Arduino Reaction Timer — Independent Project
A solo embedded C++ reaction-time system on 6 LEDs and 2 buttons, validated at 200–400 ms, where the key fix was eliminating CPU hammering that was destroying timing accuracy.
I developed and programmed a solo embedded C++ reaction-time system using six LEDs and two buttons, iterating the code over two days.
The problem that actually mattered was CPU hammering. A busy-wait loop polling as fast as it can looks like it should give the most precise timing and does the opposite — it starves everything else and the measurements drift. Identifying that as the source of the timing inaccuracy was the real work; the fix followed easily once the cause was clear.
I validated the finished system against measured reaction times of 200–400 ms, which is the correct human range and confirmed the timing was sound.
I simulated the circuit logic before building the hardware, which caught wiring errors while they were still free to fix.