mikedeblin writes about a portable MP3 player built on the ESP32-S3 that plays music from a microSD card or streams it from a DLNA/UPnP media server (tested with Synology Audio Station). The device features a 1.8" colour TFT with four display modes, an OLED status display, a rotary encoder with a 16-LED ring, and an output compressor and limiter that protect the DAC from being overdriven.
- Uses a PCM5102A DAC in hardware I²S mode with a ReaComp-style compressor and brick-wall lookahead limiter
- Network streaming uses a 256 KB PSRAM ring buffer to absorb WiFi drop-outs
- Supports ID3v2.3/2.4 tags in UTF-16, UTF-8, Latin-1, and Windows-1251 (Cyrillic)
- LED ring is driven through an MCP23017 I²C GPIO expander with 125 Hz multiplexing
- MP3 only for now; AAC and FLAC decoders exist in AudioTools but are not yet wired in
- Uses a PCM5102A DAC in hardware I²S mode with a ReaComp-style compressor and brick-wall lookahead limiter
- Network streaming uses a 256 KB PSRAM ring buffer to absorb WiFi drop-outs
- Supports ID3v2.3/2.4 tags in UTF-16, UTF-8, Latin-1, and Windows-1251 (Cyrillic)
- LED ring is driven through an MCP23017 I²C GPIO expander with 125 Hz multiplexing
- MP3 only for now; AAC and FLAC decoders exist in AudioTools but are not yet wired in
Waveshare's Thermal-Camera-ESP32-Module is a compact wireless infrared thermal imaging camera built on the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 chip, featuring an 80x62 pixel microbolometer/thermopile sensor array with a 25 FPS refresh rate and a dual-mode 2.4 GHz WiFi/Bluetooth 5 LE connection. It offers two field-of-view options (45° basic and 90° wide angle), supports target temperatures from -40°C to 400°C with ±2°C accuracy, and includes a rechargeable lithium battery header, Type-C power connector, and 14 GPIO pins for expansion. The module can stream thermal images via a web interface or serial port, configured through an Android Bluetooth app or factory firmware flashing.
- NETD of 125mK provides reasonable thermal sensitivity for consumer and hobbyist applications
- The module supports both AP (hotspot) and STA (client) WiFi modes, with AP mode defaulting to 192.168.4.1:3333
- Emissivity considerations are important for accurate readings; the article explains gray body and selective radiator concepts
- Source code is provided for VS Code and ESP-IDF v5.4.1, enabling secondary development
- A third-party Node.js web interface project is linked for alternative display solutions
- NETD of 125mK provides reasonable thermal sensitivity for consumer and hobbyist applications
- The module supports both AP (hotspot) and STA (client) WiFi modes, with AP mode defaulting to 192.168.4.1:3333
- Emissivity considerations are important for accurate readings; the article explains gray body and selective radiator concepts
- Source code is provided for VS Code and ESP-IDF v5.4.1, enabling secondary development
- A third-party Node.js web interface project is linked for alternative display solutions
Giorgio Mendoza writes that Makerfabs has released the MaTouch ESP32-S3 7.5-inch Quad-Color E-Ink board, pairing an 800×480 four-color electrophoretic display with an ESP32-S3R8 controller, a four-microphone array, a six-axis IMU, and microSD storage for low-power displays and voice-controlled interfaces.
- Priced at $59.80, with an optional OV3660 3-megapixel camera adding $4.80
- The E Ink panel uses a JD79665 controller with a full-screen refresh time of about 20 seconds
- Software support includes ESP-IDF 5.4.2 and Arduino, with published examples for camera capture and voice-activated image browsing
- The board supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 LE, with 8MB PSRAM and 16MB SPI flash
- Priced at $59.80, with an optional OV3660 3-megapixel camera adding $4.80
- The E Ink panel uses a JD79665 controller with a full-screen refresh time of about 20 seconds
- Software support includes ESP-IDF 5.4.2 and Arduino, with published examples for camera capture and voice-activated image browsing
- The board supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 LE, with 8MB PSRAM and 16MB SPI flash
mediacutlet writes about pocket-tank, a project featuring a 14-million-parameter LLM that manages a virtual aquarium on an ESP32-S3 microcontroller. Distilled from a much larger 26-billion-parameter teacher model into a compact 7.56 MB file, the "brain" operates entirely offline without any network connection. The system uses a three-layer architecture consisting of a physics/reflex layer, an LLM advisor for decision-making (such as feeding or socializing), and a progression layer to manage long-term growth and life events like fish births and aging.
- The model is distilled from gemma4:26b into the smaller student version.
- Decisions made by the LLM are implemented via a reflex layer running at 25–30 frames per second.
- It supports an "installer" that allows users to flash firmware directly through a web browser using Web Serial.
- The project includes a PC simulator and support for QEMU emulation of the ESP32 hardware.
- The model is distilled from gemma4:26b into the smaller student version.
- Decisions made by the LLM are implemented via a reflex layer running at 25–30 frames per second.
- It supports an "installer" that allows users to flash firmware directly through a web browser using Web Serial.
- The project includes a PC simulator and support for QEMU emulation of the ESP32 hardware.
This page provides instructions and tools to install or update the Pocket Tank application on supported hardware, specifically the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 board. Users can perform standard installations, updates that preserve existing data, or a full wipe via an "Erase" function using compatible web browsers like Chrome or Edge.
- The app includes a 7.5 MB model for local processing; no external communication is required once installed.
- Updating the firmware preserves fish names, badges, sand dollars, and decorations.
- To reset the tank manually without this page: hold `BOOT` and tap the screen to confirm the wipe.
- Troubleshooting involves waking a sleeping device by firmly pressing the `PWR` button or putting it into bootloader mode using `BOOT`.
- The app includes a 7.5 MB model for local processing; no external communication is required once installed.
- Updating the firmware preserves fish names, badges, sand dollars, and decorations.
- To reset the tank manually without this page: hold `BOOT` and tap the screen to confirm the wipe.
- Troubleshooting involves waking a sleeping device by firmly pressing the `PWR` button or putting it into bootloader mode using `BOOT`.
Gleb Shalimov presents esp_ble_finder, a BLE scanning tool designed for the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 hardware. The application helps users locate nearby devices by monitoring RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) through a visual dotted UI and auditory feedback that mimics parking sensors.
- Uses an AMOLED display to show signal strength with dots and a filling line indicator.
- Features "parking-sensor clicks" where audio speed increases as the user gets closer to the target device.
- Allows users to hunt for specific devices by editing the `TARGET_NAME` in the source code.
- Includes a mute function that silences speaker clicks while maintaining the scan and visual updates.
- Uses an AMOLED display to show signal strength with dots and a filling line indicator.
- Features "parking-sensor clicks" where audio speed increases as the user gets closer to the target device.
- Allows users to hunt for specific devices by editing the `TARGET_NAME` in the source code.
- Includes a mute function that silences speaker clicks while maintaining the scan and visual updates.
Jean-Luc Aufranc writes that Seeed Studio’s reTerminal Sticky is a 3.97-inch magnetic touch ePaper display powered by an ESP32-S3 microcontroller. This device can serve as an e-reader, live dashboard, or home automation controller via support for open-source firmware like Crosspoint, TRMNL, and ESPHome. It features a capacitive touchscreen and edge computing capabilities through its built-in microphone.
- 800 x 480 resolution with four levels of grayscale
- Includes temperature/humidity sensors and a 3-axis accelerometer
- Equipped with a 750 mAh battery providing approximately seven days of standby time
- Retails for $49.90
- 800 x 480 resolution with four levels of grayscale
- Includes temperature/humidity sensors and a 3-axis accelerometer
- Equipped with a 750 mAh battery providing approximately seven days of standby time
- Retails for $49.90
The author explores the potential of running an AI agent framework on low-cost hardware by testing MimiClaw, an OpenClaw-inspired assistant, on an ESP32-S3 microcontroller. Unlike traditional AI setups, MimiClaw operates without Node.js or Linux, requiring the user to flash custom firmware using the ESP-IDF framework. The setup integrates with Telegram for interaction and utilizes Anthropic and Tavily APIs for intelligence and web searching. Despite the technical hurdles of installation and potential API costs, the project successfully demonstrates a functional, sandboxed, and low-power personal assistant capable of persistent memory and routine tracking.
PycoClaw is an open-source platform for running AI agents on microcontrollers. It brings OpenClaw workspace-compatible intelligence to embedded devices costing under $5. Built on MicroPython, it supports multi-provider LLM routing, multi-channel chat, tool calling, extensions, over-the-air updates, and battery operation.
This week in Python on Microcontrollers, we have the CircuitPython 10.1.0 release candidate, a new guide for AI on microcontrollers, and more!
