Escape Room Puzzle Monitoring UI
Staff dashboard used daily at a live escape room attraction to monitor puzzle hardware, diagnose issues, and trigger controls such as force solve and reset. The app connects a Next.js frontend to a Node.js backend, serial bridge, and ESP32-based puzzle hardware.
Role: Sole full-stack / hardware integration developerPeriod: 2026Tech: Next.js App Router, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Node.js + Express, SerialPort communication, ESP32 / ESP-NOW hardware, Real-time polling dashboard, Hardware diagnostics, Staff control workflows, Windows startup scripts
Highlights
- Built a staff dashboard used daily to monitor live escape room puzzle hardware.
- Created a Node.js/Express backend that receives puzzle state from a serial bridge and exposes clean API endpoints to the frontend.
- Integrated ESP32-based puzzle hardware using serial communication between the backend, bridge device, and physical puzzle boards.
- Designed live puzzle views for satellite alignment nodes, progress bars, solved state, device presence, and online status.
- Built a visual power-puzzle page that displays expected wiring, current connections, incorrect connections, and solved state in a staff-readable format.
- Added staff-safe force solve and reset controls with confirmation prompts to prevent accidental actions during operation.
- Implemented backend offline handling, local logging, startup scripts, and stable defaults for a Windows deployment.
Outcomes
- Used daily in a live escape room environment.
- Monitors multiple physical puzzle systems from one staff interface.
- Improves troubleshooting by exposing live puzzle state, hardware status, and staff controls without needing to inspect the ESP32 devices directly.
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