I designed a shake-to-roll electronic dice kit to teach myself (and others) SMD soldering

[u/Ok-Event2833]

Hey everyone,

I've been working on Dicy – a small electronic dice you solder together yourself. Shake it, and 7 LEDs light up to show a random number (1–6), powered by an ATtiny13A and a coin cell battery.

I built it mainly as a beginner-friendly SMD soldering project – simple enough for a first attempt, but with enough components (IC, resistors, LEDs, vibration sensor) to actually learn something. There's a step-by-step soldering guide with photos for each part.

Some details if you're curious:

• ATtiny13A running custom firmware, charlieplexed LEDs to save pins
• Vibration sensor for shake detection, deep sleep in between (~µA range) for long battery life
• 3D-printable case, free STL

Happy to answer questions about the design, firmware, or soldering process! Let me know if anyone wants more details on where to get the kit.

[u/Various_Respect146]

That's awesome

[u/Ok-Event2833]

Thanks

[u/Ange1ofD4rkness]

I Really need to learn to do surface mounting (and also how to properly desolder parts). To big pain points for me

[u/Ok-Event2833]

Yeah, SMD soldering has a learning curve! That's actually why I designed this – enough components to get real practice (IC, resistors, LEDs), but forgiving enough for a first attempt. Desoldering is a good skill to add after, tweezers + solder wick help a lot there

[u/Ok-Event2833]

If you're interested:
Dicy – Solder-it-Yourself SMD Electronic Dice Kit by MakerMotion

[u/Western_File_2917]

Awesome project, RGB bright LEDs can be better if can select brightness and color. 

[u/faintcurrent]

What's doing the shake detection, a tilt switch or an accelerometer?