SUNFALL: DRIFT Game Hardware

ORACLE Hardware

The Physical Game Unit.

A complete self-contained tabletop game unit built around the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W. Touchscreen UI, RFID player identification, BLE atmospheric audio, and LED visual feedback — all running the ORACLE AI model locally at 12-18 tokens per second on 1.2 watts.

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What Is It

A battery-powered physical game unit for the SUNFALL: DRIFT tabletop RPG. Houses the ORACLE AI game master, touchscreen interface, RFID card scanner, and atmospheric audio — everything needed to run a session.

How Does It Work

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2W runs the 1.2GB ORACLE model locally. Players scan RFID cards to identify themselves, interact via the CrowPanel touchscreen, and the ESP32 BLE module drives spatial audio and LED effects in real time.

Why Build It

No phone apps. No cloud dependency. No subscriptions. A dedicated piece of hardware that sits on the table and runs the game. Pick it up, turn it on, play. That is the entire experience.

Core Specifications

$15 Brain, Zero Compromise

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2W packs a 1GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 with 512MB RAM into a 65mm x 30mm footprint. Combined with a custom PCB, CrowPanel display, and ESP32 audio bridge, the entire unit draws just 1.2 watts — less than a night light.

  • Raspberry Pi Zero 2W — $15, quad-core 1GHz ARM
  • 512MB RAM running 1.2GB quantized ORACLE model
  • 12-18 tokens/second inference speed
  • CrowPanel capacitive touchscreen display
  • RFID reader for player cards and item scanning
  • 1.2W total system power draw
oracle-hw-diag
> oracle --diagnostics
CPU: BCM2710A1 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1GHz
RAM: 512MB LPDDR2
Model: 1.2GB ORACLE v1 quantized
Speed: 14.3 tok/s avg inference
Display: CrowPanel touch OK
RFID: RC522 module OK
BLE Audio: ESP32 bridge OK
GPIO LED: 8-channel strip OK
Power: 1.2W battery: 6h remaining
All subsystems nominal. Ready for session.

Component Breakdown

Six subsystems working together as a single game unit

⚙

Raspberry Pi Zero 2W

  • 1GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53
  • 512MB LPDDR2 RAM
  • Runs ORACLE AI model locally
  • $15 per unit cost
▣

CrowPanel Display

  • Capacitive touchscreen interface
  • Game UI rendering and menus
  • Player interaction and narrative display
  • Low-power IPS panel
☷

RFID Reader

  • Player identification via NFC cards
  • Item and equipment card scanning
  • Session state persistence per player
  • RC522 module over SPI
♬

BLE Audio (ESP32)

  • ESP32 handles Bluetooth Low Energy audio
  • Atmospheric soundscapes and effects
  • Event-driven audio triggers from ORACLE
  • Connects to external BLE speakers
✶

LED Feedback System

  • GPIO-driven addressable LED strip
  • Visual cues for game events
  • Ambient mood lighting per scene
  • Status indicators for system state
▨

Custom PCB

  • Integrates all subsystems on one board
  • Power regulation and distribution
  • Connector breakouts for peripherals
  • Designed for JLCPCB manufacturing

Assembly & Design

From schematic to game table — the build pipeline

Stage
Details
PCB Design
Custom carrier board in KiCad connecting Pi Zero 2W, RFID, ESP32, and GPIO headers
Fabrication
2-layer PCB via JLCPCB with SMT assembly for passive components
Enclosure
3D-printed shell with CrowPanel mounting, RFID window, and ventilation slots
Integration
Snap-fit assembly — no screws for the main shell, tool-free battery access
Software
Custom Linux image with ORACLE model, game engine, and auto-start on boot
Testing
Full session test — 4 players, 3-hour campaign, battery-powered

Power Management

Built for the table, not the outlet

1.2W Total Draw full system active
6h+ Battery Life standard LiPo pack
5V Input Voltage USB-C power
$15 CPU Cost Pi Zero 2W

System Architecture

How the subsystems connect and communicate

Input Layer

☷

RFID Scanner

SPI bus to Pi Zero

✋

Touchscreen

I2C capacitive input

⚙

GPIO Buttons

Physical menu controls

⚡

Power Switch

Soft power with state save

Output Layer

▣

CrowPanel Display

SPI framebuffer output

♬

BLE Audio

ESP32 UART bridge

✶

LED Strip

GPIO PWM control

✓

Status LEDs

Power, BLE, activity

🕹

Fully Self-Contained

No internet. No phone app. No cloud. Everything runs on the hardware in front of you.

⚙

Local AI Inference

The 1.2GB ORACLE model runs entirely on the Pi Zero 2W. No API calls, no server, no latency from the cloud.

🔋

Battery Powered

Standard LiPo battery pack provides 6+ hours of continuous gameplay. USB-C charging when you need it.

🎲

Tabletop Ready

Compact enclosure sits on the game table. Turn it on, scan your player card, and the session begins immediately.

The Stack

Raspberry Pi Zero 2W ARM Cortex-A53 CrowPanel ESP32 RFID / NFC BLE Audio GPIO LED Custom PCB KiCad JLCPCB ORACLE AI SUNFALL: DRIFT

Hardware That Runs the Game

A self-contained game unit that puts an AI game master on your table. No apps, no subscriptions, no internet required. Just a $15 processor, a touchscreen, and the ORACLE model doing what it was built to do.

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