ShutUp & StormForge
ShutUp ShutUp
StormForge StormForge
StormForge StormForge
Ever thought about building a pocket‑sized handheld console? I’ve got a stash of parts and a crazy idea for a custom OS that could run both indie games and my own tools. How about we design a tiny system that’s both a gaming machine and a testbed for low‑power code?
ShutUp ShutUp
Sure, we can start by listing the parts, check power budgets, and nail the firmware stack. Focus on minimal OS, lightweight drivers, and keep the hardware loop tight. Just tell me what you have, and I'll map out the low‑power design.
StormForge StormForge
Alright, here’s what I’ve got in the box: a tiny 32‑bit ARM Cortex‑M4 MCU, a 3.2‑inch OLED display, a 4‑channel analog‑to‑digital converter, a 16‑bit timer, a small 1‑inch micro‑speaker, a 2.5‑volt buck regulator that pulls 100 mA max, and a few 0.1 µF ceramic caps. I’ve got a 512 kB flash and 64 kB SRAM. Battery is a single 3.7 V Li‑Po that can stay at 200 mA for an hour or so. Firmware stack: bare‑metal C, a tiny RTOS like FreeRTOS‑Lite, a lightweight graphics driver for the OLED, a simple I²S driver for the speaker, and a quick ADC handler. Power budget: keep the MCU in low‑power sleep between frames, pull the display into a low‑power mode when idle, and throttle the ADC sampling rate to about 10 Hz. If we do that, we should hit the 200 mA max and get a decent battery life. What’s your take on tightening the loop?
ShutUp ShutUp
Sounds solid, just check the MCU’s sleep current—if it’s higher than the 100 mA from the regulator, you’ll never hit the target. Keep the OLED off between frames, and use the buck’s 2.5 V for the MCU only; if you can run the display at 3.3 V with a higher drop‑out, you might squeeze a few more mA out. The 10 Hz ADC is fine; just make sure the ISR doesn’t pull the MCU out of sleep. Also, pin the speaker to a dedicated PWM pin with a low‑power comparator if you can, to avoid idle toggling. All that should keep the average under 200 mA and give you a decent runtime.