Simon Batt writes about unidex, an open-source operating system for the 1.54" Waveshare ESP32-S3 ePaper display that turns the tiny board into a pocket productivity device with a Tamagotchi-like virtual pet. It displays the next class with a live countdown, converts voice notes to Markdown for Obsidian, and allows the pet to interact with other users' pets.
- Installable directly from a browser
- Includes a WiFi collection game and four one-button games
- Free to fork and customize for non-commercial purposes
- Installable directly from a browser
- Includes a WiFi collection game and four one-button games
- Free to fork and customize for non-commercial purposes
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
Waveshare offers a long-wave infrared thermal imaging camera module designed for Raspberry Pi and other platforms, featuring an 80×62 pixel array using hybrid microbolometer and thermopile technology. The device can generate thermal images by converting field of view data into surface temperature readings and is suitable for various industrial and intelligent control applications like motion detection or heat trend analysis. It is available in two main formats: a HAT version with a 40-pin GPIO header and a USB version with a Type-C port, both offering options for basic (45° FOV) or wide-angle (90° FOV) lenses.
- Features an 80x62 pixel array with a shutterless design for continuous video streaming up to 25 FPS.
- Provides a Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) of 150mK RMS at a 1Hz refresh rate.
- Supports temperature measurements ranging from -20°C to 400°C with an accuracy of ±2℃ in ambient temperatures between 10-70°C.
- Compatible with Raspberry Pi boards (including Zero and 5), Windows PCs, and Android phones via the respective connector versions.
- Features an 80x62 pixel array with a shutterless design for continuous video streaming up to 25 FPS.
- Provides a Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) of 150mK RMS at a 1Hz refresh rate.
- Supports temperature measurements ranging from -20°C to 400°C with an accuracy of ±2℃ in ambient temperatures between 10-70°C.
- Compatible with Raspberry Pi boards (including Zero and 5), Windows PCs, and Android phones via the respective connector versions.
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.
shell scripts to automate the Ubuntu environment setup for the Waveshare ESP32-S3 Touch AMOLED 1.8.
mogenson wrote a Rust application that lets a Flipper Zero write to a Waveshare e-Paper Tag over NFC, effectively turning the passive paper tag into a programmable display.
Clawdmeter is a custom-built desk dashboard powered by the ESP32-S3 that provides real-time monitoring of Claude Code token usage. Utilizing a 2.16-inch AMOLED screen and Bluetooth LE connectivity, the device displays animated pixel art that reacts to usage rates and acts as a HID keyboard for quick command shortcuts via BLE.
This article details the creation of a "Now Playing" display for a record player using an ESP32 microcontroller. It leverages a microphone, Shazam API (via Shazamio Python library), and MQTT to identify and display the currently playing track. The project involves hardware setup with a Waveshare display and software development in ESPHome.
High-performance development board based on ESP32-P4 controller with RISC-V 32-bit dual-core and single-core processors, featuring 3.4inch/4inch round touch displays with 800x800/720x720 resolution, Wi-Fi 6/Bluetooth 5 (LE), onboard dual microphones, and support for AI voice interaction.
Waveshare has released an ESP32-S3 development kit featuring a 1.85-inch round touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microphone, and optional battery/speaker. It's aimed at audio-focused projects like smart speakers and HMIs.
