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categories, title, displayInMenu, dropCap, description, date, draft, displayInList, resources
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Building a TWANG for the Xiao ESP32 S3 | false | false | A little review of how I built the classic LED strip game TWANG32 with a Xiao ESP32 S3 | 2026-09-6 | true | true |
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A few years ago, I was at the Chaos Computer Camp, roaming around as you do in such places. My eyes where caught by the cries of joy in a small building, people inside where trying out things with LEDs. As a fond enjoyer of blinking lights myself, I approched and set my eyes upon a single strip of LED that someone was somehow controling with a joystick. I didn't really understand the purpose yet, but as I was looking at it I knew I had to try.
When it was my turn, I tried, and I tried hard. The sun coming up made me realize that I needed to find out how it was made, what it was called and make one myself. Waking up the next morning, I was taken by the tourbillon de la vie and didn't forgot all about it.
I did have a small reminder two years ago, when during a free party, a comrade camping with my friends and me brought one, controlled by a Wiimote : I asked the name, but again, caught by the same maëlstrom, I forgot about it.
Fast forward 4 years later, and I finally found the name of the game : Twang ! A friend of mine built a snake based on a LED strip in a similar fashion for a small festival which gave me the motivation to build one. As I had a an extra Xiao ESP32 from another project I'll soon write about, a 3D printed another friend lent me and some extra cash, it was time.
I based myself on the repo TWANG32 by bdring.
Even thought the project was a bit old, I didn't have any major hurdle in getting it to run. The only thing I needed to comment out as the sound, as the XIAO doesn't have a DAC ( Digital Analog Converter ) so I sadly can't have the sound of the game. If you know of a way, let me know.
A good thing I did was to make the accelerometer detachable, because removing the top part of the case is otherwise quite a pain.
I also recommend to put some weight in the joystick's box, it makes it easier for people to play with it.