The Nerdiest 10th Birthday Invitation Ever :-)

The Nerdiest 10th Birthday Invitation Ever

If you are looking for the ultimate geeky birthday invitation, look no further. This was the invitation for my 10-year-old twins, and it officially holds the title of the nerdiest invite ever created. The best part? The 10-year-olds soldered it themselves! It is an absolutely fantastic project to teach kids how to solder—provided you cut the cables to a generous length.

Of course, the code is fully customizable*. If you don't have a birthday coming up, you can easily change the text variables to use this as a business card, a puzzle box, or just a standalone pocket game.

The invited kids were completely thrilled! With a bit of practice, assembling one unit takes about 30 minutes.

*or simply give it to gemini / claude.ai for adjustments.

Code: https://github.com/worksasdesigned/arduino_dino_run/tree/Master

Hardware & Costs

You will be dealing with quite a few wires, but the total cost per invitation is incredibly low—around 5-6€
(Parts list at the end of this description).

• Arduino Nano V3 (Clone) 2-3€
• LCD Display 1602A (HD44780, 16x2 characters) 1-2€
• 10k Potentiometer (for LCD contrast) ~0,2-1€
• 12x12mm Tactile Button 0,2€
• Piezo Buzzer (essential for the game sounds)  0,5€
• Jumper Wires: Cut them to 10cm or 12cm. This extra length is the secret to making the soldering process frustration-free for children. (use thin AWG24 or less for tiny arduino holes!)

Wiring Guide

Connecting the components requires a bit of patience. Here is the exact pinout:

1. Button & Buzzer

• Button: Connect one pin to Arduino D8. Connect the other pin to GND (the code uses internal pull-up resistors).
• Piezo Buzzer: Connect the positive (+) pin to Arduino D9, and the negative (-) pin to GND.

2. LCD Display (1602A)

• VSS (Pin 1): Connect to GND
• VDD (Pin 2): Connect to 5V
• V0 (Pin 3 - Contrast): Connect to the Middle Pin of the 10k Potentiometer.
• RS (Pin 4): Connect to Arduino D12
• RW (Pin 5): Connect to GND (we only write to the display)
• E (Pin 6): Connect to Arduino D11
• D4 (Pin 11): Connect to Arduino D5
• D5 (Pin 12): Connect to Arduino D4
• D6 (Pin 13): Connect to Arduino D3
• D7 (Pin 14): Connect to Arduino D2
• A (Pin 15 - Backlight +): Connect to 5V (ideally via a 220-ohm resistor, but direct 5V works on most modules).
• K (Pin 16 - Backlight -): Connect to GND

3. 10k Potentiometer

• Outer Pin 1: Connect to 5V
• Outer Pin 2: Connect to GND
• Middle Pin: Connect to LCD V0 (as mentioned above).

How to Play

Dino Run Once the invitation text finishes scrolling, the classic "Dino Run" game begins. The screen automatically scrolls to the left. Your goal is to jump over the approaching cacti and rockets by pressing the tactile button. The longer you survive, the faster the game gets.

Secret Mode: Bomb Defusal There is a hidden Easter Egg built into the start screen. When the "DINO RUN" title screen is displayed, press and hold the button for 2 seconds. This triggers a secret "Bomb Defusal" mission. The screen will give you a random target time (e.g., 5 seconds) and start a blind countdown. You must press the button at the exact millisecond you think the target time has been reached. If you are too early or too late, the bomb explodes!

Parts-List

All links are just examples and non affiliate links.  Buy at your lokal maker shop. Its important that they stay alive :-)

Picture	Price	Link
	2,60€	https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005008209194710.html
	~1€	https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005007348861991.html
	0,40€	https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005010478158526.html
	0,15€	https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005002535796122.html
	0,2€	https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005006106389362.html There are plenty of cables out there. This is just an example. I recommend AWG 24 or AWG 26/28. Especially the holes in the arduino are a bit small. AWG 24 works perfectly fine, but you need to drill it tight. AWG 26 might be easier.
	0,25€	https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005007003041863.html
Total	<5€	plus a little PLA for the case