If you have ever wished you could play Tetris on the side of a building, this project is the next best thing. A new Adafruit Learn Guide walks through a custom-built, portable Tetris game inspired by the legendary MIT Green Building hack — and it is the perfect weekend build for makers who love blinking lights and retro gameplay.
The build recreates the falling-block classic on a chunky 9×13 LED matrix that you can hold in your hands. It runs on CircuitPython, uses a satisfying clicky gamepad for control, and squeezes everything into a 3D-printed shell that looks great on a desk. Best of all, every part is hobbyist-friendly, so anyone comfortable with a soldering iron and a slicer can pull this off.
How the build comes together
The brains of the operation is the Adafruit Feather RP2040 PropMaker, a beefy variant of the popular RP2040 Feather designed for driving LEDs and adding sound. It runs the entire game loop in CircuitPython, which keeps the code readable and easy to tweak. A 1200 mAh lipo battery slots straight into the Feather’s onboard JST connector, making the whole thing portable.
For input, the project uses a Mini Gamepad STEMMA QT — a tiny breakout with a real joystick, A and B buttons, plus a Start button. It connects over I2C with a single STEMMA QT cable, no soldering required. The joystick moves the falling tetrominoes, A rotates them, B slams a piece down to the bottom, and Start begins or pauses the game.
The display is the star
The 9×13 grid is built from a strand of 117 NeoPixel LED pebbles, threaded into a 3D-printed honeycomb grid and covered with a sheet of black LED acrylic that hides the pixels until they light up. The result is a clean, blacked-out front face that bursts into color the moment a game starts. Because the pebbles are individually addressable, you can also drive any pattern you can imagine — think scrolling messages, animations, or a clock when you are not playing.
Build it yourself
Grab a Feather RP2040 PropMaker, a Mini Gamepad STEMMA QT, a strand of 117 NeoPixel LED pebbles, a 1200 mAh lipo battery, and a sheet of black LED acrylic from Circuit.Rocks, slice the 3D-printed grid files, and you are ready to assemble. Pair it with a STEMMA QT cable and you have a complete portable arcade in your bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
What microcontroller drives the Tetris matrix?
The project runs on the Adafruit Feather RP2040 PropMaker, a Feather variant tuned for driving LEDs and audio, with all the game logic written in CircuitPython for easy customization.
How is the 9×13 LED grid built?
It uses a strand of 117 individually addressable NeoPixel LED pebbles seated in a 3D-printed grid and covered with a sheet of black LED acrylic that hides the pixels until they light up.
What will I learn if I build this?
You will pick up CircuitPython basics, learn how to drive long NeoPixel strands, work with I2C input via STEMMA QT, manage lipo battery power, and combine 3D-printed enclosures with electronics into a finished portable build.
