LightInk – An ESP32-based, solar-powered E-ink smartwatch with up to 10 months of battery life
Daniel Ansorregui has developed LightInk, an open-source solar-powered E-ink watch inspired by 90s solar digital watches. It features a 1.54-inch e-paper display and supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, and GPS, running on a 100mAh battery. The project integrates a custom low-quiescent-power design using a TPS63900 buck-boost converter, capacitive-touch input, and deep-sleep-driven firmware, along with ultra-fast partial e-ink updates (<1 ms active time) and precise RTC timekeeping with drift calibration. It also supports solar-first operation (no dedicated charging IC) and dynamic power gating of peripherals, enabling around 9–10 months of operation on a small battery supplemented by solar power. LightInk specifications: System-in-package - ESP32-PICO-D4 SiP CPU - Dual-core processor @ 240MHz Memory - 520KB SRAM Storage - 4MB flash Wireless - 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 up to 150 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.2 BR/LE connectivity Display – 1.54-inch 200×200 B/W e-Paper panel (GDEH0154D67 or compatible) Audio - 10-15mm piezo electric disc speaker Connectivity
Melody Machine firmware transforms LILYGO T-LoRa Pager into a portable MP3 player and Internet radio
Melody Machine is an open-source firmware that converts the ESP32-S3-based LILYGO T-LoRa Pager into a portable MP3 player and internet radio rather than a LoRa-based messenger running Meshtastic or Meshcore. Highlights of the Melody Machine firmware: LVGL-based graphical user interface with four themes WiFi Manager — Non-blocking WiFi with network list, password entry via on-screen keyboard, and auto-reconnect MP3 playback from SD card with folder browser, shuffle, repeat modes, and seek Internet Radio via M3U over WiFi (ICY metadata support) Seek — rewind / fast-forward MP3 tracks with the rotary encoder (±5 s per step) Dual-core audio/task design MP3 decoding runs on Core 0 via FreeRTOS UI and WiFi manager on Core 1 Settings — Saved as JSON on SD card in /melody_machine/settings.json; survives reboots and reflashes Auto power-off - Configurable idle power-off timer: 15 minutes to 2 hours The rotary encoder and built-in keyboard allow plenty of controls: Rotary
Espressif Systems ESP-Claw framework builds local AI agents for ESP32 devices
We had already seen OpenClaw-like AI agents for ESP32 targets such as Mimiclaw and PycoClaw, but Espressif Systems has released its own ESP-Claw framework for building local AI agents capable of LLM-driven interaction and execution on ESP32 devices. ESP-Claw enables ESP32 boards to respond to events, work with LLM-driven decisions, retain useful context, and take actions locally without connection to the cloud, unless required. The agent can control sensors and device state, and perform real-world actions such as controlling an RGB LED. Some highlights of ESP-Claw include: Chat coding - Define device behavior through natural conversation. The LLM handles dynamic decisions, and local Lua scripts execute deterministically, even when offline. Quick response time - Devices react to real-time events instead of polling. A local event bus drives Lua rules for sensors and triggers, enabling millisecond-latency response on or offline. Plug and Play with MCP - ESP-Claw acts as both MCP
Gopherbot and @seeedstudio XIAO-ESP32C3 now both running TinyGo!
#tinygo #seeedstudio #esp32 #golang #espressif
UGV Beast – An off-road tracked AI robot built for Raspberry Pi 4/5
Waveshare UGV Beast is an off-road robot with tracked wheels designed for Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 SBC handling AI vision and strategy planning, while an ESP32 sub-controller takes care of motion control and sensor data processing. If the design feels familiar, it's because it's a variant of the UGV Rover unmanned ground vehicle we covered in 2024, which replaces the six wheels of the original model with two continuous tracks, as found in military tanks, for better driving in difficult terrain. Waveshare UGV Beast specifications: Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi 4B or Raspberry Pi 5 Multi-function driver board/sub-controller Main SoC - ESP32 wireless microcontroller with WiFi, Bluetooth, ESPNOW connectivity Motor drivers - 2x TB6612FNG chips Peripheral interfaces 4x motor control connectors 2x servo connectors Lidar USB (4-pin) and UART (USB-C) connectors 2x 4-pin I2C connectors Sensor - 9-axis attitude sensor (ICM20948) for image stabilization Misc - EN and user
TinyGo 0.41 - The Big Release
Announcing TinyGo 0.41 with ESP32 wireless support, Arduino UNO Q, and more!
LILYGO T-Watch Ultra – An IP65-rated ESP32-S3 smartwatch with 2.01-inch AMOLED, LoRa, and GNSS
LILYGO's T-Watch Ultra is an ESP32-S3-based smartwatch development platform that appears to be an upgrade over the previous T-Watch-S3 Plus (1.3-inch display and a 940mAh battery), with a larger 2.01-inch AMOLED touch display, a higher-capacity 1,100mAh battery, and an IP65 waterproof and dustproof rating. The device integrates a u-blox MIA-M10Q GNSS module for positioning, a SX1262 LoRa transceiver for long-range communication, and a Bosch BHI260AP smart sensor for motion-based AI applications. Additionally, it features an RTC chip, NFC, a built-in microphone, a haptic driver, a microSD card slot, and a USB Type-C port for programming and charging. The watch targets applications such as Meshtastic nodes, GPS tracking, wearable IoT interfaces, edge AI sensing, and custom smartwatch firmware development. LILYGO T-Watch Ultra specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi
WiQwiic-32 – A compact USB-C IoT board with eight Qwiic connectors (Crowdfunding)
Hack The Board's WiQwiic-32 is a small USB-C IoT development board based on an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module, and equipped with a 1.14-inch LCD and eight Qwiic ports for easy prototyping with compatible modules. It also features a microphone and a buzzer for audio interaction, four buttons, two RGB LEDs, and a power LED. There aren't any through-holes for GPIO pins, so expansion is only possible through the Qwiic connectors, although you can always add a Qwiic to header converter module if you ever need breadboard-compatible GPIO headers. WiQwiic-32 specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads RAM – 512KB SRAM Storage – TBD Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 Antenna – PCB antenna Display – 1.14-inch TFT display Audio On-board buzzer Built-in microphone for voice and sound detection USB
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