unicornhatsimulator 1.0.4

Pimoroni UnicornHAT simulator (pHAT, HAT and HAT HD)

Unicorn HAT (HD) simulator

v1.0.4

Unicorn HAT (HD) simulator - Originally by Jannis Hermanns <[e-mail]>, modified by Mark Pitman <[e-mail]> and adjusted by me (Matt Brash <[e-mail]>)

Simulates a Unicorn HAT HD (and should work for the 8x8 HAT and the 8x4 PHAT as well) using pygame. The version you see here includes the following edits:

• Added set_all(r, g, b) to set the entire buffer to one colour
• Modified the clear() function to act like the real HAT (clears the buffer, not the screen)
• Added get_pixel(x, y) to return a tuple of the r, g, b values of a pixel
• Added get_pixels() which returns the entire buffer as an array of arrays of arrays ([y][x][r, g, b])
• Modified set_pixel() to accept a colour string, for example set_pixel(x, y, "red") see set_pixel.md
• Added the non-standard set_pixel_size(value) which is only for the simulator to increase or decrease the dot size
• Fixed the rotation code to rotate counter-clockwise correctly
• Commented the code thoroughly
• Size the initial window based on the size of the HAT and pixel size

Usage

If you want your code to run on your computer as well as your Pi, you could do something like this:

1. pip install unicornhatsimulator (or pip2 or pip3 depending on your setup)
2. Adjust your import unicornhathd statement as follows:

'''
Note: The alias "as unicorn" can be whatever you want (or nothing at all).
For example: as u
'''
try:
    import unicornhathd as unicorn
    print("unicorn hat hd detected")
except ImportError:
    from unicornhatsimulator import unicornhathd as unicorn

You can choose from import unicornhathd (16x16), import unicornhat (8x8) and import unicornphat (8x4).

Demo

(Note that this gif has a low framerate, the simulator runs nice and smooth in real life)

TODO

• find a python person to show me how this would be done properly. For example - leaving the window open at the end.
• fix/check rotation
• add a proper LED glow effect so it looks more like a real unicorn HAT
• publish via pip (now online at pypi)
• add get_pixel(x, y) and get_pixels
• add non-standard set_pixel_size(p) to increase or decrease dot sizes

---

Disclaimer

I am not a pygame programmer. I'm barely a python programmer. I found the original code for the simulator and tried to modify it to match the current state of the Pimoroni UnicornhatHD library. This was in order to have my students be able to work on their projects in Replit when they don't have access to their physical raspberry pi's from class.

Feel free to leave suggestions (issues, bugs) but do not expect a timely response.

~ M. Brash