Arduino TFT Tetris
A handheld Tetris prototype on Arduino Nano + Adafruit ST7735 TFT — SPI graphics, physical buttons, collision detection, and a falling tetromino engine with no OS.
- Role
- Solo builder · Ritvik Ellendula
- Timeline
- Spring 2026
- Stack
- Arduino Nano, ST7735 TFT
- Outcome
- Real-time falling-piece engine with line clear + score
System breakdown
Initial materials
Parts before assembly
Breadboard, Arduino Nano, ST7735 TFT module, tactile buttons, jumper wire, and discrete components laid out before the handheld build started.
What it handles
- Component inventory
- Display module selection
- Button + power planning
Tools used
Fully wired setup
Handheld prototype
Completed breadboard build: Nano, TFT with live Tetris gameplay, tactile buttons, and piezo buzzer on a portable perfboard layout.
What it handles
- Full wiring pass
- Display + input integration
- Playable handheld form
Tools used
Gameplay demo
Tetris on the TFT
Falling-piece engine on the microcontroller: SPI rendering, collision detection, line clears, score tracking, and piezo beeps — no OS.
What it handles
- Falling tetromino engine
- Line clear + score
- Piezo tone() SFX
Tools used
Display bring-up
Soldering the ST7735
Hands-on solder rework on the TFT leads to stabilize SPI connections when the display was intermittent.
What it handles
- SPI wiring debug
- ST7735 init / tab offsets
- Physical display repair
Tools used
Controls & dev test
Two buttons + laptop
Early two-button prototype through the laptop to validate debouncing and game logic before the final handheld controls.
What it handles
- Button debouncing
- Input → game state
- Serial / dev iteration
Tools used
Results & lessons
Results
Playable prototype
- Full gameplay loop on device: fall, collide, clear, score
- Handheld form factor on breadboard power
- Documented build + demo videos in gallery
Future improvements
Roadmap
Next: piece rotation, smoother animations, battery enclosure, 3D-printed shell, sound effects, difficulty scaling, and start / game-over UI.
- Piece rotation + improved visual effects
- Battery-powered enclosure + 3D-printed handheld shell
- Sound, music, and difficulty scaling
Gallery
