Materials List¶
Components for both the custom PCB (production) and the breadboard prototype (Phase 1 legacy).
Custom PCB — ESP32-S3 (Production)¶
The production Dilder runs on a custom 45x80mm 4-layer PCB. All 29 components are surface-mount, assembled by JLCPCB. Total BOM cost: ~$5.10/board.
| Ref | Part | LCSC | ~Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 (MCU) | C2913196 | $2.80 |
| U2 | TP4056 (LiPo charger) | C382139 | $0.07 |
| U3 | DW01A (battery protection) | C351410 | $0.05 |
| Q1 | FS8205A (dual MOSFET) | C908265 | $0.05 |
| U4 | AMS1117-3.3 (3.3V LDO) | C6186 | $0.05 |
| U5 | LIS2DH12TR (3-axis accelerometer) | C110926 | $0.46 |
| U6 | AHT20 (temp/humidity sensor) | C2757850 | $0.43 |
| U7 | BH1750FVI-TR (ambient light sensor) | C78960 | $0.49 |
| J1 | USB-C 16-pin receptacle | C2765186 | $0.10 |
| J2 | JST PH 2-pin (battery) | C131337 | $0.03 |
| J3 | JST SH 8-pin (e-paper) | — | $0.05 |
| SW1 | SKRHABE010 (5-way joystick) | C139794 | $0.38 |
| D1 | SS34 Schottky diode | C8678 | $0.03 |
| D2, D3 | Red + Green LEDs (0805/0603) | C84256, C72043 | $0.02 |
| R1-R10 | 0402 resistors (1.2k, 1k, 10k, 5.1k) | various | $0.08 |
| C3-C9 | 0402 capacitors (100nF, 10uF) | C14663, C19702 | $0.06 |
Full details: BOM | Parts Sheets
Breadboard Prototype — Pico W (Phase 1 Legacy)¶
Phase 1: Raspberry Pi Pico W with MicroPython. Cheap, fast to iterate, instant boot.
Future (Phase 5): Raspberry Pi Zero WH with Linux. Upgrade when you need a filesystem, SSH, or more compute.
Essential Components¶
Order these first. Everything else can wait.
| Item | Est. Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Pico W | ~€6 | RP2040 dual-core, 264KB SRAM, 2MB flash, WiFi + BLE. Micro-USB for power and programming. |
| Waveshare Pico-ePaper-2.13 | ~€15 | SSD1680 driver, 250×122px, black/white. Pico-native module — plugs directly onto the Pico W's 40-pin header, or connect via 8-pin breakout header with jumper wires for breadboard use. |
| Micro-USB cable | ~€2 | Powers the Pico W and provides serial connection to your dev machine. |
| Half-size breadboard | ~€4 | For wiring buttons and display connections. |
| Jumper wire kit (M-F and M-M) | ~€4 | Needed for breadboard wiring (joystick, GPS, HC-SR04). Display can plug directly onto Pico or use F-M wires from its 8-pin breakout header. |
| 6×6mm tactile buttons (pack of 20) | ~€3 | Various stem heights. Snap-on colored caps recommended for identifying buttons. |
| DollaTek 5-Way Navigation Button Module | ~€8.17 (5-pack) | B07HBPW3DF — 5-direction rocker joystick (Up/Down/Left/Right/Center). GPIO digital input, active LOW. Drop-in replacement for the 5 tactile buttons above. See Joystick Wiring Guide. |
| Subtotal | ~€42 |
Useful Extras¶
Not required to get started, but helpful.
| Item | Est. Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pico WH (pre-soldered headers) | ~€7 | Easier breadboard use — no header soldering needed. Either Pico W or WH works. |
| 10kΩ resistor assortment | ~€2 | External pull-ups as backup if internal GPIO pull-ups cause issues. |
| Multimeter | ~€12–20 | Debugging wiring continuity and voltage. Useful throughout the build. |
| Soldering iron + solder | ~€20–40 | Not needed for the test bench, but you'll want it for permanent connections later. |
Battery Power (Phase 6)¶
Order these when you're ready to move off USB power. See Hardware Research for the full analysis including battery life estimates and wiring diagrams.
| Item | Est. Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3.7V LiPo battery (1000mAh, recommended) | ~€8 | InnCraft Energy 503450 — Molex 51021-0200 1.25mm connector, 51×34×5mm. Wires directly to VSYS — no boost converter needed. Provides ~6.8 days in Tamagotchi mode. See Battery Wiring Guide. |
| 3.7V LiPo battery (2000mAh, max runtime) | ~€10 | 60×40×7mm. ~13.6 days in Tamagotchi mode. Verify enclosure clearance (7mm thick). |
| TP4056 charging module (budget) | ~€1.50 | USB charging with over-discharge protection. Output wires to VSYS pin. |
| Adafruit PowerBoost 500C (upgrade) | ~€16 | LiPo charger + 5V boost + load sharing (use device while charging). Has low-battery output pin. |
No boost converter needed
The Pico W's VSYS pin accepts 1.8–5.5V. A 3.7V LiPo sits right in range — just wire LiPo(+) to VSYS and LiPo(-) to GND. Battery voltage monitoring is built in via GPIO29 (ADC3).
Component Specs Reference¶
Raspberry Pi Pico W¶
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Chip | RP2040 (dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ @ 133MHz) |
| RAM | 264KB SRAM |
| Flash | 2MB onboard QSPI |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11n 2.4GHz |
| Bluetooth | BLE 5.2 |
| GPIO | 26 multi-function pins |
| USB | Micro-USB 1.1 (power + data) |
| ADC | 3 external channels (12-bit) |
| Dimensions | 51 × 21 × 3.9mm |
| Firmware | C/C++ via Pico SDK |
Full reference: Pico W Reference
Waveshare Pico-ePaper-2.13¶
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Display size | 2.13 inches |
| Resolution | 250 × 122 pixels |
| Active area | 48.55 × 23.71mm |
| Colors | Black and white |
| Driver IC | SSD1680 |
| Interface | SPI1 (4-wire, Mode 0) |
| Power | VSYS (1.8-5.5V, onboard regulator) |
| Form factor | Pico-native — 40-pin female header plugs directly onto Pico W |
| Full refresh time | ~2 seconds |
| Partial refresh time | ~0.3 seconds |
| Standby current | < 0.01µA |
| Recommended refresh interval | ≥ 180 seconds for full refresh |
| Board dimensions | 65 × 30.2mm |
Version check
This guide targets the V3 revision (SSD1680 driver). Confirm your version by checking the PCB silkscreen on the back of the display board.
Full reference: Waveshare e-Paper Reference
Where to Buy¶
| Retailer | Notes |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi official store | Pico W / Pico WH |
| Waveshare official store | Best for the e-ink display |
| Amazon DE / UK | Original linked e-Paper product |
| Pimoroni | Good UK/EU source for Pico W and accessories |
| Adafruit | US source, good component quality |
| AliExpress | Cheapest for breadboards, buttons, and jumper wire kits |