ogy that provides fine pin pitch (0.56 mm) and miniaturized footprints. Although the design included circuits on flat 2D planes, two additional challenges were present: (1) the planes were connected with 90 degree connections around the cor- ners which needed to be physically protected and (2) the 2D circuits required several cross-over points due to the com- plexity of the circuit network. These can be seen as tubular channels that tunnel underneath other traces to avoid shorting. This base design represents the outer shell of the gaming dice, which housed the cylindrical battery circuit shown in Fig. 2.
B. GAMING DIE VERSIONS
The concept to be prototyped in both form and function was a typical gaming die in terms of size with additional elec- tronic functionality that provided for (1) the determination of the die coming to rest after a roll; (2) detection of final orientation; and (3) flashing of the LEDs on the top surface. The design underwent three prototype optimization versions, each of which was quickly implemented, improved and iter- ated owing to the availability of the enhanced AM process. A final prototype version was implemented using tra- ditional manufacturing techniques for commercial viabil- ity analysis and used for cost and manufacturing time comparison.
1) VERSION 1: NON-RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES
The first prototype was made to test the feasibility of the concept; the overall design began by defining the functional requirements. The electronic circuit was developed to provide the stated operation. The constraints of cost, functionality, and availability were evaluated in turn. The major priority was given to the availability of components that would allow for the fabrication of a dice within normal physical dimensions, (17mm or 19mm per side based on a measured commercial die), while still providing the desired functionality. After the circuit was finalized, the number of components increased to 25 (Table 1) and the layout and routing was implemented manually using mechanical CAD software.
TABLE 1. List of required components.