Finished TamaFi Smart Virtual Pet Firmware Version V2.0 ESP32-S3 WiFi Interactive virtual Electronic Pet

🌟 About the Project

TamaFi is a modern, WiFi-aware virtual pet.
V2 rebuilds the original project with new hardware, smarter logic, and a clean, compact PCB that actually feels like a finished device.

The pet lives on an ESP32-S3, eats nearby WiFi, evolves over time, and makes its own decisions based on the environment around it.

• ⚙ ESP32-S3 based – more performance, native USB, better room for future features
• 🖥 TFT ST7789 240×240 – full-color UI, custom sprites, status bars, menus
• 🧠 Autonomous behavior engine – the pet hunts, explores, rests, and reacts on its own
• 📶 WiFi-fed – nearby networks affect hunger, happiness, and health
• 🎛 Full menu system – Pet Status, Environment, System Info, Controls, Settings, Diagnostics
• 💾 Persistent state – age, stats, stage, settings stored in flash (Preferences)
• 🌈 4× WS2812-2020 NeoPixels – mood & activity feedback (happy/sad/wifi/rest patterns)
• 🔊 Retro sound engine – non-blocking chiptune-style beeps and sequences
• 🔋 Battery-ready – TP4056 charger + MOSFET-controlled TFT backlight
• 🖱 6 soft tactile switches – three on each side for navigation and shortcuts
• 🛠 DisplayKit-ready UI workflow – UI graphics can be designed/exported via DisplayKit

• 🧩 How TamaFi V2 Behaves

  TamaFi isn’t just a sprite animation loop. It runs a small decision engine that constantly evaluates:

  • Pet stats: hunger, happiness, health
  • Traits: curiosity, activity, stress
  • Environment: number of nearby networks, open/hidden networks, average RSSI
  • Time: age (minutes → hours → days)

  From that, it decides whether to:

  • 🍖 Hunt – use WiFi scan results to “feed” and adjust hunger/happiness/health
  • 👁 Explore – react to open/hidden networks and network diversity
  • 😴 Rest – enter a sleep cycle with special egg animation and recovery stats
  • 😐 Idle – chill on the home screen with mood-based idle animations

  Mood system

  The pet mood changes based on stats + environment:

  • HUNGRY – low hunger
  • HAPPY – good stats + decent WiFi
  • CURIOUS – hidden/open networks nearby
  • BORED – no WiFi for too long
  • SICK – low health or bad conditions
  • EXCITED / CALM – good conditions & variety

  Mood affects:

  • Idle animation speed
  • LED patterns
  • How often it wants to hunt / explore / rest

  Evolution

  Age is tracked in minutes, hours, and days:

  • BABY → TEEN → ADULT → ELDER

  Evolution depends on:

  • Time alive
  • Average of hunger / happiness / health
  • Environment quality

  Reaching a new stage triggers special SFX + animations.

• Home Screen

  • Pet sprite (idle / hunt / rest / special states)
  • Background image
  • Stats bars: Hunger, Happiness, Health
  • Mood + Stage text
  • Activity label in the top bar (Idle, Hunting…, Resting…, etc.)
  • Overlays for special effects (e.g. hunger effect)

  Menus

  Navigation is done using the left 3 buttons (UP / OK / DOWN).

  Main Menu:

  1. Pet Status – stats, mood, age, stage, short description
  2. Environment – WiFi network counts, hidden/open, “signal mood”
  3. System Info – firmware version, uptime, battery (if implemented), etc.
  4. Controls – brightness, LED level, sound on/off, NeoPixel on/off
  5. Settings – auto-sleep, auto-save interval, soft reset options
  6. Diagnostics – debug info, test modes (non-destructive)
  7. Back to Home