These Single-Color Graphics Demos Push the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 to Its Limits
It's amazing what you can do with a 128×64 single-color OLED and a pair of Arm Cortex-M33 cores.
Pseudonymous developer "Chrismofer" has demonstrated exactly what you can achieve with a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 and a small low-resolution OLED displays with an array of impressive graphical demos — some rendered on-device, some streamed from a remote system, all considerably better-looking than you'd imagine possible.
"I enjoy trying to optimize and get smooth high framerates out of [these demo] routines," Chrismofer explains of the project. "The [Raspberry Pi] Pico 2 processor (RP2350) is a dual-core Arm (or RISC[-V]) unit capable of a stable 250MHz. Since the screen is only 128x64 and pixels can only be on or off, the (relatively low power) CPU can do things like real-time raytracing or fractal rendering. Many programs take advantage of dithering, either ordered 'Bayer' dithering or 'Floyd-Steinberg' dithering."
Some of Chrismofer's demos run directly on-device, like a fractal renderer running at 15-20 frames per second and a raytracing engine hitting nearly 60 frames per second. Others "cheat" a little by streaming image data from an external system, turning the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 and its connected OLED display into a tiny 128×64 single-color display — and using it to show a game of Doom, surprisingly recognizable footage from files like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or a live view of 3D objects being rendered in Blender and controlled via a Spacemouse.
There's a little something for those who don't want to peer at a tiny screen, too. "After writing some demos and 3D-printing a housing for the display and processor," Chrismofer notes, "I found out that by using an old still camera's lens as a projection lens the OLED is bright enough to project an image on the wall in a darkened room."
The full selection of demos can be seen in the video embedded above and on Chrismofer's YouTube channel; "I will polish up the programs and release them if there is interest," the developer says, "as well as the 3D printable housing and a wiring diagram."