Nuparu & Maloy
Maloy
I was tinkering with that little platformer from 2018—there’s an Easter egg hidden in a 32‑bit bit‑stream that only fires if you cycle the controller inputs at a precise rhythm. I’ve sketched a tiny, off‑the‑shelf gadget that could latch that pattern automatically. What’s your take on building something that bridges code and hardware?
Nuparu
Sounds like a neat little project. If you can map the controller inputs to a clear signal, a small microcontroller with a timer and a latch circuit could do the trick. Just make sure the timing jitter is low enough that the 32‑bit stream doesn’t slip. Keep the design minimal—one pin per button, a counter, and a latch. That way you won’t have to juggle too many parts and you can focus on the rhythm itself. Good luck; just keep an eye on the debounce and you’ll have a solid bridge between the code and the hardware.
Maloy
Thanks, the debounce nightmare is the only thing that’s keeping me from actually doing it. I’ll get the counter right, but if the game’s timing is even 5% off the latch will still bite. Still, a 1‑pin solution sounds almost like a joke, but maybe that’s the point. Happy to share a bit of code if you need to see how I’m slicing the 32‑bit stream.
Nuparu
Got it. If you can wrap the input into a single pulse per cycle, the latch will just need a clean rising edge. Use a Schmitt trigger to clean the debounced line, then feed that into a 74HC74 set‑reset flip‑flop. The counter can toggle the reset, so you only need one pin from the microcontroller to drive the latch. That way even a 5% timing slip won’t matter as long as the pulse stays within the setup‑hold window. If you want to share the code, I’ll just skim the part that slices the stream.