttons flash correctly and accept count-based input
Medium: Verify reverse-order logic works for all 3 parts
Hard: Test reaction timing - adjust if too fast/slow for players
Expert: Verify 4 independent memory rounds work (not building sequences)

Arduino Reference: https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/
FastLED Documentation: https://fastled.io/
LiquidCrystal_I2C Guide: Search "Arduino I2C LCD tutorial" online
WS2812B LED Guide: Search "Arduino WS2812B tutorial" online

Candy Cane Conundrum
Arduino Technical Guide

Required Software

Hardware Connection Guide

Arduino Board Selection

Pin Assignments

Programming Each Station

Step 1: Select Difficulty Level

Step 2: Connect Arduino to Computer

Step 3: Compile and Upload

Step 4: Test the Station

Solutions Reference

PRIMARY SYSTEMS (Easy) - 12 Total Button Presses

SECONDARY SYSTEMS (Medium) - 13 Total Button Presses

ADVANCED SYSTEMS (Hard) - 27 Total Button Presses

MASTER CONTROL (Expert) - 27 Total Button Presses

Phase 2 Mechanics Overview

Customization Options

Adjust Timeout Duration

Adjust LED Brightness

Adjust LED Count

Change Display Size

Adjust Phase 2 Timing (Hard Difficulty)

Troubleshooting

Serial Monitor Debugging

Production Deployment

Programming Checklist for All 8 Stations

Testing Phase 2 Mechanics

Additional Resources

Candy Cane ConundrumArduino Technical Guide

Required Software

Hardware Connection Guide

Arduino Board Selection

Pin Assignments

Programming Each Station

Step 1: Select Difficulty Level

Step 2: Connect Arduino to Computer

Step 3: Compile and Upload

Step 4: Test the Station

Solutions Reference

PRIMARY SYSTEMS (Easy) - 12 Total Button Presses

SECONDARY SYSTEMS (Medium) - 13 Total Button Presses

ADVANCED SYSTEMS (Hard) - 27 Total Button Presses

MASTER CONTROL (Expert) - 27 Total Button Presses

Phase 2 Mechanics Overview

Customization Options

Adjust Timeout Duration

Adjust LED Brightness

Adjust LED Count

Change Display Size

Adjust Phase 2 Timing (Hard Difficulty)

Troubleshooting

Serial Monitor Debugging

Production Deployment

Programming Checklist for All 8 Stations

Testing Phase 2 Mechanics

Additional Resources

Candy Cane Conundrum
Arduino Technical Guide