Lights Out: F1 Start Simulator

Project Title & Theme
Final Project
Snippet of Arduino Code
AutoCAD Designing
3D Printing for extra pazazz to the Theme
F1 Grand Prix Themed Outfit

Inspiration

I wanted to recreate one of the most intense moments in racing: the start. In F1, the race can change in a split second when the five red lights go out. That mix of anticipation, reaction time, and the risk of a jump start inspired this project.

I wanted to build something that was interactive, easy for people to understand, and visually connected to the F1 theme right away. The starting light gantry felt like the perfect moment to capture.

I also wanted this project to be a chance to explore circuitry and software together. Rather than just writing code, I wanted to push myself to grow my skill set in electronics, programming, and debugging. This project gave me a way to learn how hardware and software interact in a real system while still building something fun, interactive, and strongly connected to the Formula 1 theme.

What it does

The system lights up five LEDs one by one like an F1 starting gantry.

Waits a random amount of time before "lights out"
Measures how fast the player reacts
Detects jump starts if the button is pressed too early
Displays race status and reaction time on a 16x2 LCD
Uses a buzzer to make the experience more dramatic

It turns a simple Arduino circuit into a mini F1 reflex challenge.

How I built it

I built the project using an Arduino Uno, LEDs, resistors, a pushbutton, a buzzer, and a 16x2 LCD on a breadboard and started by building the core circuit. I added the pushbutton for player input, tested the buzzer for race-start audio and connected the 16-pin LCD to display messages and reaction times.

Next, I wrote the game logic in Arduino IDE / C++ to turn on the five LEDs in sequence, introduce a random delay before the start, record the exact moment the lights go out, calculate reaction time when the player presses the button, etc.

The core timing idea is: Reaction Time = Button Press Time − Lights Out Time

I also added logic for jump-start detection and best-time tracking to make it feel more like a real challenge instead of just a blinking-light demo.

Challenges I ran into

One of the biggest challenges was getting all of the hardware pieces to work together cleanly. The LEDs and serial output worked first, but the buzzer and LCD took extra troubleshooting. I had to adjust the program flow multiple times and add short delays to have the project running accurately. I also had to carefully manage pin assignments, wiring, contrast adjustment on the LCD, and button behavior.

Another challenge was making the project feel truly F1-themed instead of just a generic reaction timer, which I solved by focusing on the exact race-start experience: five lights, random lights out, and jump-start penalties.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Fully interactive and easy for anyone to try
Clearly connected to the Formula 1 theme
Able to measure reaction time accurately
Able to detect false starts / jump starts
Enhanced the project with both LCD feedback and sound
Got to learn and put to use AutoCAD and 3D printing

What I learned

This project taught me a lot about:

Arduino programming in C++
Wiring and debugging circuits step by step
Handling digital input
Sequencing outputs across multiple LEDs
Using an LCD to improve the user experience
Thinking about timing and event-driven logic
Designing a project around a strong theme
3D printing and AutoCAD

I also learned how important iteration is. Testing one part at a time made the whole project much easier to debug and improve.

What's next for Lights Out: F1 Start Simulator

Next, I would like to improve both the presentation and gameplay. Possibly:

Adding a 3D-printed F1 start gantry housing
Building a track-themed display base
Creating a 2-player mode for head-to-head reaction battles
Adding a leaderboard The long-term goal would be to turn it into an even more immersive, competitive, and visually impressive game-play.