When HN users recommended it
1 HN user recommended this between 2022 and 2023, in 2 comments.
20072026
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
1 HN user recommended this between 2022 and 2023, in 2 comments.
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
A similar but more powerful and flexible device is the Core2 from M5Stack. It's expandable through stackable snap-on blocks, USB, multiple I2C and a full set of GPIO and signal pins on a header. It has ESP32 CPU, Wifi, Bluetooth, 2" color touchscreen, microphone, power indicator, 6-Axis IMU, vibration motor, I2S codec, amplifier, speaker, RTC, power button, reset button, 10 x RGB LEDs, SD card slot and 3 programmable soft buttons for ~$45.
There are dozens of snap-on expansion modules which can also be screwed on for permanent use, including a keyboard module, joystick/D-pad, expanded battery, prototyping breadboard breakout, ethernet and various wireless modules including cellular and LORAWAN. I have several of these along with a bunch of the modules and the system is ideal for prototyping up various things super quickly. Amazon sells their own Core2 bundle with an expanded battery module which is pre-programmed with their IOT prototyping platform firmware but you can just overwrite that back to stock firmware which supports FreeRTOS, MicroPython, UIFlow and Arduino frameworks.
https://shop.m5stack.com/products/m5stack-core2-esp32-iot-de...
https://www.amazon.com/M5Stack-Core2-ESP32-Development-EduKi...
For those who want to start experimenting with a fully loaded device ready to go, the M5Stack Core2 is a great option because it includes a ~2-inch color touch screen, soft buttons, 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM, a speaker with I2S amplifier, PDM microphone, 10 programmable LEDs, vibration motor, RTC, capacitive touch screen, microSD card slot, lithium battery, 6-axis IMU, M-Bus Socket, and Grove connector expansion and modular case for $50 delivered.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VGRZYJR
M5Stack makes a huge ecosystem of >100 add-on modules that snap onto the bottom of the Core2's form factor, including a wide range of sensors, LoRa & cellular radios, I/Os, interfaces, servo drivers, GPS, cameras, HMDI, RJ45, UWB, RFID, etc. It's quite a clever modular expansion system that makes prototyping (or just playing around) super easy.
https://shop.m5stack.com/collections/all-products/m5stack-co...
Note: I linked (and have) the AWS IoT Devkit version of the Core2 which comes with an upgraded battery module on the bottom vs the standard Core2 (a bit more Mah plus ten RGB LEDs built-in). It's also $10 cheaper than the base Core2 on Amazon thanks to AWS subsidy. The only difference is it comes with AWS Fire IoT Devkit firmware pre-flashed but it only takes a minute to flash it back to stock Core2 firmware.