With my recent retro mac classic inspired enclosure project for the Fruit Jam, I got the crazy idea to display my own images on the mac emulator. Sure, you can run MacPaint, but wouldn't it be cool to display custom graphics like the Fruit Jam logo? Well, it turns out there's a bit of a process to get images to display on System 7.5, specifically on 68K architecture (which is what the pico-mac emulator is based on).

Image File Formats

JPEG, PNG and GIF images are the norm with modem day computers. But, in 1984, these image formats were not yet a thing. I thought, surely displaying a bitmap image on Mac OS System 7 shouldn't be too hard, right?

After searching google, easiest approach seemed to be: Use the Graphic Converter mac app to convert a JPEG into a MacPaint document. This however, didn't quite seem to work. When I import the converted macpaint image file into Mini vMac, it wouldn't open in MacPaint. Weird, Ok, lets try a native image file format. Again, that's not really a thing. Enter the world of the .PICT (QuickDraw picture).

The new 286 PC Emulator for Fruit Jam provides many interesting possibilities and a lot of fun.

This Playground Note will provide information that may not be evident or may otherwise help others.

Initial Impressions

Having wide emulation through the 80286 is helpful, through it wasn't until the '386 that memory handling got better.

I was really excited about all the display modes. But trying to get to them in DOS or QBASIC was impossible. Maybe they'll work in games but I'd like a high resolution DOS screen too.

Overview

The TPL5110 (with driven output line) or the TPL5111 (with toggling enable line) allow some really simple low-power projects. Use the zero to sever and supply power, or the one to control enable pins (for LDO/MCU).

Just adjust the potentiometer to tweak the turn-on time, and then with the TPL5111 you send a low high transition to the Done pin to go to sleep. The Enable pin goes low and MCU sleeps until the next cycle.

All of that means you can easily create a no-code low-power project, just by hooking up the TPL5111 to a WipperSnapper compatible board, and combine that with an E-ink display for the ultimate low power setup.

The board wakes up, connects to WiFi and Adafruit IO, get's the latest messages (E-Ink Display) and sends some sensor data. Two small Actions on Adafruit IO switch the Done pin to a high level, and then ten seconds later back to low. A third action updates the screen message with time + weather every 10mins.

Add a third action to update the display or whatever is appropriate (like acting on some sensor data).

Use \n to force a line break when working with Displays on WipperSnapper

I built Fizzgig and would like to share a few notes on my build (made in October 2025). I hope that this is helpful to anyone attempting to build it as well. I had a lot of fun building it!

Speaker

I tried using an external speaker connected with the headphone jack cable. It turned out that this speaker is not deactivated when no sound is played, and it produces very loud white noise (this happens with any speaker connected via this connection). Thankfully, the Adafruit support team reproduced this, and it seems that this behaviour cannot be resolved. So I went along with the oval mini speaker that is connected to the board via PicoBlade. To improve its sound a little, I attached the speaker to a Tic Tac box as a resonator, which worked quite well.

Servo / Jaw

I used lots of hot glue to attach all the hair, so the jaw became rather heavy. I attached some cardboard to the jaw to stabilise it, but this was not enough to support the weight. As a result, the jaw would not close properly. To resolve this, I stabilised the jaw with ice cream sticks. I also extended the servo horn with a piece of carbon tube. I could securely fix this to the servo horn using heat shrink tube with hot glue. My extended servo horn ends in a grommet made out of another piece of carbon tube with a larger diameter that I glued to the jaw. This makes the placement of the servo a lot easier and the connection more stable.

I thought about also adding a spring taken out of a retractable pen to the servo horn extension to help the servo along. In my build, this was not possible to integrate, but there may be setups where adding a spring is possible and makes sense.

Since I could not use a spring, I added a counterweight in the part where the servo horn ends. I glued in a screw and added two nuts for added weight. This helps the servo along.

Code

I used the UF2 file provided in the instruction. I would have liked to change the code to reduce the jaw opening angle (this would have enabled me to use a spring). Adafruit support pointed me to the code, and I was able to identify the place where the servo angles are defined. In my current Arduino IDE, the code would compile successfully, and the IDE even told me that the code had been successfully transferred to the board. However, CIRCUITPY was still visible as a drive after this supposedly successful transfer, and I had to re-upload the original UF2 file to go back to that version. I re-tried with several different methods, but I was not able to make the compiled code transfer to the board successfully. This may be due to my inability, since I am not very experienced using microcontrollers at all. If you are planning to alter the code, do check if it works for you before making your build.

Wig

It makes a lot of sense to buy a wig with really long hair. The instructions advise to cut off the hair along the longest section. I did this, but it would have made more sense to plan ahead to first check where the nose will go. Most hair under the nose will not be needed, as that's where the mouth goes. Depending what your particular wig looks like, it may be better to keep the long hair in the back and trim under the nose. 

Also, the hair will be all over the place when you're done.

I styled my Fizzgig's hair with transparent lacquer from a spray can. This was necessary especially around the eyes and the nose.

Frame

I built a wooden frame for my Fizzgig. I had originally used a cardboard box, but for more stability I replaced it with a wooden frame that basically had the same dimensions. My frame is about 31 x 18 x 10 cm. The required dimensions very much depend on the size of the wig and the length of the hair.

Overview

To understand what the new Arduino UNO Q is about, I've been looking at the new the Arduino App Lab coding tool. The App Lab download page links to the source code at https://downloads.arduino.cc/app-lab-release/source-app-lab.zip, but the source seems incomplete. Among other differences, there aren't any build instructions or scripts in the source archive. So, I've been poking around trying to understand how the source works and how it differs from the binaries.

Highlights of what I found: You need a UNO Q board to get past the first screen. The app is written with Wails which uses Go for the backend and a web app for the frontend (similar to Electron, but using a native web view rather than embedding a browser). The binaries include embedded markdown for examples that don't appear in the source. The app may be using Hotjar telemetry for analytics.

Download Checksums

When I downloaded the macOS dmg, Linux tar.gz, and source-app-lab.zip files on October 16, 2025, these are the checksums I got:

I wanted to measure the gas usage inside my home and push the data into Home Assistant.

To collect the data, I wanted to use the MMC5603 magnetometer + ESP32 Feather V2. The MMC5603 had a great price point and the ESP32 Feather V2 was able to connect to my Home Assistant server via WiFi.

Requirements

• ESPHome 2025.8.3
• The Adafruit Products above (MMC5603 + ESP32 Feather V2 or similar board that can connect via WiFi)
• Ethernet Cable (Cat 5 and later is fine)
• USB Power Adapter (e.g. like this one , 5V 1A)
• A short USB-A to USB-C connector (e.g. like this one, data isn't important here - so any cable will do)
• M2.5 screws (lengths and materials will be up to you, I used nylon M2.5 screws to attach the bracket to the gas meter and metal M2.5 screws for the MMC5603 to the bracket).

If you end up using any earlier version of ESPHome and you'll run into issues like I did where the MMC5603 wasn't being registered properly.

I connected everything like this diagram:

 

I ended up having to create a 3D bracket that could hold the MMC5603 onto the US Gas Meter.

https://www.printables.com/model/1446364-us-gas-meter-brace-for-a-mmc5603-magnetometer

Overview

The Spell Jam app on the Fruit Jam is a twist on a classic electronic toy. Check out the Spell Jam learn guide to learn all about it.

By default, Spell Jam uses the Amazon Polly Text-to-Speech (TTS) service to create audio from the entered text. While Amazon's service can be used for free during a trial period, it does require an AWS account.

If you'd prefer not to create an Amazon AWS account, you can instead run a local TTS server on your home network using open-source models like KittenTTS or Kani-TTS.

This playground will walk you through the steps required to run a local TTS server on your network and configure Spell Jam on your Fruit Jam to use that server instead of AWS.

Installing a Text-to-Speech Model

There are two TTS AI models that the Spell Jam local backend currently works with:

• KittenTTS - lightweight, will run on a Raspberry Pi 4/5
• Kani-TTS  - newer, but may require an Nvidia GPU.

WipperSnapper is a firmware (Arduino sketch) that connects boards with Components + Sensors in a no-code way. It's meant to be easy for beginners to start making things online quickly and simply, but sometimes we forget how much knowledge is expected.

It can be a tall order to know how to find the pin names for each board, but doubly so when you want to connect a seemingly easily sandwiched FeatherWing into the mix.

Today I followed this journey to test a newly supported E-ink FeatherWing display with one of our older boards, the Feather ESP32 v2 (Huzzah32), to replicate the MagTag setup which we know works well.

As I looked for the documentation link in the New Components dialog, I realised this was a step too far for many people to take confidently alone and I should probably document the journey.

Breaking it down

This is the Herman Entertainment System, a handheld gaming system with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and the Adafruit 1.3″ TFT Bonnet. Why Herman? I don’t know, that is what the kids wanted to call it, apparently Herman needs entertained. As for why we needed this instead of an existing emulator, well this particular setup struggles to run systems like RetroPie due to a display issue, so we created a small setup that uses Python and creates a home screen that lists all the games on the device and you simply choose which to play. It automatically updates with all the games you have added, in our example we have a Snake game, but you can add or make nearly anything. Print files for the enclosure are available here via Printables, and additional details and instructions are available here.

Step 1: Prepare the SD Card (Headless Setup)

Flash Pi OS Lite

1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.org
2. Insert your SD card into your computer
3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager
4. Choose “Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit)” – no desktop needed
5. Click the gear icon (Advanced options) and configure:
   • Enable SSH ✓
   • Set username: herman
   • Set password: (your choice)
   • Configure WiFi: Enter your network name and password
   • Set locale settings: Your country/timezone
6. Flash the image to SD card

Step 2: First Boot and SSH Connection

1. Insert SD card into your Pi Zero 2 W
2. Power on the Pi (green LED should flash, then stay solid)
3. Wait 2-3 minutes for first boot to complete
4. Find the Pi’s IP address:
   • Check your router’s admin page for connected devices
   • Or use an IP scanner like Advanced IP Scanner
   • Look for device named “raspberrypi”

Connect via SSH

ssh [email protected]
# Replace XXX with your Pi's actual IP address

Enter your password when prompted.

Step 3: System Updates and Basic Setup

# Update the system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install essential packages
sudo apt install python3-pip python3-pil git -y

# Enable SPI (required for TFT display)
sudo raspi-config

In raspi-config:

• Go to Interface Options → SPI → Enable
• Finish and reboot

Reconnect via SSH after reboot.

Step 4: Install TFT Display Libraries

Note: Newer Pi OS versions require --break-system-packages flag

# Install compatible Adafruit libraries
sudo pip3 install "adafruit-circuitpython-rgb-display==3.10.0" --break-system-packages
sudo pip3 install "adafruit-circuitpython-busdevice==5.2.0" --break-system-packages
sudo pip3 install "adafruit-circuitpython-typing==1.10.1" --break-system-packages

# Install additional required libraries for SPI configuration
sudo pip3 install click --break-system-packages
sudo pip3 install adafruit-python-shell --break-system-packages

# Install system packages
sudo apt install python3-numpy -y

Step 5: Configure TFT Display Hardware

# Download and run the SPI configuration script
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/adafruit/Raspberry-Pi-Installer-Scripts/main/raspi-spi-reassign.py
sudo python3 raspi-spi-reassign.py

When prompted:

1. Select 1 Reassign SPI Chip Enable Pins
2. For CE0 selection, choose 22 Disabled
3. Reboot when prompted

Step 6: Create the Gaming System Files

Reconnect via SSH and create your gaming system:

# Create directories
mkdir -p /home/herman/games
mkdir -p /home/herman/system

Create the main entertainment system:

nano /home/herman/herman_entertainment_system.py

Then copy the following code and paste it into the new file.


#!/usr/bin/env python3
import time
import os
import subprocess
import digitalio
import board
import importlib.util
import sys
from adafruit_rgb_display.rgb import color565
from adafruit_rgb_display import st7789
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont

class HermanEntertainmentSystem:
    def __init__(self):
        # Initialize display and GPIO in the class
        self.setup_hardware()
        
        # Load fonts
        try:
            self.font_huge = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans-Bold.ttf", 36)
            self.font_large = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans-Bold.ttf", 24)
            self.font_medium = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf", 18)
            self.font_small = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf", 14)
        except:
            self.font_huge = ImageFont.load_default()
            self.font_large = ImageFont.load_default()
            self.font_medium = ImageFont.load_default()
            self.font_small = ImageFont.load_default()
        
        # Button debouncing
        self.last_button_time = 0
        self.button_debounce = 0.2
        
        # Game list
        self.games = []
        self.selected_game = 0
        self.games_directory = "/home/herman/games"
        
        # Create games directory if it doesn't exist
        if not os.path.exists(self.games_directory):
            os.makedirs(self.games_directory)
        
        self.scan_for_games()
    
    def setup_hardware(self):
        """Initialize display and GPIO"""
        # TFT Display Setup
        self.cs_pin = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.CE0)
        self.dc_pin = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.D25)
        reset_pin = None
        BAUDRATE = 40000000

        self.display = st7789.ST7789(
            board.SPI(),
            cs=self.cs_pin,
            dc=self.dc_pin,
            rst=reset_pin,
            baudrate=BAUDRATE,
            width=240,
            height=240,
            x_offset=0,
            y_offset=80,
            rotation=180,  # Fixed rotation for proper orientation
        )

        self.backlight = digitalio.DigitalInOut(board.D26)
        self.backlight.switch_to_output()
        self.backlight.value = True

        # GPIO Setup - Correct pins for Pi Zero 2 W + TFT Bonnet
        GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
        GPIO.setup(17, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)  # UP
        GPIO.setup(22, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)  # DOWN
        GPIO.setup(27, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)  # LEFT
        GPIO.setup(23, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)  # RIGHT
        GPIO.setup(5, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)   # Button A
        GPIO.setup(6, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)   # Button B
        GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)   # Button C

    
    def get_text_size(self, draw, text, font):
        """Compatible text size function for older PIL versions"""
        try:
            bbox = draw.textbbox((0, 0), text, font=font)
            return bbox[2] - bbox[0], bbox[3] - bbox[1]
        except AttributeError:
            try:
                return draw.textsize(text, font=font)
            except:
                return len(text) * 8, 16
    
    def draw_centered_text(self, draw, text, y_pos, font, color):
        """Draw text centered horizontally"""
        text_width, text_height = self.get_text_size(draw, text, font)
        x_pos = (240 - text_width) // 2
        draw.text((x_pos, y_pos), text, font=font, fill=color)
        return text_height
    
    def read_controls_debounced(self):
        """Read controls with debouncing"""
        current_time = time.time()
        
        raw_controls = {
            'up': not GPIO.input(17),
            'down': not GPIO.input(22),
            'left': not GPIO.input(27),
            'right': not GPIO.input(23),
            'button_a': not GPIO.input(5),
            'button_b': not GPIO.input(6),
            'button_c': not GPIO.input(4)
        }
        
        # Apply debouncing
        if current_time - self.last_button_time > self.button_debounce:
            if any(raw_controls.values()):
                self.last_button_time = current_time
                return raw_controls
        
        return {key: False for key in raw_controls}
    
    def scan_for_games(self):
        """Scan for available game files"""
        self.games = []
        
        # Add built-in games
        builtin_games = [
            {"name": "Snake Game", "file": "snake_game_module.py", "type": "builtin"},
        ]
        
        for game in builtin_games:
            if os.path.exists(f"/home/herman/{game['file']}"):
                self.games.append(game)
        
        # Scan games directory for additional games
        if os.path.exists(self.games_directory):
            for filename in os.listdir(self.games_directory):
                if filename.endswith('.py'):
                    game_name = filename.replace('.py', '').replace('_', ' ').title()
                    self.games.append({
                        "name": game_name,
                        "file": filename,
                        "type": "custom"
                    })
        
        # Add system options
        self.games.extend([
            {"name": "System Info", "file": None, "type": "system"},
            {"name": "Shutdown", "file": None, "type": "system"}
        ])
        
        # Reset selection if out of bounds
        if self.selected_game >= len(self.games):
            self.selected_game = 0
    
    def show_welcome_screen(self):
        """Display welcome screen"""
        image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 50))  # Dark blue background
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
        
        # Title with shadow effect
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Herman", 31, self.font_huge, (0, 0, 0))  # Shadow
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Herman", 30, self.font_huge, (0, 255, 100))  # Main
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Entertainment", 71, self.font_large, (0, 0, 0))  # Shadow
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Entertainment", 70, self.font_large, (255, 255, 255))  # Main
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "System", 101, self.font_large, (0, 0, 0))  # Shadow
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "System", 100, self.font_large, (255, 255, 255))  # Main
        
        # Animated dots
        dots = "..." if int(time.time() * 2) % 2 else ""
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, f"Loading{dots}", 140, self.font_medium, (100, 100, 255))
        
        # Instructions
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Press A to Continue", 180, self.font_medium, (255, 255, 0))
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Press B to Shutdown", 210, self.font_small, (255, 100, 100))
        
        self.display.image(image)
    
    def show_game_list(self):
        """Display scrollable game list"""
        image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
        
        # Header
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Select Game", 10, self.font_large, (0, 255, 0))
        
        # Draw game list (show 5 games at a time)
        start_index = max(0, self.selected_game - 2)
        end_index = min(len(self.games), start_index + 5)
        
        y_pos = 50
        for i in range(start_index, end_index):
            game = self.games[i]
            
            # Highlight selected game
            if i == self.selected_game:
                # Selection background
                draw.rectangle([10, y_pos - 2, 230, y_pos + 25], fill=(0, 100, 0))
                text_color = (255, 255, 255)
                # Selection indicator
                draw.text((15, y_pos + 2), ">", font=self.font_medium, fill=(255, 255, 0))
            else:
                text_color = (200, 200, 200)
            
            # Game name
            draw.text((35, y_pos + 2), game["name"], font=self.font_medium, fill=text_color)
            
            # Game type indicator
            if game["type"] == "builtin":
                draw.rectangle([220, y_pos + 5, 235, y_pos + 15], fill=(0, 255, 0))
            elif game["type"] == "custom":
                draw.rectangle([220, y_pos + 5, 235, y_pos + 15], fill=(0, 0, 255))
            elif game["type"] == "system":
                draw.rectangle([220, y_pos + 5, 235, y_pos + 15], fill=(255, 0, 0))
            
            y_pos += 30
        
        # Instructions
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Up/Down = Navigate", 190, self.font_small, (100, 100, 100))
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "A = Select  B = Back", 210, self.font_small, (100, 100, 100))
        
        # Scroll indicators
        if start_index > 0:
            draw.text((115, 35), "▲", font=self.font_small, fill=(255, 255, 0))
        if end_index < len(self.games):
            draw.text((115, 175), "▼", font=self.font_small, fill=(255, 255, 0))
        
        self.display.image(image)
    
    def show_system_info(self):
        """Display system information"""
        image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "System Info", 20, self.font_large, (0, 255, 0))
        
        # Get system info
        try:
            with open('/proc/cpuinfo', 'r') as f:
                for line in f:
                    if 'Model' in line:
                        model = line.split(':')[1].strip()
                        break
                else:
                    model = "Raspberry Pi"
        except:
            model = "Unknown"
        
        info_lines = [
            f"Device: {model[:20]}",
            f"Games: {len([g for g in self.games if g['type'] != 'system'])}",
            f"Python: 3.11",
            f"Display: 240x240 ST7789"
        ]
        
        y_pos = 70
        for line in info_lines:
            self.draw_centered_text(draw, line, y_pos, self.font_small, (255, 255, 255))
            y_pos += 25
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Press B to return", 200, self.font_small, (255, 255, 0))
        
        self.display.image(image)
    
    def launch_game(self, game):
        """Launch selected game using dynamic import for custom games"""
        if game["type"] == "system":
            if game["name"] == "System Info":
                return "system_info"
            elif game["name"] == "Shutdown":
                return "shutdown"
        
        try:
            # Show loading screen for both built-in and custom games
            image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
            draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
            self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Loading Game...", 120, self.font_medium, (255, 255, 0))
            self.display.image(image)
            
            if game["type"] == "builtin":
                # Built-in game handling (existing snake game)
                if game['file'] == 'snake_game_module.py':
                    from snake_game_module import SnakeGame
                    game_instance = SnakeGame(self.display, GPIO, self.backlight)
                    game_instance.run()
            
            elif game["type"] == "custom":
                # Dynamic import for custom games
                game_path = os.path.join(self.games_directory, game["file"])
                module_name = os.path.splitext(game["file"])[0]
                
                # Import the module
                spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(module_name, game_path)
                game_module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
                sys.modules[module_name] = game_module
                spec.loader.exec_module(game_module)
                
                # Convert filename to CamelCase class name
                class_name = ''.join(
                    part.capitalize() 
                    for part in module_name.split('_')
                )
                
                # Get the game class
                GameClass = getattr(game_module, class_name)
                
                # Instantiate and run the game
                game_instance = GameClass(self.display, GPIO, self.backlight)
                game_instance.run()

            return "game_list"
            
        except Exception as e:
            # Unified error handling
            image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
            draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
            self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Game Error!", 80, self.font_medium, (255, 0, 0))
            
            error_msg = str(e)
            if len(error_msg) > 30:
                error_msg = error_msg[:30] + "..."
            self.draw_centered_text(draw, error_msg, 110, self.font_small, (255, 255, 255))
            
            self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Press A to continue", 160, self.font_small, (255, 255, 255))
            self.display.image(image)
            
            # Wait for button press
            while True:
                controls = self.read_controls_debounced()
                if controls['button_a']:
                    break
                time.sleep(0.1)
            
            return "game_list"
    
    def run(self):
        """Main system loop"""
        state = "welcome"
        
        try:
            while True:
                controls = self.read_controls_debounced()
                
                if state == "welcome":
                    self.show_welcome_screen()
                    
                    if controls['button_a']:
                        state = "game_list"
                        self.scan_for_games()  # Refresh game list
                    elif controls['button_b']:
                        # Shutdown
                        image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
                        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
                        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "Shutting Down...", 120, self.font_medium, (255, 0, 0))
                        self.display.image(image)
                        time.sleep(2)
                        subprocess.run(['sudo', 'shutdown', '-h', 'now'])
                        break
                
                elif state == "game_list":
                    self.show_game_list()
                    
                    if controls['up']:
                        self.selected_game = (self.selected_game - 1) % len(self.games)
                    elif controls['down']:
                        self.selected_game = (self.selected_game + 1) % len(self.games)
                    elif controls['button_a']:
                        if self.games:
                            result = self.launch_game(self.games[self.selected_game])
                            if result == "system_info":
                                state = "system_info"
                            elif result == "shutdown":
                                subprocess.run(['sudo', 'shutdown', '-h', 'now'])
                                break
                            # Game returned, stay in game_list state
                    elif controls['button_b']:
                        state = "welcome"
                
                elif state == "system_info":
                    self.show_system_info()
                    
                    if controls['button_b']:
                        state = "game_list"
                
                time.sleep(0.1)
                
        except KeyboardInterrupt:
            pass
        finally:
            try:
                GPIO.cleanup()
            except:
                pass
            try:
                self.backlight.value = False
            except:
                pass

# Main execution
if __name__ == "__main__":
    system = HermanEntertainmentSystem()
    system.run()

Control + x to exit, then Y to save, and Enter to confirm the name. This will be the same process for the Snake game.

Create the Snake game:

nano /home/herman/snake_game_module.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import time
import random
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont

class SnakeGame:
    def __init__(self, display_obj, gpio_obj, backlight_obj):
        # Verify objects are not None
        if display_obj is None or gpio_obj is None or backlight_obj is None:
            raise ValueError("Display, GPIO, or backlight object is None")
            
        self.display = display_obj
        self.GPIO = gpio_obj
        self.backlight = backlight_obj
        
        self.grid_size = 12
        self.grid_width = 240 // self.grid_size
        self.grid_height = 240 // self.grid_size
        self.reset_game()
        
        # Load fonts
        try:
            self.font_huge = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans-Bold.ttf", 48)
            self.font_large = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans-Bold.ttf", 32)
            self.font_medium = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf", 20)
            self.font_small = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf", 16)
        except:
            self.font_huge = ImageFont.load_default()
            self.font_large = ImageFont.load_default()
            self.font_medium = ImageFont.load_default()
            self.font_small = ImageFont.load_default()
        
        # Button debouncing
        self.last_button_time = 0
        self.button_debounce = 0.1
        self.last_direction_time = 0
        self.direction_debounce = 0.1
        
        # Display optimization
        self.last_display_update = 0
        self.display_interval = 0.05
        
    def reset_game(self):
        center_x = self.grid_width // 2
        center_y = self.grid_height // 2
        self.snake = [
            [center_x, center_y],
            [center_x - 1, center_y],
            [center_x - 2, center_y]
        ]
        self.direction = [1, 0]
        self.food = self.generate_food()
        self.score = 0
        self.game_over = False
        self.needs_redraw = True
        
    def generate_food(self):
        while True:
            food_x = random.randint(0, self.grid_width - 1)
            food_y = random.randint(0, self.grid_height - 1)
            if [food_x, food_y] not in self.snake:
                return [food_x, food_y]
    
    def read_controls_debounced(self):
        current_time = time.time()
        
        raw_controls = {
            'up': not self.GPIO.input(17),
            'down': not self.GPIO.input(22),
            'left': not self.GPIO.input(27),
            'right': not self.GPIO.input(23),
            'button_a': not self.GPIO.input(5),
            'button_b': not self.GPIO.input(6)
        }
        
        debounced_controls = {
            'up': False, 'down': False, 'left': False, 'right': False,
            'button_a': False, 'button_b': False
        }
        
        if current_time - self.last_direction_time > self.direction_debounce:
            if any([raw_controls['up'], raw_controls['down'], 
                   raw_controls['left'], raw_controls['right']]):
                debounced_controls.update({
                    'up': raw_controls['up'],
                    'down': raw_controls['down'],
                    'left': raw_controls['left'],
                    'right': raw_controls['right']
                })
                self.last_direction_time = current_time
        
        if current_time - self.last_button_time > self.button_debounce:
            if raw_controls['button_a'] or raw_controls['button_b']:
                debounced_controls.update({
                    'button_a': raw_controls['button_a'],
                    'button_b': raw_controls['button_b']
                })
                self.last_button_time = current_time
        
        return debounced_controls
    
    def update_direction(self, controls):
        old_direction = self.direction.copy()
        
        if controls['up'] and self.direction[1] != 1:
            self.direction = [0, -1]
        elif controls['down'] and self.direction[1] != -1:
            self.direction = [0, 1]
        elif controls['left'] and self.direction[0] != 1:
            self.direction = [-1, 0]
        elif controls['right'] and self.direction[0] != -1:
            self.direction = [1, 0]
        
        if old_direction != self.direction:
            self.needs_redraw = True
    
    def move_snake(self):
        old_snake = self.snake.copy()
        old_food = self.food.copy()
        old_score = self.score
        
        head = self.snake[0].copy()
        head[0] += self.direction[0]
        head[1] += self.direction[1]
        
        if (head[0] < 0 or head[0] >= self.grid_width or 
            head[1] < 0 or head[1] >= self.grid_height or
            head in self.snake):
            self.game_over = True
            self.needs_redraw = True
            return
        
        self.snake.insert(0, head)
        
        if head == self.food:
            self.score += 1
            self.food = self.generate_food()
        else:
            self.snake.pop()
        
        if (self.snake != old_snake or self.food != old_food or 
            self.score != old_score):
            self.needs_redraw = True
    
    def get_text_size(self, draw, text, font):
        try:
            bbox = draw.textbbox((0, 0), text, font=font)
            return bbox[2] - bbox[0], bbox[3] - bbox[1]
        except AttributeError:
            try:
                return draw.textsize(text, font=font)
            except:
                return len(text) * 8, 16
    
    def draw_centered_text(self, draw, text, y_pos, font, color):
        text_width, text_height = self.get_text_size(draw, text, font)
        x_pos = (240 - text_width) // 2
        draw.text((x_pos, y_pos), text, font=font, fill=color)
        return text_height
    
    def draw_game(self):
        current_time = time.time()
        
        if (not self.needs_redraw or 
            current_time - self.last_display_update < self.display_interval):
            return
        
        image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
        
        # Draw game area border
        draw.rectangle([0, 25, 239, 239], outline=(100, 100, 100), width=2)
        
        # Draw score at top
        score_text = f"Score: {self.score}"
        draw.text((5, 2), score_text, font=self.font_medium, fill=(255, 255, 255))
        
        # Draw snake
        for i, segment in enumerate(self.snake):
            x = segment[0] * self.grid_size
            y = 25 + segment[1] * self.grid_size
            
            if i == 0:  # Head
                draw.rectangle([x, y, x + self.grid_size - 1, y + self.grid_size - 1], 
                             fill=(0, 255, 0))
                # Eyes
                draw.rectangle([x + 2, y + 2, x + 4, y + 4], fill=(255, 255, 255))
                draw.rectangle([x + 7, y + 2, x + 9, y + 4], fill=(255, 255, 255))
            else:  # Body
                draw.rectangle([x, y, x + self.grid_size - 1, y + self.grid_size - 1], 
                             fill=(0, 150, 0))
                draw.rectangle([x + 2, y + 2, x + self.grid_size - 3, y + self.grid_size - 3], 
                             fill=(0, 200, 0))
        
        # Draw food
        food_x = self.food[0] * self.grid_size
        food_y = 25 + self.food[1] * self.grid_size
        draw.ellipse([food_x, food_y, food_x + self.grid_size - 1, food_y + self.grid_size - 1], 
                    fill=(255, 0, 0))
        draw.rectangle([food_x + 5, food_y - 2, food_x + 7, food_y + 2], fill=(139, 69, 19))
        
        self.display.image(image)
        self.last_display_update = current_time
        self.needs_redraw = False
    
    def draw_start_screen(self):
        image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "SNAKE", 25, self.font_huge, (0, 255, 0))
        
        instructions = [
            ("Joystick = Move", 90, (255, 255, 255)),
            ("Eat Red Apples", 120, (255, 100, 100)),
            ("Don't Hit Walls!", 150, (255, 255, 100)),
            ("Press A = Start", 190, (100, 255, 100)),
            ("Press B = Main Menu", 220, (100, 100, 255))
        ]
        
        for text, y_pos, color in instructions:
            self.draw_centered_text(draw, text, y_pos, self.font_medium, color)
        
        self.display.image(image)
    
    def draw_game_over_screen(self):
        image = Image.new('RGB', (240, 240), (0, 0, 0))
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "GAME", 20, self.font_large, (255, 0, 0))
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "OVER", 60, self.font_large, (255, 0, 0))
        
        score_text = f"Score: {self.score}"
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, score_text, 110, self.font_large, (255, 255, 0))
        
        if self.score >= 20:
            rating, color = "MASTER!", (255, 215, 0)
        elif self.score >= 10:
            rating, color = "Great!", (192, 192, 192)
        elif self.score >= 5:
            rating, color = "Good!", (205, 127, 50)
        else:
            rating, color = "Try Again!", (255, 255, 255)
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, rating, 150, self.font_medium, color)
        
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "A = Play Again", 190, self.font_medium, (0, 255, 0))
        self.draw_centered_text(draw, "B = Main Menu", 220, self.font_medium, (0, 255, 0))
        
        self.display.image(image)
    
    def run(self):
        game_state = "start"
        last_state = None
        
        while True:
            controls = self.read_controls_debounced()
            
            if game_state != last_state:
                if game_state == "start":
                    self.draw_start_screen()
                elif game_state == "game_over":
                    self.draw_game_over_screen()
                last_state = game_state
            
            if game_state == "start":
                if controls['button_a']:
                    game_state = "playing"
                    self.reset_game()
                elif controls['button_b']:
                    return  # Return to main menu
                    
            elif game_state == "playing":
                self.update_direction(controls)
                
                if controls['button_b']:
                    return  # Return to main menu
                
                self.move_snake()
                
                if self.game_over:
                    game_state = "game_over"
                
                self.draw_game()
                
                speed = max(0.1, 0.3 - (self.score * 0.01))
                time.sleep(speed)
                
            elif game_state == "game_over":
                if controls['button_a']:
                    game_state = "playing"
                    self.reset_game()
                elif controls['button_b']:
                    return  # Return to main menu
            
            time.sleep(0.02)

Make files executable:

chmod +x /home/herman/*.py

Step 7: Test the System Manually

Before setting up auto-start, test everything works:

python3 /home/herman/herman_entertainment_system.py

You should see:

• Herman Entertainment System welcome screen
• Working joystick controls (GPIO 17=UP, 22=DOWN, 27=LEFT, 23=RIGHT)
• Display rotation=180 (correct orientation)
• Snake game launches and returns to menu properly

Step 8: Set Up Auto-Start Service

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/gaming-os.service

Add this content:

[Unit]
Description=Herman Entertainment System
After=multi-user.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=herman
Group=herman
WorkingDirectory=/home/herman
Environment=PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin
Environment=PYTHONPATH=/usr/local/lib/python3.11/dist-packages
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/herman/herman_entertainment_system.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then run:

# Set correct permissions and enable the service
sudo chmod 644 /etc/systemd/system/gaming-os.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable gaming-os.service
sudo systemctl start gaming-os.service

# Check if it's working
sudo systemctl status gaming-os.service

Step 9: Final Reboot and Testing

sudo reboot

After reboot, your Pi should automatically:

1. Boot to the Herman Entertainment System welcome screen
2. Display “Press A to Continue”
3. Show the game menu when you press Button A
4. Launch Snake game and return to menu properly

Step 10: Adding More Games

To add new games later:

1. SSH into your Pi
2. Copy Python game files to /home/herman/games/
3. The system will automatically detect and list them

There is a full write up here to add games to the HES.

Troubleshooting Tips

If display doesn’t work:

• Check TFT Bonnet is firmly seated on all 40 GPIO pins
• Verify SPI is enabled: lsmod | grep spi

If controls are wrong:

• The code includes the correct GPIO mappings: 17=UP, 22=DOWN, 27=LEFT, 23=RIGHT

If service won’t start:

• Check logs: sudo journalctl -u gaming-os.service -f

If WiFi doesn’t connect:

• Check: sudo nmcli radio wifi (should show “enabled”)
• Reconfigure: sudo raspi-config → Network Options → WiFi