Pico-checkers

A game in rust that resembles the classic Checkers Game.

info

Author: Preda Victor-Andrei
GitHub Project Link: link_to_github

Project Description

This project resembles the traditional game of checkers, implemented as an online multiplayer experience. Players can move their pieces freely in all four diagonal directions (up-right, up-left, down-right, down-left) from the very first turn, adding strategic depth to every match.

• 6-button control system per player:
  • 4 directional buttons for movement
  • 2 selection buttons to highlight valid pieces
• Dedicated LCD displays showing the real-time game board
• Online multiplayer support for competitive play

Motivation

As a fan of old-school strategy games, I’ve always loved the elegance of checkers—its simple rules hiding deep tactical possibilities. This project merges nostalgic gameplay with modern technology, which motivated my development approach.

Architecture

1. Raspberry Pi Pico 2W (x2)

   • Interconnected with all components

2. Buttons (x6 per player)

   • Connected to each Pico, acting as input (move piece/selection)

3. 2.2" 240x320 px SPI LCD (x1 per player)

   • Connected through embedded-graphics at the microcontroller

4. Wi-Fi

   • Microcontrollers communicate with each other through it
   • Player 0 acts as the server; Player 1 acts as a client

5. Embedded-Graphics

   • Library that a microcontroller is using in order to display the game
   • Connects the microcontroller with the LCD

Log

Week 5 - 11 May

1. Upload first state of documentation

Hardware

1. Raspberry Pi Pico 2W (x2)

   • Acts as the main controller for each player's unit
   • Connects all components and handles Wi-Fi communication

2. Buttons (x6 per player)

   • Connected to GPIO pins:
     • GP2
     • GP3
     • GP4
     • GP5
     • GP6
     • GP7

3. 2.2" 240x320 px SPI LCD (x1 per player)

   • Connections:
     • VCC → 3.3V
     • GND → GND
     • CS → GP18
     • RESET → GP17
     • DC/RS → GP16
     • SDI/MOSI → GP11
     • SCK → GP10
     • LED → 3.3V
     • SDO/MISO → N/C
   • Display table and pieces for each player

4. Resistors (22kΩ, x6 per player)

   • Connected between buttons and GPIO pins to ensure clean digital input signals

Schematics

Bill of materials

Product	Quantity	Unit Price
Raspberry Pi Pico W	2	39.66 RON
LCD SPI 2.2" 240x320px	2	59.99 RON
40-pin Header (2.54mm)	2	0.99 RON
Breadboard Jumper Wire Set	1	7.99 RON
Large Breadboard (830 points)	2	9.98 RON
Male-to-Female Jumper Wires (40p)	1	7.99 RON
Male-to-Male Jumper Wires (40p)	1	7.99 RON
Round Tactile Buttons	12	1.99 RON
Resistors 22kΩ	12	0.2 RON

Software

Library	Description	Usage in Project
embedded-graphics	2D drawing framework for embedded systems	Renders checkers board, pieces, and UI on LCD displays
rp2040-hal	Raspberry Pi Pico hardware support	Manages GPIO buttons (GP2-GP7) and SPI LCD control
embassy	Async embedded runtime	Handles Wi-Fi multiplayer synchronization
embedded-hal	Hardware abstraction layer	Standardizes hardware interactions
embedded-time	Timing utilities	Controls game loop and move timing

Links

1. LCD connection