These DIY Game Show Podiums Are Powered by Arduino Megas

Every good game show features some sort of system for competitors to buzz in with. In a spirited game, a mere fraction of a second can separate one player’s button-slap from another’s. It is, therefore, critical that the buzzer system be able to detect who buzzed in first with absolute certainty. As a bonus, the system should also incorporate pretty flashing lights. Redditor TheKoG built just such a system for intense games of Family Feud played at home, and used Arduino Megas to accomplish the feat.

TheKoG built these game show buzzer podiums for family game nights, specifically to play Family Feud. Right now, there are two buzzers, but TheKoG plans on making a third buzzer to facilitate games of Jeopardy! played in the living room. Each buzzer has a 20x10 grid of WS2811 individually-addressable RGB LEDs. Each LED is mounted inside of a hemispherical reflector, which TheKoG ordered from AliExpress. The reflectors, in turn, are mounted on a tinted piece of Plexiglas.

The Arduino Mega boards that are used to control the LEDs communicate with each other to determine which buzzer button was pressed first. There are also three toggle switches inside each buzzer podium that can be used to set how many “strikes” each team of players has in a round. If there aren’t any strikes, 25 points will automatically be added to that team’s score. We can only assume that these DIY buzzer podiums will help reduce fights among family members who disagree about who buzzed in first.