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As this is an active project, it's not finished! Visit the github repository to check out my progress on it, and if you're lucky you may see it at MAGfest 2024!
A functional Prototype
A functional Prototype
In November 2021 I decided to tackle my next cosplay build – Nintendo’s Zelda Breath of the Wild’s Link, specifically his Royal Guardsman armor from the Champions Ballad DLC.
Sewing aside, the biggest part of the project proved to be the Sheikah slate. Initially I considered making a “dummy” prop, maybe with lights, but after doing some research I started down the Adafruit rabbit hole (thanks @ladyada) and opted to integrate a 7inch TFT touch screen, a small camera, a noisemaker, and various light sources. A prototype was built with the following specifications and functions:
ESP32 based microcontroller integrated with a custom PCB
Light up orange and blue pieces along parts of the body
Generate a “chirping” sound to mimic a Sheikah Sensor
Simulate the “sleep” image, the sheikah logo shown above, when not in use
Display basic menus for information
Reworking...
Reworking...
However, the prototype had a LONG way to go… so I went back to the drawing board and rolled up a V2.0. Improvements:
On-board SD card integration to delete the SD shield
Shrunk the board considerably (check out the photo!)
Moved from DAC audio to a proper IIS solution
Deleted all the bulb LEDs, moved to addressable everything for color coordination
Integration of a TTL camera
Board updates for noise shielding
Proper GUI built using GUISlice Builder
Schematics and Design Discussion
Schematics and Design Discussion
The Sheikah Slate combines the Adafruit RA8875 TFT driver board and Adafruit 7in 800x480 resistive touch TFT screen to simulate the in-game sheikah slate interface. The menus were created with GUIslice Builder using the Adafruit GFX library. The SS V2 uses an ESP32 Pico microcontroller from Adafruit: the ESP32 Feather V2.
The board is a 2 layer PCB designed in Diptrace. Boards can be ordered here.
A SD card slot is provided on the board. This is a cloned circuit of the Adafruit MicroSD SPI or SDIO Breakout Board. The SD is SPI only.
The Sheikah Slate features the Adafruit Miniature TTL Serial JPG camera. The camera captures 640x480 images and saves them to the SD in jpg format using the Adafruit VC0706 Camera library. The file names are formatted “IMAGExx.JPG” from 00 to 99.
When the Camera menu is selected, the user has the option to turn “flash” on and off. “Flash” is just lighting the NeoPixels on the back 100% brightness full white. This is just to help in low light; the VC0706 has auto brightness so there are no other settings in this menu.
Using the TJpg_Decoder library (also from @Bodmer), the jpgs are processed and resaved as 24bit BMP files and then displayed on the TFT. Jpeg files must be in 24bit format; luckily, the Adafruit TTL Serial Camera takes 24bit depth jpg images so it’s an easy conversion.
The Sheikah Slate does not and will never support streamed video to the display.
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