Introduction: DIY Pi Pico Reaction Light Game
In this project, you’ll build Reaction Time Game using the Raspberry Pi Pico. The game tests how fast you can react to a signal by measuring your response time and displaying your score from a buzzer.
Previous Research-
https://www.instructables.com/Pi-Pico-Reaction-Light-Game/
This design is very similar to mine as you will need the same materials- Pi Pico, two push-button switches, selection of female-to-female (F2F) jumper wires, micro USB cable, Pico to your Raspberry Pi or other computer running the Thonny.
How it works.
Press the small button to start.
After a random delay, the buzzer sounds.
The first player to hit their button wins.
The LCD displays “Player 1 Wins” or “Player 2 Wins.”
Press Reset to play again.
Supplies
Materials
Pi pico rasberry pi x1
female to female wires x4
hook up wire (assorted)
lcd screen x1
Step 1: Lcd Screen
wire and attach the lcd screen to your pi pico
Step 2: Buttons
solder your wire to the buttons and proceed to attach them to your pico
Step 3:
add the code to Thonny
Step 4: Diagram
this is the diagram to follow along (without the smaller button and buzzer)
Step 5: Code
from machine import Pin, PWM, I2C
from time import sleep, sleep_ms
from lcd_i2c import I2cLcd
import urandom
# -----------------------------
# I2C LCD Setup
# -----------------------------
# Adjust the I2C pins and LCD address if your hardware is different.
i2c = I2C(0, sda=Pin(0), scl=Pin(1), freq=400000)
lcd_addr = 0x27 # Common addresses are 0x27 and 0x3F
lcd = I2cLcd(i2c, lcd_addr, 2, 16)
# -----------------------------
# Buttons and Buzzer
# -----------------------------
# The keys of this dictionary are the pin numbers.
buttons = {
2: Pin(2, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP), # Player 1
3: Pin(3, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP), # Player 2
4: Pin(4, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP) # Reset
}
buzzer = PWM(Pin(5))
# -----------------------------
# Game and Button State
# -----------------------------
gameStarted = False
winnerDeclared = False
# This new dictionary will track the last state of each button (1=released, 0=pressed)
# We initialize them to 1 because the PULL_UP resistor makes them released by default.
last_button_states = {2: 1, 3: 1, 4: 1}
# -----------------------------
# Helper Functions
# -----------------------------
def check_press(pin_number):
"""
A non-blocking function to check for a button press.
Returns True only on the initial press (the moment it goes from high to low).
"""
global last_button_states
is_pressed = False
current_state = buttons[pin_number].value()
last_state = last_button_states[pin_number]
# Check for a change from released (1) to pressed (0)
if last_state == 1 and current_state == 0:
sleep_ms(50) # Debounce delay
# Re-check the state after debouncing
if buttons[pin_number].value() == 0:
is_pressed = True
# Update the last known state for this button
last_button_states[pin_number] = current_state
return is_pressed
def buzz(frequency, duration_ms):
"""Play a tone on the buzzer."""
buzzer.freq(frequency)
buzzer.duty_u16(32768) # Set volume to 50% duty cycle
sleep_ms(duration_ms)
buzzer.duty_u16(0) # Turn buzzer off
def startGame():
"""Starts a new game round."""
global gameStarted, winnerDeclared
lcd.clear()
lcd.write("Get ready...")
delay_time = urandom.randint(2, 5)
sleep(delay_time)
lcd.clear()
lcd.write("GO!")
buzz(1000, 300)
gameStarted = True
winnerDeclared = False
def declareWinner(player):
"""Displays the winner message and plays a sound."""
global gameStarted, winnerDeclared
winnerDeclared = True
gameStarted = False
lcd.clear()
lcd.write(f"Player {player} Wins!")
buzz(1500, 400)
def resetGame():
"""Resets the game to the initial waiting screen."""
global gameStarted, winnerDeclared
lcd.clear()
lcd.write("Press RESET to")
lcd.move_to(0, 1)
lcd.write("start again")
winnerDeclared = False
gameStarted = False
buzzer.duty_u16(0)
# -----------------------------
# Startup Message
# -----------------------------
lcd.clear()
lcd.write("Reaction Game")
sleep(2)
resetGame() # Go to the standard reset screen
# -----------------------------
# Main Loop
# -----------------------------
while True:
if winnerDeclared:
if check_press(4): # Check Reset Button
resetGame()
elif not gameStarted:
if check_press(4): # Check Reset Button
startGame()
else: # Game is running
if check_press(2): # Check Player 1
declareWinner(1)
elif check_press(3): # Check Player 2
declareWinner(2)
sleep_ms(10) # Small delay for stability
Step 6: Lcd Screen
this is the order that should appear on your lcd screen
