Flipper Zero gains DVI output and motion control thanks to Raspberry Pi Pico powered video game module
Flipper Zero, the Swiss Army knife for geeks, pentesters and cybersecurity professionals (but not Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry) just received its latest add-on via a collaboration with Raspberry Pi. The $49 Video Game Module may sound like a generic name, but inside this box of tricks is the heart of the Raspberry Pi Pico, the RP2040 microcontroller.
The Video Game Module enables a Flipper Zero to output video to a DVI display but that isn’t all. Thanks to a TDK ICM-42688-P high-precision six-axis motion tracking device (three-axis gyroscope and three-axis accelerometer) the module can be also used as an input for your games, or as a gesture input for general purpose apps.
Connecting the Video Game Module to Flipper Zero requires slotting the module into the Flipper Zero’s 18-GPIO pins. Updating to the latest firmware via qFlipper is all you need to do in order for Flipper Zero to see the module. By default the module will mirror Flipper Zero’s LCD screen to the DVI output. Games / apps can be run from the Flipper Zero or if you don’t have a Flipper Zero you can use the module on its own. Using the onboard USB type-C connector we can connect the module to a computer and treat it just like a Raspberry Pi Pico. We can write projects in MicroPython or C++ and the module even has its own GPIO pins for electronics projects.
Raspberry Pi CEO and co-founder Eben Upton is a fan of Flipper. “We’ve been enormous fans of the Flipper team ever since their first product debuted on Kickstarter in the summer of 2020. We’ve watched from the sidelines as Flipper Zero has gone on to sell units to geeks and researchers all around the world. Today, we’re excited to become part of the Flipper story with the Video Game Module, bringing the power of the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller to the Flipper ecosystem. Video Game Module leverages our unique programmable I/O subsystem to add DVI-D output to Flipper Zero. We can’t wait to see what new Flipper applications emerge from this collaboration”.
