Jan. 13, 2026 — M5Stack, a global leader in modular IoT and embedded development platforms, today launched StackChan, the first community-co-created open-source AI desktop robot, built on a proven ESP32 platform and designed to be endlessly hackable by makers worldwide.

Unlike closed, concept-driven AI robots, StackChan exposes its hardware, firmware, and interaction logic from day one — turning a playful desktop companion into a real development platform.

StackChan is now live on Kickstarter with a $65 Super Early Bird offer available for the first 72 hours.

From Community to the Globe: How StackChan Was Born

Before its official launch by M5Stack, StackChan had already existed as a community-driven project since 2021. Built on M5Stack standard controller, Core series, it began as a personal open-source project by maker Shinya Ishikawa, sustained and shaped through ongoing community contributions. 

As more enthusiasts joined the project, contributors like Takao, who helped popularize the DIY kits, and Robo8080, who introduced AI capabilities, played key roles in expanding StackChan beyond its original form. 

Inspired by StackChan’s expandability and creative potential, M5Stack officially brought the project to life as its first ready-to-play yet endlessly hackable desktop robot—while keeping its community-driven spirit at the core.

What Remains: Core Computing & Interaction Capabilities

As with the original version, StackChan continues to use the M5Stack flagship Core Series (CoreS3)as its main controller. CoreS3 is powered by an ESP32-S3 SoC with a 240 MHz dual-core processor, 16 MB Flash, and 8 MB PSRAM, and supports both Wi-Fi and BLE connectivity. 

To enable richer interactions, the main unit integrates a 2.0-inch capacitive touch display, a 0.3 MP camera, a proximity sensor, a 9-axis IMU (accelerometer + gyroscope + magnetometer). It also includes a microSD card slot, a 1W speaker, dual microphones, and power/reset buttons. Together, these hardware components form a solid foundation for StackChan’s audio-visual interactive experiences. 

For more technical details, please refer to the StackChan documentation: https://docs.m5stack.com/en/StackChan

What’s New: Ready-to-Play Functions Powered by Advanced Hardware

For the robot body, several advancements have been made to make it easier to get hands-on and improve the out-of-box experience. It features: 

Power & connectivity: A USB-C interface for both power and data, paired with a built-in 700 mAh battery.

Movement system: 2 feedback servos supporting 360° continuous rotation on the horizontal axis and 90° vertical tilt—enabling expressive movements with real-time position feedback.

Visual feedback: 2 rows totaling 12 RGB LEDs for expressive system and interaction feedback.

Sensors & interaction: Infrared transmission and reception, a three-zone touch panel, and a full-featured NFC module enabling touch- and identity-based interactions. 

On the software side, StackChan is ready-to-play for starters with no coding required. The pre-installed factory firmware delivers:

Expressive faces and motions: Preloaded with vivid facial expressions and coordinated movements that bring personality and liveliness to StackChan.

Built-in AI agent: Integrates an AI agent for natural voice-based interaction and conversational experiences.

App-based remote interaction: Supports official iOS app for video calls, remote avatar control, and real-time interaction with StackChan.

Chan-to-Chan Friends Map: Enables discovery of nearby StackChan devices, unlocking playful multi-device and social interaction scenarios.

Open for customization: While beginner-friendly by default, the firmware supports further development via Arduino and UiFlow2, making it easy to create custom applications.

100% Open-Source: Built to Be Customized and Extended

In an era filled with closed, concept-driven “AI robot” products, StackChan stands out with its open-source core. From firmware and hardware interfaces to development tools, every layer is designed to be explored, modified, and extended by users. 

Beyond code, StackChan also encourages physical customization. With 3D printing and creative accessories, users can personalize their StackChan’s appearance and turn it into a unique desktop companion. 

Open-source repository: https://github.com/m5stack/StackChan

Fun with Global Community: Share, Extend, and Evolve Together

Since its birth, StackChan has grown into a vibrant global community of makers, developers, and enthusiasts. From sharing projects and source code online to hosting meetups and anniversary events offline, the community continues to expand what StackChan can be. 

Owning a StackChan is not just about building a robot—it’s about being part of an open ecosystem where ideas and creativity evolve together. 

StackChan is not built to its end at launch. It is built to grow—through open technology, creative experimentation, and a global community that continues to redefine what a desktop robot can be. 

Discover your StackChan on Kickstarter now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/m5stack/stackchan-the-first-co-created-open-source-ai-desktop-robot?ref=d5iznw&utm_source=PR

When using M5Stack Modules or Bases, many users run into a common problem:

The same module, when stacked on different controllers (such as Basic, Core2, CoreS3, Tab5, etc.), uses different pin definitions. So, how should you correctly configure the pin numbers in your code?

If you have the same question, then understanding how the M5-Bus and DIP switches work is crucial.

This article will explain in a clear and practical way:

• What is M5-Bus
• Fixed Function Pins
• What is a DIP Switch 

By the end, you could have a much clearer idea of how to set the DIP switches on the module, and how to configure the corresponding pin numbers in your program.

1. What is M5-Bus

M5-Bus is a stack expansion bus design adopted by M5Stack stacking series products (Module, Base). The interface uses 2x15P@2.54mm pin headers/sockets. The Core series controllers can quickly stack different modules via the M5-Bus to achieve functional expansion. Its fixed positions define power pins such as GND, 5V, 3V3, and BAT, ensuring compatibility with various devices; other pins vary depending on the controller model, so you need to configure your program according to the actual pin mapping.

 2. Fixed Function Pins 

The pin numbers of M5-Bus are fixed starting from the GND pin at the top left corner, numbered from 1 to 30. This sequence is consistent across all controllers. The pins marked with a red box are fixed-function pins (power and GND, etc.), while other pins may have different functions or GPIO mappings depending on the main controller.

3. What is a DIP Switch

A DIP Switch is a toggle switch. It is used to flexibly change the connection of key module pins to adapt to different controller models. For example, in the case of Module GPS v2.0, there are three switchable pins: TXD, RXD, and PPS. Two onboard DIP switches control which pins these signals are connected to.

DIP Switch1’s switches 1–4 control TXD, switches 5–8 control RXD; DIP Switch2 is used to control PPS.

To avoid pin conflicts, typically each function pin only needs to be switched to one pin based on actual usage requirements. For example, in the following configuration, the 1st and 5th switches on DIP Switch1 are set to ON, the 2nd switch on DIP Switch2 is set to ON, and all other switches are set to OFF.

Based on the PCB silkscreen reference:

• For Basic, the G17 pin; for Core2, the G14 pin; for CoreS3, the G17 pin will be connected to TXD.
• For Basic, the G16 pin; for Core2, the G13 pin; for CoreS3, the G18 pin will be connected to RXD.
• For Basic/Core2, the G35 pin; for CoreS3, the G10 pin will be connected to PPS.

When programming the device, you must modify the corresponding pin configuration according to the actual pin connections.

The DIP switch’s corresponding positions and numbering connected to the M5-Bus are fixed (indicated by blue box).

If the PCB silkscreen’s I/O reference table does not include the controller model you are currently using, you can refer to the existing device’s silkscreen PinMap to identify which M5-Bus pins the DIP switch connects to, and then map those to the corresponding pins of your current controller.

 4. Quick Question Time

When using Module LoRa868 with Tab5, and the DIP switches are set as shown in the picture, which Tab5 pins are used for NSS, BUSY, RST, and IRQ, respectively?

 Answer

5. Wrapping Up:

Treat the DIP Switch as a “Hardware-Level Remapping Tool”  

A DIP switch essentially gives you a form of hardware-level pin remapping:
The same module can be used with different Controllers, while routing key signals (TXD, RXD, PPS, etc.) to the most suitable GPIO pins.

In practice, if the module’s silkscreen or documentation already specifies how to set the DIP switches and which pins to use for your controller (for example, Core2, CoreS3), you can simply:

• Set the DIP switches according to the instructions, and
• Use the same pin numbers in your code as indicated in the documentation.

If your host controller is not listed, you can follow this simple procedure:

• Check the module silkscreen/documentation
  Identify which function each DIP switch group corresponds to.
• Refer to the Controller’s PinMap
  Find out which GPIO pins on your current Controller correspond to those M5-Bus pins.
• Set the DIP switches
  Ensure that each functional signal is routed to exactly one target pin, avoiding conflicts or duplicate connections.
• Update the pin definitions in your code
  Make sure the pins used for UART, interrupts, etc., match the GPIO pins you determined in the previous steps.

Once you understand this workflow, you no longer need to memorize which module “must be used with which Controller.”
Instead, you can flexibly migrate and reuse modules across different controllers, according to your actual needs.

Setting up a voice assistant doesn’t have to be complicated. At M5Stack, we’re proud to bring this capability closer to developers and makers with the M5Stack CoreS3—a powerful ESP32-S3 based controller with integrated display, rich interfaces, and cutting-edge performance.

With M5Stack CoreS3, you can seamlessly integrate advanced voice control into your Home Assistant ecosystem, enjoy real-time responsiveness, and experience true local AI interaction—secure, reliable, and fast.

The following guide walks you step-by-step through the process of setting up the CoreS3 HA Voice Assistant, from environment installation to voice activation.

1.Environmental installation

• 1.Follow the Home Assistant official documentation to install Home Assistant 2025.5 or above.

• 2.Complete the installation and configuration of voice recognition-related plugins by referring to the following tutorials:
• Home Assistant Cloud
• Assist Pipeline

• 3.In Settings -> Add-ons -> Add-ons STORE, install the ESPHome addon.

• 4.After successfully installing the ESPHome addon, enable Show in sidebar in the ESPHome management page to add it to the left navigation bar.

 2.Adding a Device

Open the ESPHome addon page and click NEW DEVICE in the lower-right corner to create a new device.

Click CONTINUE.

Select New Device Setup to create a new configuration file.

Give the configuration file a proper name.

Next, when selecting the device, cancel the Use recommended settings, then select ESP32-S3. Locate M5Stack CoreS3 among the list.

Copy the Home Assistant API Encryption Key for later use, then click Skip

3.Configuring the Device

Click EDIT in the lower-left corner of the device to modify the Wi-Fi connection configuration. (The Wi-Fi configuration defaults to the current HA server's Wi-Fi settings, but you can also modify it directly with plaintext: ssid:"xxxx")

Add the following package configuration link to add voice assistant functionality to the device.

packages: 
  m5stack.cores3-voice-assistant: github://m5stack/esphome-yaml/common/cores3-satellite-base.yaml@main

On November 17, 2025, M5Stack once again hosted its annual Open Day, welcoming global users and enthusiasts. This year’s event reached a new milestone, bringing together more than 80 participants from 11 countries to explore the world of M5Stack innovation—where people build, share, and connect.

Over the course of the afternoon, guests explored our all-in-one facility, exchanged ideas face-to-face, and discovered what’s next in the M5Stack ecosystem.

Factory & Office Tour: From idea to device

M5Stack operates an all-in-one facility where product design, production, packaging, quality control and shipping are all managed under one roof. Open Day offered visitors a rare opportunity to see this entire workflow in action.

Guests were divided into three language groups—Chinese, English, and Japanese. Guided by our team, participants followed the full journey of M5Stack products, from design and production to testing and warehousing, gaining a deeper understanding of how each idea becomes a finished piece of hardware.

Highlights Session: New products, new tools, new recognition

After the tour, the meetup session brought everyone together.

Jimmy opened with a brief look back at M5Stack’s story—how a small modular hardware idea grew into a global developer platform—and shared key milestones achieved over the years.

The session then moved into a series of exciting highlights:

• The debut introduction of the new Arduino Nesso N1 by Julian Caro Linares from Arduino
• The latest updates on UiFlow2 and its expanding ecosystem
• Recaps from Maker Faire Tokyo and Maker Faire Rome
• M5Stack being honored with the 2025 Good Design Award

User Lightning Talks: Global creators on stage

This year’s Open Day also featured a strong lineup of international speakers. Contributors from China, Japan, Indonesia, and other regions presented projects spanning education, AI, robotics, digital tools, and more. 

The session showcased both award-winning professional works and small yet inspiring experiments from individual creators. Each presentation ignited new ideas, and every round of applause reflected the community’s appreciation for creativity and innovation.

Thank You for Being Part of Open Day

Every attendee played an essential role in making the event a success. Your passion, projects, and ideas are what give the M5Stack community its vibrancy. Thank you for traveling from around the world to join us in Shenzhen—to build, share, and connect together. 

Looking ahead, M5Stack will continue to:

• Make IoT development more accessible and beginner-friendly
• Provide powerful, modular hardware and intuitive software tools
• Support an open, global community of developers, makers, and partners

We look forward to welcoming you again at the next M5Stack Open Day—see you in 2026!

Nov. 12, 2025–M5Stack, a global leader in modular IoT and embedded development platforms, today announced Arduino Nesso N1, a compact and powerful development kit co‑engineered with Arduino, the world’s leading open‑source hardware and software company. 

Powered by the ESP32‑C6, the Nesso N1 delivers multi‑protocol connectivity including Wi‑Fi® 6, Bluetooth® 5.3, Thread 1.4, Zigbee® 3.0, Matter, and LoRa® (850–960 MHz), all packed into a sleek, pre‑assembled enclosure. With its 1.14‑inch touch display, programmable buttons, IMU, IR transmitter, RGB LED, buzzer, and rechargeable battery, it offers an intuitive and interactive platform for rapid IoT development. 

Highlights of Nesso N1

• Powered by the ESP32-C6, a single-core 32-bit RISC-V CPU running up to 160 MHz for efficient, reliable performance
• Equipped with 16 MB Nor Flash and 512 kB SRAM, providing ample memory for IoT applications
• A 1.14″ touchscreen and programmable buttons for easy interaction
• Built-in IMU, IR transmitter, RGB LED, and buzzer
• Powered via rechargeable battery
• Multiple connectivity options, including Bluetooth® 5.3, Zigbee 3.0, Matter, LoRa® (850-960MHz)
• Support for Arduino Cloud for remote control and data visualization
• USB-C, Grove, and Qwiic connectors for easy expansion with Arduino Modulino nodes or third-party modules

A Developer-Friendly, Extensible Ecosystem

Nesso N1 delivers robust hardware expandability, allowing developers to easily extend its capabilities through Grove and Qwiic connectors—compatible with Arduino Modulino nodes, third‑party modules, and the full M5Stack sensor‑hat ecosystem. It also integrates seamlessly with Arduino Cloud for remote monitoring and data visualization. 

Complementing this is an open and flexible development environment. Developers can start coding with Nesso N1 in their preferred workflow—whether using Arduino IDE, MicroPython, or UiFlow—making it a perfect fit for everything from hobby projects to professional applications. 

From plug-and-play compatibility to seamless connectivity and powerful programmability, it’s everything you need in a pocket-sized powerhouse. Check out Nesso N1 on the Arduino Store or explore Arduino Docs for documentation, examples, and specs. 

Advancing Innovation Through Collaboration

Arduino Nesso N1 marks a major step forward in the collaborative innovation between M5Stack and Arduino. Designed with the open‑source community in mind, this joint effort expands the ecosystem with a more integrated, flexible, and developer‑centric product experience. The launch of Nesso N1 is expected to inspire new ideas, accelerate project development, and support the diverse needs of developers worldwide.

In today’s rapidly advancing world of intelligent applications, image and video management is evolving at an unprecedented pace.  

Imagine capturing breathtaking travel landscapes or precious moments of your child’s growth — and having your photos automatically categorized, tagged, and searchable via natural language. All processing happens locally, with no dependence on cloud servers, ensuring both speed and privacy. With the powerhouse performance of the M5Stack LLM‑8850 Card, bring your vision to life with an intelligent, deeply personalized photo album that’s uniquely yours.

M5Stack LLM‑8850 Card is an M.2 M‑Key 2242 AI accelerator card designed for edge devices. It is a powerful yet energy-efficient AI edge computing module, purpose-built for multi-modal large models, on-device inference, and intelligent analysis. It delivers high-performance inference for both language and vision models, and can be deployed effortlessly across diverse devices to enable offline, private AI services.

In this article, we’ll show you how to build an intelligent photo management platform with M5Stack LLM-8850 Card, making the organization of your pictures and videos smarter, faster, and more secure.

To achieve this, we’ll leverage Immich, an open‑source self‑hosted photo and video management platform that supports automatic backup, intelligent search, and cross‑device access.

git clone https://huggingface.co/AXERA-TECH/immich

m5stack@raspberrypi:~/rsp/immich $ ls -lh
total 421M
drwxrwxr-x 2 m5stack m5stack 4.0K Oct 10 09:12 asset
-rw-rw-r-- 1 m5stack m5stack 421M Oct 10 09:20 ax-immich-server-aarch64.tar.gz
-rw-rw-r-- 1 m5stack m5stack    0 Oct 10 09:12 config.json
-rw-rw-r-- 1 m5stack m5stack 7.6K Oct 10 09:12 docker-deploy.zip
-rw-rw-r-- 1 m5stack m5stack 104K Oct 10 09:12 immich_ml-1.129.0-py3-none-any.whl
-rw-rw-r-- 1 m5stack m5stack 9.4K Oct 10 09:12 README.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 m5stack m5stack  177 Oct 10 09:12 requirements.txt

cd immich
docker load -i ax-immich-server-aarch64.tar.gz

unzip docker-deploy.zip 
cp example.env .env

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml up -d

m5stack@raspberrypi:~/rsp/immich $ docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml up -d
WARN[0000] /home/m5stack/rsp/immich/docker-compose.override.yml: the attribute `version` is obsolete, it will be ignored, please remove it to avoid potential confusion 
[+] Running 3/3
 ✔ Container immich_postgres  Started                                      1.0s 
 ✔ Container immich_redis     Started                                      0.9s 
 ✔ Container immich_server    Started                                      0.9s 

python -m venv mich

source mich/bin/activate 

pip install https://github.com/AXERA-TECH/pyaxengine/releases/download/0.1.3.rc1/axengine-0.1.3-py3-none-any.whl
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install immich_ml-1.129.0-py3-none-any.whl # Precompiled package may be upgraded; use the actual file name.

python -m immich_ml 

(mich) m5stack@raspberrypi:~/rsp/immich $ python -m immich_ml
[10/10/25 09:50:12] INFO     Starting gunicorn 23.0.0                           
[10/10/25 09:50:12] INFO     Listening at: http://[::]:3003 (8698)              
[10/10/25 09:50:12] INFO     Using worker: immich_ml.config.CustomUvicornWorker 
[10/10/25 09:50:12] INFO     Booting worker with pid: 8699                      
2025-10-10 09:50:13.589360675 [W:onnxruntime:Default, device_discovery.cc:164 DiscoverDevicesForPlatform] GPU device discovery failed: device_discovery.cc:89 ReadFileContents Failed to open file: "/sys/class/drm/card1/device/vendor"
[INFO] Available providers:  ['AXCLRTExecutionProvider']
/home/m5stack/rsp/immich/mich/lib/python3.11/site-packages/immich_ml/models/clip/cn_vocab.txt
[10/10/25 09:50:16] INFO     Started server process [8699]                      
[10/10/25 09:50:16] INFO     Waiting for application startup.                   
[10/10/25 09:50:16] INFO     Created in-memory cache with unloading after 300s  
                             of inactivity.                                     
[10/10/25 09:50:16] INFO     Initialized request thread pool with 4 threads.    
[10/10/25 09:50:16] INFO     Application startup complete.  

With the outstanding modular design, excellent user experience, and innovative integration of hardware and software ecosystems, the M5Stack Series was honored with the 2025 Good Design Award!

The Good Design Award, founded in Japan in 1957, celebrates products that combine aesthetic design with social impact. This year, the M5Stack Series stood out among thousands of entries for its modular system, open ecosystem, and design that empowers creativity across all levels.

Designed for Innovation

M5Stack is a modular prototyping tool for turning ideas into real products fast. It combines a durable enclosure, standardized expansion modules, and support for multiple programming languages. Its GUI environment, UIFlow, lowers the barrier for beginners while serving professionals, making hardware development simpler and more efficient.

Since its launch in 2017, M5Stack has built a vibrant global community of developers and educators. The series has become a common sight not only in schools, research institutions, and maker activities but also across industrial and IoT innovation projects. In Japan alone, dozens of introductory books have been published on IoT and robotics development using M5Stack.

Today, the M5Stack Series encompasses more than 400 products, widely used in education, industry, and embedded systems, significantly enhancing rapid development and fostering innovation.

Evaluation Comments from Jury members

The Good Design Award 2025 judges commended M5Stack :

M5Stack is a development platform featuring a modular design that allows users to freely combine a diverse lineup of modules. With its highly refined enclosure and attention to detail, it offers a level of aesthetic appeal and usability unmatched by conventional microcontroller boards—reminding users of the joy of creating tools born from their own imagination.

Supported by an active global community, M5Stack has found widespread use across various fields—from education and hobbyist projects to industrial and embedded product applications. Its standardized expansion system and GUI-based tools make it accessible for both beginners and advanced developers alike, offering a broad entry point into creative technology development.

As programming becomes more approachable in the age of AI, M5Stack is expected to play a key role in unlocking creativity across diverse groups of people, opening up new possibilities for innovation and making.

The official announcement: Good Design Award 2025 — M5Stack Seires

About GOOD DESIGN AWARD

GOOD DESIGN AWARD is a social movement to make people's lives, industries, and society more well-off through design. Since its start in 1957, it has gained widespread support along with its logo G Mark. GOOD DESIGN AWARD is for products, architecture, software, systems, and services that are relevant to people. Whether visible or invisible, anything that is constructed for some ideal or purpose is considered as design, and its quality is evaluated and honored. 

The GOOD DESIGN AWARD helps people to discover the possibilities of design and expand the fields where design can be used through screening and a wide range of promotion, and is dedicated to a well-off society where everyone can enjoy creative life.

The M5Stack Series has been officially included in the GOOD DESIGN AWARD Gallery, which archives and showcases all award-winning works by year since its establishment in 1957.

About M5Stack

Founded in 2017, M5Stack creates modular, open-source hardware development tools designed to streamline prototyping and productization. Based in Shenzhen, China, M5Stack has become a globally recognized developer platform for IoT, AIoT, and robotics solutions.

Learn more about M5Stack and explore our products: https://shop.m5stack.com/

If you've been wanting to use your devices remotely for a while, today you'll learn how to do it by integrating LoRa into Home Assistant.

Index

l  What is LoRa and how does it work?

l  Prerequisites

l  Mounting and configuring the LoRa Gateway

l  LoRa node configuration

l  Check the communication

l  Sending information

l  Customize your Gateway

l  Acknowledgments

What is LoRa and how does it work?

LoRa (an acronym for "Long Range") is a radio frequency communication protocol that enables long-distance data transmission (up to 10 km in open fields) with very low power consumption. Therefore, it offers two major advantages:

• It has a much greater range than the protocols we commonly use (WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc.). This makes it the ideal choice for remote sensors (storage rooms, mailboxes, large gardens, etc.).
• It doesn't rely on the telephone or electrical network to transmit information, so different LoRa devices can communicate even during a power outage.

However, it also has its limitations, as its data transfer speed is slow. In practice, this means it's perfect for sending simple data (commands to our devices, numbers, or text strings), but it's not a suitable protocol for transmitting photos or videos.

Additionally, you should consider the frequency LoRa uses in your geographic area. For example, in Europe it's 868 MHz, while in the US and most of Latin America it's 915 MHz.

Prerequisites

To integrate LoRa into Home Assistant, you will need the following components:

• A LoRa gateway that receives information from the various nodes and transmits it to Home Assistant. In this case, we're going to create a gateway with the M5Stack Core S3 SE (yes, the same one we already used to Activate Assist ), combined with the LoRa868 modules and an external battery (this is optional).
• A LoRa node that collects and sends information (e.g., a connected sensor). In this case, we're going to use a board with the integrated SX1276 chip (which would also be a valid device to act as a LoRa gateway).
• A  USB cable to power the DATA board  (  with a charging cable, you will not be able to install the software).
• Having installed  ESPHome in Home Assistant.

Mounting and configuring the LoRa Gateway

We are going to be using the M5Stack Core S3 SE along with the LoRa868 V1.1 module (now the LoRa868 v1.2 module is available). This is a modular device that's very easy to expand by simply assembling the components.

Something important to keep in mind is that the LoRa module has some small switches on the back ('DIP switches') that modify the pin assignment, and logically, it must match what we indicate in the ESPHome code.

To do this, make sure the switches are in the following position (2, 6 and 7 on and the rest off).

From here, the process will be similar for any compatible motherboard (adapting the steps and connection diagram to the specifications of your device). The steps we followed are as follows:

1.      In Home Assistant, go to your ESPHome plugin  , tap “New device” and “Continue.”

2.    Give your device a name  (for example, “LoRa Gateway” )  and click “Next”.

3.    Select “ESP32-S3” as the device type . You'll notice that a new block has been created for your device in the background.

4.   Click “Skip” and click “Edit” above your device block.

5.    Add the following lines to the end of your code (which come directly from the ESPHome SX127x component, adapted to our device).

captive_portal:

spi:
  clk_pin: GPIO36 
  mosi_pin: GPIO37 
  miso_pin: GPIO35 

sx127x:
  cs_pin: GPIO6 
  rst_pin: GPIO7 
  dio0_pin: GPIO10 
  pa_pin: BOOST
  pa_power: 14
  bandwidth: 125_0kHz
  crc_enable: true
  frequency: 868920000
  modulation: LORA
  rx_start: true
  sync_value: 0x12
  spreading_factor: 7
  coding_rate: CR_4_5
  preamble_size: 8
  on_packet:
    then:
      - lambda: |-
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "packet %s", format_hex(x).c_str());
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "rssi %.2f", rssi);
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "snr %.2f", snr);

button:
  - platform: template
    name: "Transmit Packet"
    on_press:
      then:
        - sx127x.send_packet:
            data: [0xC5, 0x51, 0x78, 0x82, 0xB7, 0xF9, 0x9C, 0x5C]

captive_portal:

spi:
  clk_pin: GPIO5
  mosi_pin: GPIO27
  miso_pin: GPIO19

# Example configuration entry
sx127x:
  cs_pin: GPIO18
  rst_pin: GPIO23
  dio0_pin: GPIO26
  pa_pin: BOOST
  pa_power: 14
  bandwidth: 125_0kHz
  crc_enable: true
  frequency: 868920000
  modulation: LORA
  rx_start: true
  sync_value: 0x12
  spreading_factor: 7
  coding_rate: CR_4_5
  preamble_size: 8
  on_packet:
    then:
      - lambda: |-
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "packet %s", format_hex(x).c_str());
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "rssi %.2f", rssi);
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "snr %.2f", snr);

button:
  - platform: template
    name: "Transmit Packet"
    on_press:
      then:
        - sx127x.send_packet:
            data: [0xC5, 0x51, 0x78, 0x82, 0xB7, 0xF9, 0x9C, 0x5C]

binary_sensor:
  - platform: gpio
    pin: GPIO34
    name: "PIR Sensor"
    device_class: motion
    id: pir_sensor

packet_transport:
  platform: sx127x
  update_interval: 5s
  encryption: "password"
  rolling_code_enable: true
  binary_sensors:
    - pir_sensor

packet_transport:
  platform: sx127x
  update_interval: 5s
  providers:
    - name: lora-node
      encryption: "password"

binary_sensor:
  - platform: packet_transport
    id: pir_sensor
    provider: lora-node

  - platform: template
    name: "Buzón"
    device_class: motion
    lambda: return id(pir_sensor).state;

esphome:
  name: lora-gateway
  friendly_name: LoRa Gateway
  libraries:
    - m5stack/M5GFX@^0.1.11
    - m5stack/M5Unified@^0.1.11

esp32:
  board: esp32-s3-devkitc-1
  framework:
    type: esp-idf

psram:
  mode: octal
  speed: 80MHz

external_components:
  - source:
      type: git
      url: https://github.com/m5stack/M5CoreS3-Esphome
    components: [ m5cores3_display ]
    refresh: 0s

# Enable logging
logger:

# Enable Home Assistant API
api:
  encryption:
    key: "1QrsXUgryxlF6OGsIwLj7eijyy/OMhSobQQHYWPvpb0="

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: "4844c4205ab6ab665c2d1a4be82deb57"

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

  # Enable fallback hotspot (captive portal) in case wifi connection fails
  ap:
    ssid: "Lora-Gateway Fallback Hotspot"
    password: "6BRaaV17Iebb"

captive_portal:

spi:
  clk_pin: GPIO36 
  mosi_pin: GPIO37 
  miso_pin: GPIO35 

sx127x:
  cs_pin: GPIO6 
  rst_pin: GPIO7 
  dio0_pin: GPIO10 
  pa_pin: BOOST
  pa_power: 14
  bandwidth: 125_0kHz
  crc_enable: true
  frequency: 868920000
  modulation: LORA
  rx_start: true
  sync_value: 0x12
  spreading_factor: 7
  coding_rate: CR_4_5
  preamble_size: 8
  on_packet:
    then:
      - lambda: |-
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "packet %s", format_hex(x).c_str());
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "rssi %.2f", rssi);
          ESP_LOGD("lambda", "snr %.2f", snr);

packet_transport:
  platform: sx127x
  update_interval: 5s
  providers:
    - name: lora-node
      encryption: "password"

binary_sensor:
  - platform: packet_transport
    id: pir_sensor
    provider: lora-node

  - platform: template
    name: "Buzón"
    device_class: motion
    lambda: return id(pir_sensor).state;

color:
  - id: green
    hex: 'bfea11'
  - id: red
    hex: 'ff0000'

font:
  - file: "gfonts://Roboto"
    id: font_title
    size: 18
  - file: "gfonts://Roboto"
    id: font_text
    size: 16

image:
  - file: mdi:mailbox
    id: buzon_off
    resize: 100x100
    type: grayscale
    transparency: alpha_channel
  - file: mdi:email-alert
    id: buzon_on
    resize: 100x100
    type: grayscale
    transparency: alpha_channel

display:
  - platform: m5cores3_display
    model: ILI9342
    dc_pin: 15
    update_interval: 1s
    id: m5cores3_lcd
    lambda: |-
      // Obtener dimensiones de la pantalla
      int screen_width = it.get_width();
      int screen_height = it.get_height();
      
      // Título en la parte superior con margen de 20px
      it.print(screen_width/2, 20, id(font_title), id(green), TextAlign::TOP_CENTER, "LoRa Gateway by Aguacatec");
      
      // Obtener estado del sensor del buzón
      bool mailbox_open = id(pir_sensor).state;
            
      if (mailbox_open) {
        // Buzón abierto - icono rojo
        it.image(110, 70, id(buzon_on), id(red));
        it.print(screen_width/2, 200, id(font_text), id(red), TextAlign::CENTER, "Carta recibida!!");
      } else {
        // Buzón cerrado - icono verde
        it.image(110, 70, id(buzon_off), id(green));
        it.print(screen_width/2, 200, id(font_text), id(green), TextAlign::CENTER, "No hay correspondencia");
      }

Amsterdam, Netherlands – September 25, 2025 — M5Stack showcased its latest breakthroughs in modular IoT, edge computing, and smart automation at The Things Conference 2025, held at De Kromhouthal, Amsterdam — the world’s leading LoRaWAN and IoT innovation event.

Highlights from the M5Stack Booth

At the exhibition, M5Stack showcased its signature 5x5cm ESP32-based stackable controllers alongside a versatile lineup of expansion units and modules for plug-and-play development. Live demos revealed how our solutions power rapid, scalable IoT applications across smart homes, classrooms, and industrial environments.

Alongside best-selling devices, visitors enjoyed a first look at new and upcoming innovations:

·        Cardputer-Adv — The next-generation upgrade to our signature Cardputer, this powerful, credit card-sized computer is built for rapid prototyping, industrial control, and home automation.

·        Tab5 — A sleek, intuitive hub for IoT data visualization and management, demonstrated with its forthcoming keyboard accessory.

·        StamPLC — A compact, IoT-enabled programmable logic controller for industrial automation and remote monitoring.

·        Switch C6 — A single-live-wire smart switch controller featuring an ESP32-C6-MINI-1 wireless SoC and latching relay for IoT-enabled appliances.

·        PowerHub — A programmable multi-channel power management controller with ESP32-S3 and precision monitoring, designed for efficient power control in industrial and smart home applications.

Innovative LoRa Solutions

M5Stack also debuted its new LoRa product family, ranging from enterprise-ready LoRaWAN gateways to off-grid Meshtastic devices built for makers, outdoor enthusiasts, and developers. Engineered for low-power, long-range communication, these solutions target applications such as environmental monitoring, smart agriculture, and industrial IoT.

Showcased products included:

·        SolarMesh — A waterproof, solar-powered Meshtastic gateway integrating Wi-Fi (ESP32-S3), LoRa (SX1262), and GPS for versatile, off-grid connectivity.

·        UnitC6L — An edge-computing LoRa module combining ESP32-C6 MCU with SX1262, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5 (LE) for flexible deployments.

·        Atom DTU Terminal — A compact, reliable terminal unit for robust data transmission in distributed networks.

Building the Future Together

Inspiring conversations and hands-on workshops with developers and industry experts highlighted M5Stack’s role in shaping the next wave of IoT solutions. By expanding our modular ecosystem, we aim to empower innovators worldwide to transform ideas into impactful, real-world applications.

About M5Stack

M5Stack is a leading provider of modular, open-source IoT development solutions. Our stackable hardware and intuitive programming platform empower developers and businesses to accelerate innovation and rapidly prototype solutions for IIoT, home automation, smart retail, and STEM education.

September 5, 2025 – M5Stack, a global leader in modular IoT and embedded development platforms, today announced the launch of Cardputer‑Adv, the upgraded model of its popular card‑sized computer series.

Designed for engineers, developers, and tech enthusiasts, Cardputer‑Adv delivers enhanced performance, richer interfaces, and extended battery life — all while keeping the portable elegance of the original Cardputer.

Whether you’re prototyping IoT gadgets, building portable dashboards, testing sensor networks, or creating unique interactive experiences, Cardputer‑Adv is the ultimate pocket‑sized development companion.

Highlights of Cardputer‑Adv

• Upgraded Core – Stamp‑S3A module, offering robust computing power with integrated Wi‑Fi + BLE connectivity.
• Enhanced Audio – ES8311 audio codec, high‑SNR MEMS microphone, NS4150B amplifier, 1 W speaker, plus 3.5 mm headphone jack for external audio devices.
• Rich Interaction –56‑key compact keyboard with improved tactile feel (key actuation force reduced from 260 gf to 160 gf) and 1.14” TFT LCD for clear display and comfortable input.
• Smart Sensing – Built‑in BMI270 6‑axis IMU and IR transmitter enable motion tracking and remote control functions.
• Connectivity & Expansion – Grove‑compatible HY2.0‑4P port, EXT 2.54 mm 14‑pin header, microSD card slot, plus compatibility with the optional Cap LoRa868 accessory for Meshtastic communication.
• Power & Portability – 1750 mAh rechargeable lithium‑ion battery, magnetic base for metal surfaces, LEGO‑hole‑compatible mounting design.
• Multi‑Platform Ready – Supports UIFlow2, Arduino IDE, ESP‑IDF, and PlatformIO for flexible development workflows.

Comparison with Previous Models

A Growing Developer Ecosystem

Cardputer isn’t just hardware — it’s a platform. Alongside the built‑in mini‑programs, users can explore a growing library of community‑developed firmware via M5Burner, enabling instant prototyping for applications like retro gaming, remote control, UI dashboards, cybersecurity tools, and more.

Popular projects such as M5Launcher, Bruce, NEMO, Evil‑Cardputer, Marauder, and Ultimate Remote have each surpassed 10,000+ downloads, inspiring creativity across the Cardputer community.

Beyond M5Stack’s official channels, an active user‑driven community has formed around Cardputer, where enthusiasts share projects, tips, and firmware.

 Join the discussions and see what’s possible:

• Reddit (community‑run): r/CardPuter
• Discord (community‑run): Join the Cardputer Community

Availability

Cardputer‑Adv is now available via the M5Stack Official Store and authorized global distributors. Order today and start building your next project.
For full details, technical documentation, and project ideas, visit www.m5stack.com.

In today's fast-evolving IoT and smart hardware landscape, a smooth and responsive user interface (UI) has become just as important as core functionality.

M5Stack, continuing to refine its visual programming platform UIFlow2, now officially integrates the powerful LVGL (Light and Versatile Graphics Library) — giving makers and developers the best of both worlds: the speed of visual programming and the freedom of a professional embedded GUI framework.

Why LVGL?

UIFlow2, built on MicroPython, is designed to lower the barrier for hardware programming. Earlier versions included basic controls and drawing functions — useful for simple projects but less suited for complex UI needs.

LVGL changes the game. It's an open-source, lightweight, cross-platform embedded GUI library with:

• Rich widget library: Buttons, sliders, progress bars, charts, and more
• High-performance rendering: Adaptable to different display memory sizes and refresh rates
• Flexible extensibility: Animations, themes, event callbacks, and advanced custom styling

With UIFlow2's LVGL integration, developers can start by dragging and dropping blocks, then fine-tune behavior via Python code — moving seamlessly from beginner-friendly to pro-level control.

What's Available Now

UIFlow2 already supports LVGL in its first integration phase:

• Controller support: Core2, Tough, Dial, CoreS3, Tab5, and more ready to go
• Standard widgets: Buttons, labels, images available instantly in the visual editor
• Drag, drop, adjust: Direct manipulation of LVGL elements with live attribute tweaks
• Font optimization: One-click custom font generation & download for better localization
• Full Python API access: Call LVGL functions directly in "Code Mode" to build advanced logic

Whether you're a first-time maker or a seasoned embedded engineer, you can design and deploy interactive UIs faster than ever.

Getting Started in 4 Steps

1. Launch UIFlow2 Web IDE

Power on your M5 device and connect to the UIFLow2 online editor.

2. Enable LVGL Support

Select M5UI in settings to enable related blocks.

3. Add Widgets or Write Code

Block Mode: Drag and drop "Button", "Label" and other controls directly.

Code Mode Example:

import m5ui
import lvgl as lv
import M5

M5.begin()
m5ui.init()

page0 = m5ui.M5Page(bg_c=0xffffff)

button0 = m5ui.M5Button(
    text="click me",
    x=115,
    y=153,
    bg_c=0x2196f3,
    text_c=0xffffff,
    font=lv.font_montserrat_14,
    parent=page0
)

label0 = m5ui.M5Label(
     "Hello M5!!!",
     x=123,
     y=82,
     text_c=0x000000,
     bg_c=0xffffff,
     bg_opa=0,
     font=lv.font_montserrat_14,
     parent=page0
)

page0.screen_load()

If you’re just getting started with Home Assistant, one of the easiest and most fun projects to try is smart lighting. This guide walks through how to set up the M5Atom Lite—a compact ESP32-based module—as a smart RGB light controller, fully integrated with Home Assistant using ESPHome.

What You’ll Need

• M5Atom Lite (ESP32-based) 

• Home Assistant installed and running
• A stable Wi-Fi connection
• A USB data cable to connect with computer

1. Environment Setup

Before we begin, make sure you have Home Assistant installed. You can follow the official documentation for your preferred platform.

Once Home Assistant is up and running:

• Go to Settings → Add-ons → Add-on Store
  
• Search for and install the ESPHome add-on
  
• After installation, enable Show in sidebar for quick access
  
  
  

2. Adding the Device

1.     Open the ESPHome sidebar and click NEW DEVICE in the lower right corner.

2.   Click CONTINUE when the setup screen appears. 

3.   Name your device (e.g., Atom-Lite), then proceed.

4.  On the device type screen:

o   Uncheck Use recommended settings

o   Select ESP32 → choose M5Stack-ATOM

5.   Click NEXT and copy the encryption key that appears.

6.   Choose Manual download to begin compiling the firmware.

3. Firmware Setup & Compilation

Back on the ESPHome dashboard, you’ll now see your new Atom-Lite device listed.

1.     Click EDIT to open the YAML configuration editor

2.   Replace the content with the following configuration (update your Wi-Fi credentials!):

esphome:
  name: atom-lite
  friendly_name: Atom-Lite

esp32:
  board: m5stack-atom
  framework:
    type: arduino

logger:
api:
  encryption:
    key: "*********"

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: "*****************"

wifi:
  ssid: "*********"
  password: "***********"
  ap:
    ssid: "Atom-Lite Fallback Hotspot"
    password: "jFsIc2XGuKRe"

captive_portal:

binary_sensor:
  - platform: gpio
    pin:
      number: GPIO39
      mode: INPUT
      inverted: true
    name: "Atom Button"
    id: atom_button
    filters:
      - delayed_on: 50ms
      - delayed_off: 50ms
    on_multi_click:
      - timing:
          - ON for at most 0.8s
          - OFF for at most 0.5s
          - ON for at most 0.8s
          - OFF for at least 0.2s
        then:
          - logger.log: "Double Clicked"
          - light.turn_on:
              id: atom_light
              red: 100%
              blue: 50%
              green: 20%
              brightness: 50%
      - timing:
          - ON for at least 0.8s
        then:
          - logger.log: "Single Long Clicked"
          - light.turn_on:
              id: atom_light
              green: 100%
              blue: 50%
              red: 30%
              brightness: 100%

light:
  - platform: neopixelbus
    type: GRB
    pin: GPIO27
    num_leds: 1
    variant: sk6812
    name: "Atom RGB Light"
    id: atom_light
    restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_OFF
    effects:
      - random:
          name: "Random"
          transition_length: 1s
          update_interval: 1s 

    

3.   Click SAVE, then INSTALL → Manual download to compile

Note: The first compilation may take several minutes, depending on your setup and network.

4. Flash the Firmware to M5Atom Lite

After compiling the firmware:

1.     Click DOWNLOAD, and choose Factory format

2.   Connect the M5Atom Lite to your computer using a USB-C data cable

3.   Back in ESPHome, select INSTALL → Plug into this computer

4.  Click Open ESPHome Web

5.   Press CONNECT, then select the detected serial port

6.   Click INSTALL and wait for the  firmware installation to complete.

Once flashing is complete, the device will restart and attempt to connect to your Wi-Fi.

5. Add the Device to Home Assistant

Once Atom Lite is online:    

1.     Open Settings → Integrations in Home Assistant

2.   Under Discovered, click ADD and follow the prompts to integrate it

6. Create an Automation

You can now set up a basic automation using the button to control the light:

1.     In the Home Assistant page, go to Settings → Device& Service

2.   Locate ESPHome → hit Atom-Lite → click Automations 

3.   Select Create new automation → ADD TRIGGER → Entity → State → Atom Button 

4.  In the When section, change the status from Off to On

5.  In the Then do section, select ADD ACTION → Light → Toggle → + Choose entity → Atom-Lite RGB Light → Save

This simple setup turns the button into a light switch for the RGB LED.

7. Add Atom RGB Light to Your Dashboard

To control the RGB light from the Home Assistant interface:

1.     Go to Overview → Edit

2.   In the By card page, input Light on the search cards Select the Light card type

3.  Choose the Atom RGB Light entity

4.   Save the changes

The light can now be toggled and color-adjusted directly from the dashboard.

8. Demo & Behavior

Here’s how your new Atom-Lite smart RGB light behaves:

• Single Click → RGB light toggles pink
  
• Long Press (2+ seconds) → RGB light switches to green
  
• Light state updates in real-time and can also be controlled via the Home Assistant dashboard
  

Conclusion

Home Assistant makes smart home control simple, with M5Stack Atom-Lite and ESPHome, setting up RGB lighting is just the start. With the same process, you can go further by adding mode device like a human presence sensor to detect movement, turn on lights automatically, or turn on the AC and set it to the optimal temperature when someone enters the room.