Cover image for Picotamachibi 2

Picotamachibi 2

Build a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 powered Virtual Pet with a 1.3" OLED display and some MicroPython


 18 August 2024   |     3 minute read   |   By Kevin McAleer   |   Share this article on

Page last updated November 22, 2024

Videos

For every project I create, I often make a corresponding YouTube video. Sometimes, there might be more than one video for a single project. You can find these videos in this section.

Explore more through these this dedicated videos.

Version 2.0

The Picotamachibi 2 is a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 powered Virtual Pet with a 1.3” OLED display. It’s a fun project that combines hardware and software to create a digital pet that you can interact with.

The project uses a Pico 2, a 1.3” OLED display, and some MicroPython code to create a virtual pet that you can feed, play with, and take care of.

PCB

This is a follow up of the Picotamachibi 1 project, where we built a similar virtual pet using a Raspberry Pi Pico.

The Picotamachibi 2 takes things a step further by using the new Pico 2 board, which has more memory and a faster processor, allowing for more complex interactions and animations.

This project also features a custom PCB that makes it easy to connect the Pico 2 to the OLED display and other components. The PCB includes a breakout for the Pico 2, a breakout for the OLED display, and a breakouts for the 3 control buttons.


Bill of Materials

Item Description Qty Price
Pico Raspberry Pi Pico 2 1 £5.00
3x Buttons 3x Tact switches 3 £0.50
Solrde solder 1 £0.50
OLED Display SSD1306 128x64 OLED Display 1 £16.00
Custom PCB Picotamachibi Custom PCB 1 £4.00
    Total £25.00

Custom PCBs

The Custom PCBs will be available for sale soon. Please check back for updates.


Wiring

The wiring is pretty simple, though you may have to keep the wires short to fit everything in the case.

Wiring

Pico GPIO Component
GPIO00 SDA
GPIO01 SCL
3.3v out VCC
GND GND
GPIO04 Button A
GPIO03 Button B
GPIO02 Button X

Assembly

Assembly

The assembly of the Picotamachibi 2 is straightforward. You will need to solder the Pico 2 to the custom PCB, solder the OLED display to the PCB, and connect the buttons to the PCB.

Assembly

Assembly


Interface

The Picotamachibi 2 has a simple interface that allows you to interact with your virtual pet. The OLED display shows the pet’s status, such as its hunger level, happiness level, and health level.

There are 3 buttons to navigate the Toolbar at the top of the screen.

Interface

Button Function
Button A Moves the Toolbar selection to the right
Button B Selects the current Toolbar item
Button X Cancels the current selection

Toolbar Icons

Icon Description
Food reduces hunger and makes Baby happy
Lightbulb makes baby sleep, increases energy, increases happiness
Game not implemented yet, increases health and happiness, reduces energy
First aid increases health
Toilet cleans any poop onscreen (which decreases happiness and health)
Heart check on the status of Energy, Happiness and Health
Call Flashes when Baby wants attention

Toolbar



Code

View Code Repository on GitHub - https://github.com/kevinmcaleer/picotamachibi