The technology behind Brace Yourself
Brace Yourself was made by taking apart a playstation 2 video game controller and remaking different connections. I decided to have five buttons - up, down, right, left, and an extra optional button. The first thing I did was look into the inside of a PS2 controller:
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I found which buttons are connected where, and I attached wires from those connections into a breadboard, which had a BX-24 chip and 5 transistors, one for each button. I hooked up an accelerometer to the board as well. How it works is that depending on the direction that the accelerometer goes, a certain button turns on. For example, if the accelerometer moves to the right, a unique transistor turns on, which is connected to the PS2 controller and activates that switch.
For a closer look at the breadboard:
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I also added a big red button, so if the motion is getting too much for people, they also have the option of hitting the big button to control any aspect of the game they wish.
Before I play any game, I have to set the controls for which movement controls which action. This is done in the Options panel of any game.