m5stack News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

StackChan is a cute, community-build, open-source AI desktop robot (Crowdfunding)

StackChan is an open-source AI desktop robot based on the M5Stack CoreS3 ESP32-S3 IoT controller that works as an AI Voice Assistant and can notably be used for Smart Home & IoT control. It features a 2-inch touchscreen display, a VGA camera, a dual microphone array and a 1W speaker for voice interaction, a few sensors, an infrared receiver, an infrared transmitter/blaster, two servos for horizontal and vertical movement, and a few buttons and LEDs. StackChan specifications: Core module – M5Stack CoreS3 IoT controller Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3FN16R8 CPU – Dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz, RISC-V ULP co-processor Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB flash, Wirleess – 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 BLE + Mesh Antenna – Internal 3D antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – 2-inch IPS display with 320×240 resolution, 65,536 colors via ILI9342C […]

December 9, 2025December 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

FlashESP is an all-in-one web-based tool for ESP32/ESP8266 Arduino development and firmware flashing

FlashESP Web-based ESP32 programming tool

FlashESP is a web-based tool allowing the development of Arduino sketches and firmware flashing for ESP32 and ESP8266 hardware platforms. I initially thought it was similar to ESP Web Tools for flashing firmware from the web and used by projects like ESPHome, but it goes further than that, and it looks like an Arduino Cloud Editor for ESP32/ESP8266 instead, since users can select boards, write code, load libraries, and flash the resulting firmware from a compatible web browser without installing anything else on their computer. FlashESP key features: Cloud Compilation – Real-time compilation with live logs. Auto Configuration – Intelligent board and library detection. One-Click Flash – Web Serial integration. Connect your ESP via USB and flash directly from a compatible browser (WebSerial support needed) without any drivers or downloads. Public Explorer – Discover community projects. Flexible Visibility – Create private projects for your team, public for the world, or […]

November 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Arduino Nesso N1 – An ESP32-C6 IoT wireless development kit with WiFi 6, BLE, 802.15.4, LoRa, and IR transmitter

Arduino Nesso N1 is a new ESP32-C6 IoT development kit with not only 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, and an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee/Thread/Matter, but also a LoRa radio and an IR transmitter for smart home, industrial, and educational applications. Developed in collaboration with M5Stack, the Nesson N1 also features a 1.14-inch touchscreen display, a 6-axis motion sensor, a few LEDs and buttons, as well as Grove and Qwiic expansion connectors, and an 8-pin GPIO header. Nesso N1 specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz Memory/Storage – 320KB ROM, 512KB SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and 802.15.4 radio for Thread/Zigbee Storage – 16MB NOR Flash Display – 1.14-inch touchscreen display with 240 x 135 resolution, 262K colors; ST7789P3 driver, FT6336U capacitive touch Wireless 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, BLE 5.3, Zigbee […]

November 11, 2025December 31, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Giveaway Week 2025 winners announced!

CNX Software’s Giveaway Week 2025 has just ended and we’ve now ready to announce the winners. We offered some of the review samples we tested, and three companies joined us offering new samples, namely Banana Pi with two router boards, VOIPAC with an industrial development kit, and RAKwireless offered two of their IoT development kits for the fifth year running. Besides the aforementioned prize, we also included an ESP32-P4 development kit, a dry switch from SONOFF, a Raspberry Pi CM4-based HMI with a 915MHz LoRa module, a 5-inch Raspberry Pi Touch Display, and two USB PD voltage indicators on both CNX Software “International” and CNX Software Thailand. You can see all prizes shown below. Without further ado, here are the seven winners of Giveaway Week 2025 on CNX Software (English): M5Stack M5Tab – Ed Elecrow Pi Terminal – Tom Banana Pi BPI-R4 Lite router board – Stef 5-inch Raspberry Pi […]

November 3, 2025November 5, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 269 Comments

Giveaway Week 2025 – M5Stack Tab5 ESP32-P4 IoT devkit

It’s that time of the year when we organize CNX Software Giveaway Week, a global contest where we give away review samples or get companies to send units to readers. For the 12th edition of the contest, we have seven items to give away this time around: five review samples I will send myself, and two prizes from companies offering a router board and an industrial development kit. As usual, the contest is open worldwide, and CNX Software Thailand has a separate contest with four additional items for people with an address in Thailand. The first prize will be the M5Stack Tab5 ESP32-P4 IoT development kit featuring a 5-inch touchscreen display, a 2MP front-facing camera, a speaker, a dual-microphone array, a microSD card slot, an ESP32-C6 for wireless connectivity, sensors, and more. I had some fun reviewing the M5Stack Tab5 devkit by building the default firmware with the ESP-IDF framework, […]

October 23, 2025October 22, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

M5Stack Cardputer-Adv ESP32-S3 computer gains improved antenna, larger 1,750 mAh battery, ES8311 audio codec

In 2023, M5Stack introduced the Cardputer, a mini portable computer based on an ESP32-S3 module and equipped with a display and a keyboard. The Cardputer-Adv is an update based on the Stamp-S3A core module, with the same 1.14-inch LCD and 56-key keyboard, but featuring a range of upgrades. These include enhanced audio with an ES8311 audio codec, a high‑SNR MEMS microphone, an NS4150B amplifier, a 1W speaker, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, an improved antenna design, a larger 1,750 mAh battery, and a built-in BMI270 6-axis IMU. M5Stack Cardputer-Adv specifications: (bold highlights show improvements/changes over the original Cardputer) Wireless MCU module – M5Stack M5Stamp S3A with SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3FN8 CPU Dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz RISC-V ULP co-processor Memory – 512KB SRAM Storage – 8MB flash Wireless – 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 BLE + Mesh 2.4GHz 3D antenna USB […]

October 3, 2025October 2, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

M5Stack LLM-8850 card – An M.2 M-Key AI accelerator module based on Axera AX8850 24 TOPS SoC

M5Stack LLM‑8850 card is an M.2 M-Key 2242 AI acceleration module powered by an Axera AX8850 SoC delivering 24 TOPS ( INT8) of performance, and suitable for host devices such as Raspberry Pi 5, Rockchip RK3588 SBCs, and even x86 PCs like mini PCs with a spare M.2 Key-M socket. The card ships with 8GB RAM, a 32Mbit SPI NOR flash, and also supports H.265/H.264 8Kp30 video encoding and 8Kp60 video decoding, with up to 16 channels for 1080p videos. It is also equipped with an active cooling system to maintain stable temperatures and prevent thermal degradation inside enclosures. M5Stack LLM‑8850 card specifications: SoC – Axera AX8850 CPU – Octa-core Cortex‑A55 processor at 1.7 GHz NPU – 24 TOPS @ INT8 VPU Video Encoder – 8K @ 30 fps H.264/H.265 encoding, supports scaling / cropping Video Decoder – 8K @ 60 fps H.264/H.265 decoding, supports 16 channels 1080p parallel decoding, supports scaling / cropping Memory – 8GB 64‑bit LPDDR4x @ 4266 Mbps Storage – 32Mbit QSPI NOR […]

September 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

M5Stack Air Quality Kit v1.1 features Sensirion SEN55 environmental sensor and SCD40 CO2 sensor

M5Stack Air Quality Kit v1.1 is an ESP32-S3-based air quality monitor equipped with Sensirion SEN55 and SCD40 sensors capable of monitoring PM1.0, PM2.5, PM4, PM10 particulates, temperature, humidity, VOC, and CO2 concentration in the air. The first version was introduced in January 2024, but M5Stack just introduced the v1.1 model with Stamp-S3A master control, power consumption optimizations, an improved Wi-Fi antenna design, and a larger button for a “better feel”. M5Stack Air Quality Kit v1.1 specifications: Wireless module – M5Stack StampS3A WiSoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3FN8 CPU Dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz RISC-V ULP co-processor Memory – 512KB SRAM Storage – 8MB flash Wireless – 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh Connectivity 2.4 GHz WiFi 4, 20 MHz and 40 MHz bandwidth, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n protocol, up to 150 Mbps Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Mesh, with support for 125 Kbps, 500 […]