I like the look of the board (staining was a good choice), although I have to say that I feel the artwork of the original tiles was easier to read. Maybe a cool addition would be to replace the acrylic plates with 3D printed inlays resembling the landscape (mountains, forest, fields, etc.) and have them backlit by the LED. Also the little streets and houses feel tiny on the larger board, so they could be also replaced with 3D printed parts.
Thanks so much! Definitely some things to improve on! It's actually a lot easier to distinguish stuff in person, it's really hard to capture LED color on camera without underexposing everything haha
If I had more time, I'd absolutely be building one of these as a wedding gift for a friend. Never thought to sand the acrylic like that!! Beautiful build, congrats.
It randomly generates the numbers every time you turn it on! You hold the “roll” button for 5 seconds and then it counts up from 2 to 12 showing you where each number goes!
How does it display the numbers? I know that the Github page states that it generates the numbers for you, but how do you know where they are located so that the tokens can be put down in their appropriate place?
Great question! It actually randomly generates all the commodities as well as the numbers for the whole board every time you plug it in, so no two boards are the same. In the code, I keep two arrays, one of the commodity order (starting at the top and spiraling around to the middle), and one of the numbers (same order). If the number associated with a commodity is rolled, it lights up and the rest of the board dims!
@@cmmartti nope! One of the fun things about settlers (after having played it so many times) is the random set up element. Having to rethink the strategy of where to build every time is what keeps it fresh!
@@cmmartti I think what happened with our friend group is that we noticed that with the "recommended" number token order we still often all ended up vying for the same number locations regardless of resource. So we started randomizing both numbers and resources. Sometimes you get boards where there is a lot of power in one section, but it ends up balancing out since EVERYONE wants to be there. The competition for those spots are so intense that typically the person in the more open area of the board ends up winning! So in a very roundabout way to answer your question, both numbers and resources are intentionally random.
How big is the board? I need to know if it will fit on my CNC router machine. I was going to download the file but don't know what a .step file is. I'm only familiar with .Crv and svg files. Thank you.
Cool project. BTW, mHub will let you use the back entrance if you have material. And it looks like your vacuum dump valve is open if you were even using it. :)
I love the video and love this project in particular. but is there a step by step document or something for someone who has never done anything like this before?
Thank you so much! I wish I could have gotten it out earlier! It took about 7 days to get the circuit boards in the mail! Overall though, from to end (including filming and editing two videos) I think 20 days is ok lol
Awesome Project! Love your editing pace and the quality of the video. But for future projects, could you please adjust the volume on the music? I found myself constantly adjusting volume between montages and parts where you were speaking. BTW. this video feels like something you would expect from a channel with at least 50-100k subscribers and after many videos, and you managed that with your 3rd upload and 1.2k subs, so congrats for that!
Thank you so much! I will definitely keep volume levels lower in the future (still very much learning). I really really appreciate the comments about video quality! It is definitely the most anxiety producing part of the whole project lol
It's an ESP32, which may seem like overkill for a project like this... But based on that you may be able to infer what my "super secret special surprise" is for the follow up video!
Yep, you guessed it! When you boot the board up it counts up from 2 to 12 showing you where the random numbers go. You can always hold the roll button for 5 seconds to see the sequence again!
Ha! Awesome! Love it and need to do something like this! Does it get annoying that everyone has to reach over and press the button? Also, how do you know where the numbers go? Does your code randomize it every game?
Thanks so much! It was starting to get a little old when people were reaching across, I'm not going to lie haha I think I may make some bluetooth dice in the future to pair with this. When you first turn the board on, it randomizes all the numbers. You can hold the "roll" button for 5 seconds to have it count up from 2 to 12 showing you all the spots for each number!
@@SamMarch oh I like that it shows you the numbers by holding it down. I backed Pixels - Electronic dice on Kickstarter. Those could probably work well for this project. They are Bluetooth dice and open source!
Right now the board randomly selects where resources go (along with what number is associated with each resource). There is a button to “role”, when you do it lights up the corresponding numbers! I’m planning on maybe making some Bluetooth dice in the future to replace the button press
It would be awesome if it cycled through the numbers lighting up the board as it rolls, then slowing down as it lands on the final number. Would give a good effect and be fun to watch.
Hello Sam, first of all I am so thrilled about this project I don´t know how to thank you, you are a genius! I was trying to make this project but when I was about to order the PCBs I realized the BOM was incomplete. The Power regulator for 3V3, the antenna and some passives were missing. Is this done intentionally? Thank you.
So this is actually something I meant to include in the description... The PCB files are in the github repo, but more importantly, you can have the manufacturer I used (JLCPCB) fabricate AND assemble the boards for super cheap! It should only cost you around ~$60 bucks to have a full set made for you and shipped!
@@SamMarch Dear Sam, Love your board, thank you for the blueprints. Problem: I just need a little more help with the files.... My friends and I can't seem to break it down to under the size limit JLCPCB requires. Do you have any advice on what we are doing incorrectly or perhaps suggestions? Thank you in advance..... Gabrielle Howell
@@SJGalt Gabrielle, I think I can help! The trick here is to zip up the files in the right way. Because there are two boards you will have two zipped files, one for the led boards, one for the brain board. Let’s start with the micro board, head over to: github.com/S-March/smarchSettlers_Public/blob/main/Hardware/smarchSettlers_MCU/JLCPCB_Files/fabFiles.zip Download that zip, and when you get to the quoting page at jlcpcb, just upload that zip folder directly. The when they ask for the assembly files on the next page, upload the pick place and BOM files. For the LED boards, this is the zip you want to use: github.com/S-March/smarchSettlers_Public/blob/main/Hardware/smarchSettlers/JLCPCB_Files/FabFiles.zip Then same thing, upload the pick place and bom files. Let me know if you have more trouble and I’m happy to help!
When it first boots up it randomizes then resources and numbers. Then it counts up from 2 to 12 showing you where each number is located in the board! You can hold the “roll” button for 5 seconds to see the sequence again
When the board first comes it randomly generates what each hex is (number and commodity wise). Then it counts up from 2-12 showing you the spots so you can place your number tokens on the correct hexes. That way when you roll the dice, it randomly picks a number (properly distributed) and highlights the right hex!
@@corynrobinson definitely a possibility! I was trying to keep cost down a bit. More importantly though, the whole thing was designed in one day, so certain really cool ideas missed the initial design phase entirely 😂
Amazing job and the final look is beautiful. Brilliant to use the tiles for replacing the dice, never would have thought of that! Personally though i would not have used glue for the circuit boards. My motto is 'Only glue what you can not nail, clamp or screw'. :)
I like the look of the board (staining was a good choice), although I have to say that I feel the artwork of the original tiles was easier to read. Maybe a cool addition would be to replace the acrylic plates with 3D printed inlays resembling the landscape (mountains, forest, fields, etc.) and have them backlit by the LED. Also the little streets and houses feel tiny on the larger board, so they could be also replaced with 3D printed parts.
Thanks so much! Definitely some things to improve on! It's actually a lot easier to distinguish stuff in person, it's really hard to capture LED color on camera without underexposing everything haha
Sam, you are so smart, creative, and talented!!!
In undergrad there was no doubt you were one of the absolute most creative and talented guys in the school. So cool to see this.
Incredible! Well done! This may need to get integrated into our 3D Catan Set!
What a great build!! Must've been so satisfying to get to the end and it work
Nothing better than seeing your brainchild grow up into glowing lights!
If I had more time, I'd absolutely be building one of these as a wedding gift for a friend. Never thought to sand the acrylic like that!! Beautiful build, congrats.
Amazing work! A joy to watch!
Publishers should take note of this cool project for just all the board games!
That is so dope man! Thank you for sharing this amazing project.
That board was kinda nice until I saw the built in dice roll....then it went EPIC for me!
Love the concept and the integrated dice roll. Nice job!
Thanks a ton!
I've always wanted to make something like this, and after watching the video, I think you've convinced me to do it one day!
Integrating the "dice" into the board was brilliant!
This is like the 50th video I've watched about a custom Catan board... I might have to play the game one day
Excellent work sir.
Nice solid build Sammy, was able to gain some inspiration from this thank you. Enjoyed the storytelling as well
OMG, SAMMY!😮
This video is so so cool !
Displaying the roll that is sick but how would you play with cities and knights lol
Cool work, again.
Thanks Butch!
@@SamMarch Still envious of not being able to go to that shop any more. And wondering why you did not go in through the loading dock?
@@butchhoward I came in on a weekend and couldn't find the garage open button lol
Я не понимаю, к сожалению, многих подробностей. Но смотреть на это - словно магия, Ваша увлечённость и одухотворённость - супер!
SO. FREAKIN. COOL.
Awesome video, and I love the board, but the music really stole the show for me. Great tunes!
Cool, but what if you need to use the expansion pack?
We’ll just have to build a bigger board!
Super sweet! How does it know what numbers are on each hex? Or do they have to be the same every time?
It randomly generates the numbers every time you turn it on! You hold the “roll” button for 5 seconds and then it counts up from 2 to 12 showing you where each number goes!
Wowww😍
How does it display the numbers? I know that the Github page states that it generates the numbers for you, but how do you know where they are located so that the tokens can be put down in their appropriate place?
Holding the roll button for 5 seconds counts up the numbers from 2-12 while showing you their placement!
@@SamMarch Good to know, thanks for the reply
Super cool!! How does the code know which number each hex is? Is there only one configuration or do you reprogram it?
Great question! It actually randomly generates all the commodities as well as the numbers for the whole board every time you plug it in, so no two boards are the same. In the code, I keep two arrays, one of the commodity order (starting at the top and spiraling around to the middle), and one of the numbers (same order). If the number associated with a commodity is rolled, it lights up and the rest of the board dims!
@@SamMarch makes sense! So do you have the tiles light up in numerical order so that you can setup or how do you know which tile has which number?
@@jacobshor3590 You got it! If you hold the "roll" button for 5 seconds it will count up so you can place your number tokens at the beginning.
@@cmmartti nope! One of the fun things about settlers (after having played it so many times) is the random set up element. Having to rethink the strategy of where to build every time is what keeps it fresh!
@@cmmartti I think what happened with our friend group is that we noticed that with the "recommended" number token order we still often all ended up vying for the same number locations regardless of resource.
So we started randomizing both numbers and resources. Sometimes you get boards where there is a lot of power in one section, but it ends up balancing out since EVERYONE wants to be there. The competition for those spots are so intense that typically the person in the more open area of the board ends up winning!
So in a very roundabout way to answer your question, both numbers and resources are intentionally random.
How big is the board? I need to know if it will fit on my CNC router machine. I was going to download the file but don't know what a .step file is. I'm only familiar with .Crv and svg files. Thank you.
Cool project. BTW, mHub will let you use the back entrance if you have material. And it looks like your vacuum dump valve is open if you were even using it. :)
I love the video and love this project in particular. but is there a step by step document or something for someone who has never done anything like this before?
it look's great! only 20 days since the previous video! jokes aside it does look nice, i might try a lowtech aproch to do mine
Thank you so much! I wish I could have gotten it out earlier! It took about 7 days to get the circuit boards in the mail! Overall though, from to end (including filming and editing two videos) I think 20 days is ok lol
@@SamMarch it sure is! im really glad it wasn't a "Soon™" and you actually delivered! Thanks for the videos and inspiring project!
@@mancostation Absolutely! Thanks for watching. My goal is to try and post something once every 2ish weeks (20 days being on the long end)!
Immediately subscribed!
🙌
Awesome Project! Love your editing pace and the quality of the video. But for future projects, could you please adjust the volume on the music? I found myself constantly adjusting volume between montages and parts where you were speaking.
BTW. this video feels like something you would expect from a channel with at least 50-100k subscribers and after many videos, and you managed that with your 3rd upload and 1.2k subs, so congrats for that!
Thank you so much! I will definitely keep volume levels lower in the future (still very much learning). I really really appreciate the comments about video quality! It is definitely the most anxiety producing part of the whole project lol
Why glue when you can screw?
I was looking for a coffee table build idea and this is perfect. Did one of the panels not work?
I was waiting for someone to ask! That’s actually the desert.
@@SamMarch as soon as it started playing the next video I gave myself a V8 slap saying I bet that's how he is showing the desert
@@brandondavis3309 we’ve all had those moments! Thanks for watching
Super dope
nice project !!! i want to know what kind of microcontroller you use to control LED ?
It's an ESP32, which may seem like overkill for a project like this... But based on that you may be able to infer what my "super secret special surprise" is for the follow up video!
@@SamMarch Ooh, I work for Espressif, always nice to see one of ours end up in something cool.
@@Spritetm To say I'm a fan of yours is an understatement. I've been following your work for years! Honored to have you swing by and watch.
Nice man, how do you know where to put the numbers? Is there an initialisation step before you start playing?
Yep, you guessed it! When you boot the board up it counts up from 2 to 12 showing you where the random numbers go. You can always hold the roll button for 5 seconds to see the sequence again!
@@SamMarch That's great!
Amazing !!!
Ha! Awesome! Love it and need to do something like this! Does it get annoying that everyone has to reach over and press the button? Also, how do you know where the numbers go? Does your code randomize it every game?
Thanks so much! It was starting to get a little old when people were reaching across, I'm not going to lie haha
I think I may make some bluetooth dice in the future to pair with this.
When you first turn the board on, it randomizes all the numbers. You can hold the "roll" button for 5 seconds to have it count up from 2 to 12 showing you all the spots for each number!
@@SamMarch oh I like that it shows you the numbers by holding it down. I backed Pixels - Electronic dice on Kickstarter. Those could probably work well for this project. They are Bluetooth dice and open source!
@@andrescacciamani oh nice! I’ll have to look into them
Lovely
I missed how it works? Are there buttons for each resource on the board?
Right now the board randomly selects where resources go (along with what number is associated with each resource). There is a button to “role”, when you do it lights up the corresponding numbers! I’m planning on maybe making some Bluetooth dice in the future to replace the button press
@@SamMarch Gotcha. Is there a dice roll sound when you press it?
@@OkelloDunkleyDSLRWorkshops not on this board, but great idea for a future revision!
@@SamMarch Yeah I think you need that dopamine shot when you hear it. And it'll get everyone's attention. Looks fun!
It would be awesome if it cycled through the numbers lighting up the board as it rolls, then slowing down as it lands on the final number. Would give a good effect and be fun to watch.
Love it!
Hello Sam, first of all I am so thrilled about this project I don´t know how to thank you, you are a genius!
I was trying to make this project but when I was about to order the PCBs I realized the BOM was incomplete. The Power regulator for 3V3, the antenna and some passives were missing. Is this done intentionally?
Thank you.
Hmmm… I will check this when I get home tonight!
Where can i buy?
Please sell the PCB kit!!!
So this is actually something I meant to include in the description... The PCB files are in the github repo, but more importantly, you can have the manufacturer I used (JLCPCB) fabricate AND assemble the boards for super cheap! It should only cost you around ~$60 bucks to have a full set made for you and shipped!
@@SamMarch so freaking sweet. You are awesome!!!
@@matthewdodrill8720 YOU are awesome! Thanks for watching!
@@SamMarch Dear Sam,
Love your board, thank you for the blueprints. Problem: I just need a little more help with the files.... My friends and I can't seem to break it down to under the size limit JLCPCB requires.
Do you have any advice on what we are doing incorrectly or perhaps suggestions? Thank you in advance.....
Gabrielle Howell
@@SJGalt Gabrielle, I think I can help! The trick here is to zip up the files in the right way. Because there are two boards you will have two zipped files, one for the led boards, one for the brain board.
Let’s start with the micro board, head over to:
github.com/S-March/smarchSettlers_Public/blob/main/Hardware/smarchSettlers_MCU/JLCPCB_Files/fabFiles.zip
Download that zip, and when you get to the quoting page at jlcpcb, just upload that zip folder directly.
The when they ask for the assembly files on the next page, upload the pick place and BOM files.
For the LED boards, this is the zip you want to use:
github.com/S-March/smarchSettlers_Public/blob/main/Hardware/smarchSettlers/JLCPCB_Files/FabFiles.zip
Then same thing, upload the pick place and bom files.
Let me know if you have more trouble and I’m happy to help!
How does it know where each number is? Or are the numbers static?
When it first boots up it randomizes then resources and numbers. Then it counts up from 2 to 12 showing you where each number is located in the board! You can hold the “roll” button for 5 seconds to see the sequence again
@@SamMarch wow, that's awesome!!!
Looks great, I really want to play a round of Catan on this board! Also, how frustrated were you having to go BACK to the Makerspace? haha
It's a magical place, so it could be worse!
1:55 title of your sx tape
How does it know what number the hex is?
When the board first comes it randomly generates what each hex is (number and commodity wise). Then it counts up from 2-12 showing you the spots so you can place your number tokens on the correct hexes. That way when you roll the dice, it randomly picks a number (properly distributed) and highlights the right hex!
@@SamMarch nice. That works. You could also use 7-segment displays to randomize and display the numbers automatically
@@corynrobinson definitely a possibility! I was trying to keep cost down a bit. More importantly though, the whole thing was designed in one day, so certain really cool ideas missed the initial design phase entirely 😂
Hello do you sell them ?
Unfortunately I don’t, but all the files/blueprints to make your own are free in the description of the video!
You're bringing this to the reunion, right?
Amazing build aside, the video quality was crazy good. Super Casey Neistat-esque, great job!
Thank you! Huge compliment
Amazing job and the final look is beautiful. Brilliant to use the tiles for replacing the dice, never would have thought of that! Personally though i would not have used glue for the circuit boards. My motto is 'Only glue what you can not nail, clamp or screw'. :)
feed nana
...never looked so bad
Too bad this game sucks. Horribly unbalanced!