Hardware · build

Crankfruit, a crank-driven game console on Fruit Jam

Adafruit Learning Systemon Adafruit Blog

An unofficial, Playdate-inspired game player built on the Adafruit Fruit Jam. It runs Playdate-style Lua games with one-bit graphics and synth sound over HDMI, with a CNC handwheel encoder as the crank.

Build sheet

Base: Adafruit Fruit Jam
Crank: 100-pulse handwheel encoder
Output: HDMI, one-bit graphics
Language: CircuitPython, Lua games

Can I build this?Intermediate · AI 4/5 · $100–175

Difficulty: Intermediate
AI-buildability: 4/5
Time: A weekend
Cost: $100–175

Parts

Adafruit Fruit Jam 100-pulse CNC handwheel encoder USB game controller

Tools

soldering iron3D printer

Starter prompt

Based on "Crankfruit, a crank-driven game console on Fruit Jam" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/crankfruit-a-crank-driven-game-console-on-fruit-jam

Write a CircuitPython program for the Adafruit Fruit Jam that outputs video over HDMI at a one-bit resolution and plays synth tones. Read input from a USB game controller and from a 100-pulse quadrature handwheel encoder used as a crank, mapping encoder pulses to a crank angle value. Structure the code so a simple Lua game loop can call update and draw functions each frame.

Estimates based on the original write-up. Building with an AI assistant? Connect it to Afterware (free MCP server).

Story

Crankfruit is a standalone game player for the Adafruit Fruit Jam. It runs Playdate-style Lua games directly from source, outputs crisp one-bit graphics and synth audio over HDMI, and takes input from a USB game controller.

The distinguishing feature is the crank. A 100-pulse CNC handwheel encoder is added to the setup to act as the crank input that Playdate games expect, giving the controller a physical turning control rather than only buttons.

The project is described as unofficial and experimental, and is written in CircuitPython. A Learn guide from Adafruit explains how to build your own.