Kert Gartner Turns $10 CYD Board Into ASCII Aquarium Clock
Updated
Updated · Hackaday · May 24
Kert Gartner Turns $10 CYD Board Into ASCII Aquarium Clock
1 articles · Updated · Hackaday · May 24
Kert Gartner built an ASCII Aquarium on a cheap yellow display, turning the ESP32-based touchscreen board into a miniature aquarium that also works as a desk clock.
ASCII fish and other sea creatures run behavior-driven movement rather than canned loops, reacting to actions such as on-screen feeding triggered by taps.
A hidden menu adds configuration options, bitmap screen export and a display-flip mode, extending the project beyond a simple visual demo.
The CYD’s low cost, color screen and wide availability make the build a compact weekend project, especially when paired with a 3D-printed enclosure.
Could this DIY aquarium's tech visualize live data, turning a desk toy into a personal climate dashboard?
Why are developers using powerful modern chips to revive retro ASCII art instead of creating more realistic virtual pets?
As advanced GUIs run on cheap hardware, are custom, privacy-focused smart gadgets about to replace their corporate counterparts?