chaosgooIn Minecraft, a compass is one of the most useful tools you can carry. It always points you back to your spawn point, making it essential for survival when exploring far from home. Now, one creator has taken that same concept and brought it into reality.
Skilled creator, chaosgoo, has built a real-life version of the Minecraft compass that doesn’t just look strikingly similar to the in-game design but also works exactly the same way. Though instead of pointing to a spawn point, this compass can be set to direct you to any real-world location, like your home… which almost works as a spawn point if you think about it.
Chaosgoo uses 3D printer & app to create real Minecraft compass
To pull it off, chaosgoo designed a completely custom PCB to handle the functionality, backed by some expert coding. At the heart of the board is an ESP32-C3-MINI microcontroller, which comes with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. The setup also includes a USB connector, a lithium battery charger, and a digital compass sensor to determine orientation.
chaosgooThe visual magic comes from a ring of 42 individually addressable RGB LEDs arranged on the board. These are similar to the popular WS2812b lights but use the TX1812IJA-F01 model. To keep it from looking like a simple LED circle, chaosgoo used PET LGT075J material as a diffuser, giving the display a seamless glow where the needle appears just like the game’s design, rather than a cluster of lights.
Even the physical build is accessible. The compass base is fully 3D-printable, so anyone with access to a printer can recreate the housing. Once assembled, all that’s left is to use the companion app to set your target destination. The needle then points you directly toward it, whether it’s your home, a landmark, or any location of your choice.
It’s a faithful recreation of one of Minecraft’s most iconic items, now reimagined as a real-world navigation tool.
