Micro:Boy – Arcade games for the Micro:bit

ɖҿϝիɟթվ created this project to play arcade games on the Micro:bit:

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Micro:Boy

The Micro:bit is a pretty decent platform for teaching kids to program, but you can’t really make arcade-style games for it. You only have two buttons and a 5×5 display. Perhaps enough for a very small snake game, but that’s pretty much it. That’s why I started working on #PewPew FeatherWing as an alternative platform, but at some point I started wondering if it’s really impossible to do it on the micro:bit.

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When the most recent version of micropython got the ability to use any pins for I2C, I realized that I can finally connect a display easily. I could use a HT16K33 and a 8×8 LED matrix like on the PewPew, but I decided to try something else — a monochrome OLED display, similar to the one used on many Arduino-based game consoles.

Micro:Boy – Arcade games for the Micro:bit

ISL12022M RTC breakout board

From the Pluxx’s Magitech Golem Parts Emporium blog:

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ISL12022M RTC breakout board

This is a breakout board for the Intersil ISL12022M real-time clock, with optional I²C pull-ups and a CR1225 backup battery. The circuit is based on the design recommended by Intersil, with a few tweaks. It’s the second board I’ve designed so far.

golemparts has shared the project on OSH Park:

ISL12022M RTC Breakout v1.0 A

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Order from OSH Park

ISL12022M RTC breakout board

Quad 7 Segment I2C LED backpack

Barbouri created a quad 7-segment I2C LED backpack:

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Building a case for the Programmable Voltage Reference project

I put together an I2C interface board for these displays based on a design by Adafruit, using a Holtek HT16K33 RAM Mapping 16*8 LED Controller Driver chip.

A nice feature of this chip is a dimming command that provides display dimming in 1/16 increments.

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Barbouri has shared the board on OSH Park:

7 Segment X4 I2C LED backpack V1.0

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Order from OSH Park

Quad 7 Segment I2C LED backpack