Pico W ten-second game with a tilt switch
MicroPython on a Pico W: shake a tilt switch on GP16 to start and stop a stopwatch on a four-digit display; stop it on exactly 10.00 to win. The whole build, a Raspberry Pi Pico W and 8 more parts, runs here in your browser on the firmware below; open it in the editor to change the wiring or the code and run it again.
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Intermediate About 30 minutes to build and run. Runs in your browser. Free, and no account needed.
The parts retail for about $7.90. On Mokxi they're free.
What you'll learn
- Interrupts that set a flag
- Debouncing a switch with timestamps
- Using
ticks_msandticks_difffor timing - Multiplexing a four-digit display
- Sending a byte to a shift register
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Time: About 30 minutes
- Board: Raspberry Pi Pico W
- Parts: 12
How it works
Shake the tilt switch on GP16 to start a stopwatch, and shake it again to stop. The four-digit display shows seconds and hundredths, like 07.42. Stop it at exactly 10.00 and the Shell prints You win!
The tilt switch triggers an interrupt that only sets a flag. The main loop then checks the flag, ignores shakes less than 300 ms apart, and starts or stops the clock. A 74HC595 sets the segments and GP10 to GP13 pick each digit in turn.
Parts list
12 parts, plus the jumper wires. They retail for about $7.90; on Mokxi they're free.
- 1 × Raspberry Pi Pico W
- 1 × 74HC595 shift registerIn LED Cube Kit.
- 1 × Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed
- 4 × Resistor, 220 ΩIn Starter Kit, Claw Machine Kit, Halloween Prop Kit.
- 1 × Tilt switch
- 1 × Resistor, 10k ΩIn Starter Kit, Claw Machine Kit, Halloween Prop Kit.
- 3 × Power, 3.3 V
Kits that can build it
This starter kit has every part in the circuit. Each kit's page lists what else it can build.
Wiring table
Every connection, pin by pin, read from the circuit itself. Each row joins the pin on the left to the pin on the right, by a jumper wire or a breadboard strip.
| Part and pin | Connects to |
|---|---|
| Resistor, 220 Ω (1) pin 2 | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP10 |
| Resistor, 220 Ω (2) pin 2 | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP11 |
| Resistor, 220 Ω (3) pin 2 | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP12 |
| Resistor, 220 Ω (4) pin 2 | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP13 |
| 74HC595 shift register pin SHCP | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP20 |
| 74HC595 shift register pin STCP | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP19 |
| 74HC595 shift register pin DS | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP18 |
| Tilt switch pin 2 | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP16 |
| Resistor, 10k Ω pin 1 | Raspberry Pi Pico W pin GP16 |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin B | 74HC595 shift register pin Q1 |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin C | 74HC595 shift register pin Q2 |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin D | 74HC595 shift register pin Q3 |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin E | 74HC595 shift register pin Q4 |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin F | 74HC595 shift register pin Q5 |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin G | 74HC595 shift register pin Q6 |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin DP | 74HC595 shift register pin Q7 |
| 74HC595 shift register pin GND | Ground |
| 74HC595 shift register pin MR | 3.3 V |
| 74HC595 shift register pin OE | Ground |
| Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin A | 74HC595 shift register pin Q0 |
| 74HC595 shift register pin VCC | 3.3 V |
| Resistor, 220 Ω (4) pin 1 | Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin DIG4 |
| Resistor, 220 Ω (3) pin 1 | Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin DIG3 |
| Resistor, 220 Ω (2) pin 1 | Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin DIG2 |
| Resistor, 220 Ω (1) pin 1 | Four-digit seven segment, multiplexed pin DIG1 |
| Tilt switch pin 1 | 3.3 V |
| Resistor, 10k Ω pin 2 | Ground |
The code
The MicroPython code exactly as the editor opens it. Change a line there and press Run: the board runs it on the official MicroPython firmware, with nothing to compile.
# GAME: 10 seconds. Shake the tilt switch (GP16) to start a stopwatch,
# shake it again to stop. Stop it on exactly 10.00 seconds to win.
from machine import Pin
import time
DIGITS = [0x3F, 0x06, 0x5B, 0x4F, 0x66, 0x6D, 0x7D, 0x07, 0x7F, 0x6F]
ds = Pin(18, Pin.OUT)
latch = Pin(19, Pin.OUT)
clock = Pin(20, Pin.OUT)
selects = [Pin(n, Pin.OUT, value=1) for n in (10, 11, 12, 13)] # digit 1 to 4
def segments(byte):
for i in range(7, -1, -1):
ds.value((byte >> i) & 1)
clock.value(1)
clock.value(0)
latch.value(1)
latch.value(0)
def show(text):
# text is four characters, digits or spaces, with an optional "." after
# one of them. Each digit is lit for a moment in turn, fast enough
# that the eye sees all four.
cells = []
for ch in text:
if ch == "." and cells:
cells[-1] |= 0x80
else:
cells.append(DIGITS[int(ch)] if ch.isdigit() else 0)
for n, byte in enumerate(cells[-4:]):
segments(byte)
selects[n].value(0)
time.sleep_ms(2)
selects[n].value(1)
running = False
began = 0
elapsed = 0
shaken = False
def shake(pin):
global shaken
shaken = True
Pin(16, Pin.IN).irq(trigger=Pin.IRQ_RISING, handler=shake)
last = time.ticks_add(time.ticks_ms(), -1000)
print("shake to start")
while True:
if shaken:
shaken = False
now = time.ticks_ms()
if time.ticks_diff(now, last) > 300: # one shake, not its bounces
last = now
if running:
running = False
elapsed = time.ticks_diff(now, began)
print("stopped at %.2f s" % (elapsed / 1000))
print("You win!" if elapsed // 10 == 1000 else "Try again")
else:
running = True
began = now
print("go")
if running:
elapsed = time.ticks_diff(time.ticks_ms(), began)
hundredths = elapsed // 10 % 10000
show("%02d.%02d" % (hundredths // 100, hundredths % 100))
Code walkthrough
The key functions of the sketch, and what each one does.
segments main.py
Sends one byte to the 74HC595, one bit at a time, from bit 7 down to bit 0, pulsing the clock after each. Then it pulses the latch so all eight outputs change together.
def segments(byte):
for i in range(7, -1, -1):
ds.value((byte >> i) & 1)
clock.value(1)
clock.value(0)
latch.value(1)
latch.value(0)show main.py
Turns a four character string into segment bytes, adding the decimal point when it sees a dot. Then it lights each digit for 2 ms in turn. Done repeatedly, all four look lit.
def show(text):
# text is four characters, digits or spaces, with an optional "." after
# one of them. Each digit is lit for a moment in turn, fast enough
# that the eye sees all four.
cells = []
for ch in text:
if ch == "." and cells:
cells[-1] |= 0x80
else:
cells.append(DIGITS[int(ch)] if ch.isdigit() else 0)
for n, byte in enumerate(cells[-4:]):
segments(byte)
selects[n].value(0)
time.sleep_ms(2)
selects[n].value(1)shake main.py
The interrupt handler. It only sets shaken to True and returns, so the interrupt stays short. The main loop does the real work.
def shake(pin):
global shaken
shaken = TrueTroubleshooting
The usual mistakes with this circuit, and the fix for each.
- One shake counts as two This project
Switches bounce. The 300 ms check in the loop ignores the extra pulses, so keep it. - Shaking does nothing This project
Check that the tilt switch connects GP16 to 3.3 V, and the 10k resistor pulls GP16 to ground. - Outputs show garbage, or the register never clears. 74HC595 shift register
Tie OE low and SRCLR (pin 10) high. Left floating, these pins make the chip behave randomly. Then pulse the latch pin after shifting the byte. - The bits come out in the wrong order, or LEDs are dim. 74HC595 shift register
Choose MSBFIRST or LSBFIRST in shiftOut to flip the order. Give each LED its own resistor, since each output can source only about 6 mA safely. - Digits look dim, flicker, or show ghosts of other digits. Four-digit seven segment
Refresh each digit quickly in a loop, at least 100 Hz for the whole set. Turn all segments off before switching digits. Do not use delay() for long pauses while displaying. - Segments burn out or the pins are overloaded. Four-digit seven segment
Use a resistor of about 220 ohms on each segment line. Check whether the display is common cathode or common anode, since that sets which level turns a segment on. - The LED is dim, burns out, or the pin reads wrong because the resistor value is off. Resistor
Read the color bands again. A 220 ohm to 330 ohm resistor suits a typical LED on 5 V. 10k is a common pull-up or pull-down value. Check with a multimeter if unsure. - A pull-up or pull-down resistor is missing, so the input floats and reads random values. Resistor
Tie the input to 5 V or ground through about 10k. Or use INPUT_PULLUP and wire the switch to ground.
Change it and keep it
Open it in the editor, change the circuit or the code, and keep your version in a free account.