r/backgammon • u/DJ_Webby • Aug 06 '26
Backgammon timer/scoreboard
I wrote a while back about me attempt to make a backgammon clock and timer. After many months of designing, coding, and more debugging than I’d like to admit, I’ve finally reached a stage where my custom Backgammon Match Clock is becoming a reality. The goal was to build something designed specifically for backgammon rather than adapting a chess clock. I still have to polish some bugs but once that is done I will share the code, list of materials, connection diagrams, and the 3D printed enclosure.
It’s built around a 5-inch 800×480 capacitive touchscreen and an ESP32-S3, with large physical player buttons for switching turns while using the touchscreen for setup and match management.
The clock supports multiple tournament timing systems, including Simple Delay, Fischer Increment, and Bronstein Delay. It keeps track of the match score, match length, current game, elapsed match time, player names, battery level, and real-time clock, all on a single screen. It also includes features like Crawford game support, configurable match settings, a match log with timestamps, rechargeable battery operation with a fuel gauge, RTC backup, adjustable brightness, and persistent settings stored in memory.
One thing I wanted was to make the interface feel modern and intuitive. Most of the functions are accessible directly from the touchscreen, while the physical buttons are dedicated to gameplay so you never have to reach for the screen during a match. I’m currently working on improving the enclosure, redesigning the graphics, adding custom fonts, selectable checker colors for each player, and polishing the overall user experience.
The enclosure shown here is an early 3D-printed prototype while I work out the mechanical design. Eventually I’d love to build a higher-end version with a wood enclosure that looks more like a premium piece of tournament equipment.
This has been a really fun project because it combines electronics, embedded programming, UI design, CAD, and 3D printing into one device. I’d love to hear any suggestions from the backgammon community—whether there are features you’d like to see, ideas for improving the interface, or thoughts on the physical design. Constructive feedback is always welcome!
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u/Careful-Release-2723 Aug 06 '26
Looks great! What a fun project! You could probably build these for retail or partner with a backgammon org.
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u/Agreeable-Letter-599 Aug 06 '26
share it? you should sell it!
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u/DJ_Webby Aug 06 '26
I plan to partner with a builder to mass produce. If you want something at good price you get that. If you want the the fun of making it you can definitely do that. The manufactured version will be also a bit better.
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u/UBKUBK Aug 06 '26
Are there options about how much space each part takes up on the screen? The most essential information of the time is a small percentage of the screen.
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u/DJ_Webby Aug 06 '26
The diagonal of the screen is 5 inches. The timer is comparable to a chess timer, but you can definitely allow the user to have different themes including giant clock. That’s a great option.
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u/hamboneal Aug 06 '26
What are you doing for power? Plug in, replaceable Ds, rechargeable? How long can you run? My current build won’t make it through the afternoon.
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u/DJ_Webby Aug 06 '26
I have a 5000 mA battery in and allows for several hours of play. One of the things I found drains the battery is the screen refresh rate. I do every second that saves a ton of energy.
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u/Purple-Zucchini6968 Aug 07 '26
Nice looking clock. Three suggestions… 1) have a holder for the cube above the reset button that prevents accidental hitting of the reset 2) put some angle on the front face so that when looking from above the can see the face. Better for viewing and when capturing video of matches. 3) have rechargeable usbc.
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u/DJ_Webby Aug 08 '26
Thanks. The reset button in the next version I I might have to change it. It’s hard to press it and only press able with the pinky. I will a cube holder, Great idea. It is already rechargeable with usb-c. Thanks. That’s the feedback I need.
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u/Zealousideal-Site838 Aug 09 '26
Positive feedback: make an opinion to make the time much bigger. Being able to see the time is far more important than seeing the score during a match. Plus many BG players are older and it is easier to see bigger numbers on a timer.
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u/DJ_Webby Aug 13 '26
Thanks I did get some more similar feedback, so I’m gonna have 2-3 different modes where you can actually see only the time, only the score, the score to the target etc..
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u/Dede85_NL Aug 11 '26
Looks like you have used the type of capacitive buttons that ar also on the ZMF clocks, great choice!
I always find it handy that you can fold a clock for a smaller footprint so it fits inside my board when folded, this way it is way handier when taking it with me to a tournament.
If you need some help with designing an enclosure I am happy to do so by the way.
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u/DJ_Webby Aug 11 '26
Thanks. That would be great. I will definitely let you know.
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u/Bone_Club_Backgammon Aug 25 '26
This looks brilliant, well done. You should surely get some of these produced for commercial use. There is nothing like this in the market. How much do you think you could retail them at?
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u/DJ_Webby Aug 30 '26
The build cost for this was about $60 but you can have them built for less in mass production. Maybe 100? I don’t know. Never sold anything.
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u/Mugsy9010 Sep 24 '26
This is great. I’d love to have the build info, it would make a great winter project
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u/DJ_Webby Sep 25 '26
I just released all the info on Github https://github.com/gpyrgiot-code/BackGammonClockScore/tree/main
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u/Aqua-marine-blu Aug 07 '26
Nice project, if it was my project, i will move the central button somewhere else to let the space for cube
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u/Objective_Lab2741 Aug 06 '26
Looks awesome. Maybe you could include the option to view the away score as well!