'SafeCracker' Escape Room Puzzle Tutorial

Learn how to create an escape room puzzle in which players need to crack the code to open an electronic safe.
Players must rotate the rotary encoder, alternating clockwise and counter-clockwise, until they hear an audio cue that emulates tumbler pins falling into place. When all the digits of the code have been set correctly, a solenoid is retracted which enables the safe door to be opened and its contents retrieved.

Timings
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00:00:00 - 00:01:55 Introduction and Demonstration
00:01:56 - 00:06:09 Safe operation
00:06:10 - 00:08:28 Hardware modifications
00:08:29 - 00:16:15 Wiring Diagram
00:16:16 - 00:41:12 ESP32/Arduino Code
00:41:13 - 00:42:17 Wrapup

Support Me! (or let me support you :) )
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This video tutorial is made possible with the generous support of my Patreon donors - thankyou!

[bobbybain]

I love the idea of the transducer to make a quiet noise that needs to be heard. Instead of the dial to change numbers, i wonder if I could build a fake combination lock with a rotary encoder that would act as the input instead.

[zuprazazel]

I love this series! You should check resident evil puzzles! They are awesome and most of them are doable with tech you made before.

[robertedlund]

Absolutely stunning idea
I’ll do it with an Arduino! Thanks again.

[Dabaiko]

You are the best, very creative idea as always. Thank you for sharing it with us, you truly are an inspiration. It's a shame I didn't succeed in setting up node red in an ubuntu environment because I really liked everything that could be done with it. It was the main reason why I switched from the vanilla arduino to the esp32. One day...
Thank you as always!

[iantcroft]

Brilliant tutorial as always, the detailed code explanation really helps me try to understand this stuff. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos 👍🏻

[ssskids]

I love this series! Thank you so much. It is so helpful and oddly difficult to find content like this!

[jaycee]

Regarding logic levels.. a lot of stuff generally has CMOS inputs, where there is a threshold for logic 1 and 0 that is typically some percentage of Vcc. The MAX7219 is definitely only specced at 4V minimum with a Vih of 3.5V, but i suspect it has a fair bit of tolerance. It could also be a clone chip on there which works perfectly well at 3.3v!

[lifeai]

you can install a smartphone vibration motor on the knob and use encoder with allot more step but with no physical detent, so you can do all the haptic feedback in software

[Martin-delta]

28:30 just to clarify, this scramble function only randomizes the input code, not the solution code, right? The solution will be the same when the safe is re-locked?

[TheUnofficialMaker]

need door switch so only locks when door is closed or a spring to close door.

[HeyThisIsBrian]

Also hey kind of unrelated, the escape room I work at has a few of this kind of safe. Do you happen to know if there's any easy way to disable the lock out feature after too many failed attempts? It's something we have to warn everyone about, and have to ask them to confirm with us their code before entering it, which is both awkward and groups often won't listen anyway.

[lwo]

What would be really cool is if you had a stethescope in the room where they had to place it on a space that has a relay bolted to the inside and all you had to do was turn the relay on and off to trigger the 'click'. Not audible enough to listen to on it's own, but the relay click would pick up on a stethescope through the metal wall

The big issue with this is that stethescopes are not toys, you can actually damage someones hearing by misusing them. There's ways around it like getting a cheaper one or putting a bit of blu tac in the holes where the ears go, but it probably would be unsafe for your average customer. Edit: also... kinda gross, you'd have to clean it every time

[jaycee]

What are you using for ESP32 development? I'll probably end up using vscode but wondered if theres anything else. Probably wont use platformIO or anything like that though!

[ajking]

Hi Alistair,
Happy Tuesday!
I rcently found your channel. I appreciate your conent a lot, if possible how would one get in contact with you? Thanks in advance mate cheer!

[HeyThisIsBrian]

Hi I recently started working at an escape room and I love all of these. My boss is pretty adverse to learning Arduino though which has made me consider giving it a shot. I have a bit of programming experience, so I'm more intimidated by the hardware than the software. Is there a project you would recommend for someone starting out with it?

[OtakuHighlights]

Love the series
hey guys im trying to make puzzle when u have to pull ropes in order and i was thinking about using strain guage but dont know how to atache or is it a good sensore