Pong Game - Introduction to ESP32 A fun pong game for the TTGO T-Display with sound effects. Choose your sound module: DFPlayer Mini  — full MP3 playback from SD card, one track per event ISD1820  — simple record-and-play chip, one recorded sound triggered on paddle hit or score lost The board What You'll Learn How to upload code to an ESP32 How to wire a sound module (DFPlayer Mini or ISD1820) and trigger it from code How software controls hardware through GPIO pins Serial communication between devices (DFPlayer) How edge-triggered signals work (ISD1820) What You Need Hardware TTGO T-Display  (ESP32 with built-in screen) USB-C cable  to connect to your computer Small speaker  (3W 8ohm recommended) Jumper wires  to connect things Choose one sound module: Module Pros Cons DFPlayer Mini Different sound per event, SD card holds many tracks Needs SD card and MP3 files ISD1820 No SD card needed, record your own voice/sound Only one sound, no volume control Software VS Code  with  PlatformIO extension Start your project with the demo code - https://github.com/impressto/tdisplay-pong How to Play Onboard Buttons Left Button (GPIO 0)  - Move paddle LEFT Right Button (GPIO 35)  - Move paddle RIGHT External Buttons (Optional) You can add your own buttons for a better gaming experience! GPIO 25  - External button to move paddle LEFT GPIO 13  - External button to move paddle RIGHT Wiring external buttons: Button leg 1 -----> GPIO pin (25 or 13) Button leg 2 -----> GND No resistor needed - the ESP32 has internal pull-up resistors! Gameplay Hit the ball with your paddle to score points! The ball appears to  roll  as it moves - watch it spin! If you miss, you lose a point Getting Started Step 1: Upload the Code Connect your T-Display to your computer with a USB cable Open this folder in VS Code Click the  PlatformIO: Upload  button (→ arrow at the bottom) Wait for it to finish - the game will start automatically! Step 2: Play the Game First! Before wiring anything, play the game to understand when events happen: Ball bounces off walls Ball hits your paddle You score a point You miss the ball Wiring Up Sound! Pick  one  sound module and follow its wiring guide below. Then set the matching option in  config.h . Option A: DFPlayer Mini The DFPlayer Mini plays MP3 files from a micro SD card. You can assign a different sound to each game event. Wiring T-Display DFPlayer Mini --------- ------------- GPIO 17 (TX) ----> RX (through 1K resistor recommended) GPIO 21 (RX) <---- TX GPIO 22 <---- BUSY (optional — detects when playing) GND ----> GND 5V ----> VCC SPK1 ----> Speaker (+) SPK2 ----> Speaker (-) Note:  Use 5V for louder output. The 1K resistor on TX protects the DFPlayer's RX pin. Setting Up Sound Files Format a micro SD card as FAT32 Create a folder named  mp3  in the root Name your sound files:  0001.mp3 ,  0002.mp3 ,  0003.mp3 , etc. Insert the SD card into the DFPlayer Recommended sound files: File Event 0001.mp3 Score milestone award (every 5 points by default) 0002.mp3 Paddle hit (regular) 0003.mp3 Score lost Enable in config.h #define DFPLAYER_ENABLED 1 // Enable DFPlayer #define ISD1820_ENABLED 0 // Disable ISD1820 Option B: ISD1820 Voice Record Playback Module The ISD1820 is the simplest way to add sound. It stores  one recorded sound  directly on the chip — no SD card, no MP3 files. Just record your voice or a sound effect by holding the REC button, and the ESP32 will trigger it during the game. Recording Your Sound Power the ISD1820 (3.3V or 5V) Hold the REC button  on the module and speak or make a sound into the microphone Release REC  when done — the sound is saved permanently, even without power Press the PLAY button on the module to hear it back before wiring to the ESP32 Wiring T-Display ISD1820 --------- ------- GPIO 15 ----> P-E (Play Edge-triggered) GND ----> GND 3.3V or 5V ----> VCC SP+ ----> Speaker (+) SP- ----> Speaker (-) Important:  Connect to the  P-E  pin (Play Edge), NOT the P-L pin. P-E plays the sound once when the pin goes HIGH, which is what we want. Enable in config.h #define DFPLAYER_ENABLED 0 // Disable DFPlayer #define ISD1820_ENABLED 1 // Enable ISD1820 #define ISD1820_TRIGGER_PADDLE_HIT 1 // Play on paddle hit (1=yes, 0=no) #define ISD1820_TRIGGER_SCORE_LOST 1 // Play on score lost (1=yes, 0=no) No Sound Module? That's fine too — just disable both in  config.h : #define DFPLAYER_ENABLED 0 #define ISD1820_ENABLED 0 The game runs perfectly without any sound hardware attached. Game Events Event When Does It Trigger? DFPlayer ISD1820 Wall Bounce Ball bounces off any wall ❌ ❌ Paddle Hit Ball hits your paddle ✅ regular sound ✅ (configurable) Score Milestone Score reaches a multiple of 5 ✅ award sound ❌ Score Lost You miss the ball ✅ ✅ (configurable) Customizing the Game Open  src/config.h  to change settings: // ---- DFPlayer ---- #define DFPLAYER_ENABLED 1 // 1 = enable, 0 = disable #define DFPLAYER_TX_PIN 17 #define DFPLAYER_RX_PIN 21 #define DFPLAYER_VOLUME 10 // 0-30 #define TRACK_AWARD 1 // 0001.mp3 - plays at score milestones #define TRACK_PADDLE_HIT 2 // 0002.mp3 - plays on regular paddle hit #define TRACK_SCORE_LOST 3 // 0003.mp3 - plays on score lost #define SCORE_MILESTONE_INTERVAL 5 // Award sound fires at 5, 10, 15, 20... // ---- ISD1820 ---- #define ISD1820_ENABLED 0 // 1 = enable, 0 = disable #define ISD1820_PLAY_PIN 15 // GPIO connected to P-E pin #define ISD1820_TRIGGER_PADDLE_HIT 1 // 1 = trigger on paddle hit #define ISD1820_TRIGGER_SCORE_LOST 1 // 1 = trigger on score lost Other Fun Settings to Try #define PADDLE_WIDTH 15 // Make paddle bigger = easier game #define BALL_SPEED_START 3 // Higher number = slower ball #define PADDLE_SPEED 2 // How fast paddle moves // External button pins (set to -1 to disable) #define EXT_BUTTON_DOWN 25 // External button - paddle left #define EXT_BUTTON_UP 13 // External button - paddle right Adding Your Own Event Code! Want to customize what happens when game events occur? You can add your own custom code! Where to Put Your Code Open  src/events.cpp  - this is where all the event magic happens! The file has 4 event functions you can modify: void onWallBounce() { // This runs when the ball hits a wall } void onPaddleHit() { // This runs when you hit the ball } void onScoreGained() { // This runs when you score a point } void onScoreLost() { // This runs when you miss the ball } Project Files Overview File What's Inside src/main.cpp The game code (paddle, ball, score) src/config.h Settings you can change (pins, speeds, sizes) src/events.h List of event functions (don't change this) src/events.cpp Your code goes here!  Event implementations T-Display Pinout Here are the GPIO pins used in this project: Pin Usage Notes 0 Left button Onboard button 13 External button Default: External LEFT button 15 ISD1820 P-E Trigger pin (when ISD1820 enabled) 17 DFPlayer TX Serial TX to DFPlayer RX (when DFPlayer enabled) 21 DFPlayer RX Serial RX from DFPlayer TX (when DFPlayer enabled) 22 DFPlayer BUSY Optional: detect when DFPlayer is playing 25 External button Default: External RIGHT button 26 Event pin Ball wall bounce 27 Event pin Ball paddle hit 32 Event pin Score gained 33 Event pin Score lost 35 Right button Onboard button (input only) Troubleshooting No sound from DFPlayer Check wiring: TX to RX, RX to TX (they cross over!) Make sure the SD card is formatted as FAT32 Verify sound files are in an  mp3  folder and named  0001.mp3 ,  0002.mp3 , etc. Try a different speaker Check the DFPlayer is getting power (5V recommended for reliable operation) Open the Serial Monitor — the game prints  [DFPlayer] OK!  or a wiring error on startup No sound from ISD1820 Make sure you have recorded a sound first (hold REC button, speak, release) Check you are connected to the  P-E  pin, not P-L Test the sound by pressing the PLAY button on the module itself Check  ISD1820_ENABLED 1  is set in  config.h Verify the GPIO pin number matches  ISD1820_PLAY_PIN  in  config.h Code won't upload Try pressing the RESET button on the T-Display Make sure the USB cable supports data (some only charge) Try a different USB port Game runs but no sound Open the Serial Monitor — startup messages show which module is active and whether it initialised successfully Want to Learn More? Change the ball to a different image! (Look at  kim-jong-un.h ) Add your own background image! (Look at  background.h ) Create new events for different game situations Adjust the ball rotation speed in  main.cpp  ( BALL_ROTATION_SPEED ) Features 🎨 Custom ball sprite with rolling animation 🖼️ Background image support 🎮 Onboard + external button control 🔊 DFPlayer Mini sound effects (multiple tracks, SD card) 🔊 ISD1820 voice module support (record your own sound, no SD card needed) 📈 Increasing difficulty as you score Have fun learning electronics! 🚀