DEVLOG #1: Concept, PCB Milestone & CAD Planning

Current Status

The PCB design phase is officially complete. A custom 200 × 200 mm PCB has been designed and prepared for fabrication.

The next step is the CAD enclosure design. Instead of modeling the entire housing from scratch, the plan is to adapt existing 3D-printable chessboard models.

The main CAD work includes:

Scaling the internal dimensions to fit the PCB
Aligning the board grid with the sensor positions
Creating openings for the USB ports
Adding appropriate mounting tolerances
Designing internal light-isolation dividers
Creating a bottom plate to secure the electronics

Since the CAD modifications are currently underway, this first devlog focuses on the project concept and overall hardware architecture.

What is the Smart Chess Board?

The Smart Chess Board is an interactive physical chessboard that detects piece locations in real time using magnetic sensing and provides visual feedback through an integrated LED matrix underneath the board.

The goal is to combine the experience of playing on a traditional physical chessboard with digital features such as:

Move detection
Valid move indicators
Move suggestions
Check warnings
Game state tracking
Visual LED feedback

System Architecture

The board is built around three main systems: magnetic detection, LED illumination, and microcontroller processing.

1. Hall Effect Sensors

A Hall effect sensor is positioned beneath each of the 64 squares.

Neodymium magnets are embedded into the base of each chess piece. When a piece is placed on a square, the corresponding sensor detects the magnetic field and allows the system to determine the current board state.

2. Addressable RGB LED Matrix

Addressable RGB LEDs are positioned underneath the squares alongside the sensors.

They provide visual feedback for things such as:

Valid moves
Selected pieces
Check warnings
Opponent moves
Other board states and animations

3. ESP32 Microcontroller

The ESP32 acts as the main processing unit.

It is responsible for:

Reading sensor data
Tracking piece positions
Processing the board state
Driving LED animations
Handling move logic
Managing external communication

4. Custom PCB

A custom 200 × 200 mm PCB integrates the main electronics into a single board.

It contains the sensor matrix, LED traces, power distribution, and microcontroller headers, reducing the amount of manual wiring required.

5. 3D-Printed Enclosure

The enclosure will be adapted from an existing 3D-printable chessboard design.

The modified enclosure will include:

A playing surface
Internal light-isolation dividers between squares
Space for the PCB and electronics
USB access openings
Mounting points for the PCB
A bottom plate to secure the electronics

The goal is to create a clean enclosure that keeps the electronics protected while maintaining the appearance and feel of a traditional chessboard.

Next Steps

The main focus for the next development stage is the CAD enclosure.

Once the enclosure dimensions and mounting system are finalized, the next milestone will be assembling the PCB, sensors, LEDs, and ESP32 into the finished board.