A Modern Take on Classic Handheld Computers
The CL-32 is an ESP32-S3-powered handheld computer with an ePaper display that was inspired by the classic pocket computers of the 1980s.
Pocket computers are really popular with members of the Hackster community. They all have something unique about them — they might be specially tailored for distraction-free writing, or for coding and hacking on the go. But ultimately, the majority of them are tiny Linux machines with LCD displays, which, styling aside, makes them a whole lot like the phones we already have in our pockets.
Peter Barker (AKA moosepr) decided to do something a little bit different with a pocket computer called the CL-32. The CL-32 was inspired by the pocket computers of yesteryear that did not have a full-fledged operating system like Linux or a large color display. These computers often booted up to a BASIC interpreter and had a single-line monochrome LCD display, but people still got plenty of work done on them and the battery life was measured in weeks or months.
To create a modernized version of that experience, Barker built the CL-32 around the ESP32-S3 microcontroller and an ePaper display. The components were assembled on a custom printed circuit board, which was then housed in a 3D-printed case. A physical keyboard gives some nice clicky feedback that a touchscreen cannot, and the choice of components makes for a very long battery life.
The firmware is pretty basic and was designed primarily for code editing. It offers the core functionality you would expect, like opening and saving files. It is by no means going to replace your desktop IDE, but for some quick debugging and code edits on the road, it looks like a decent option.
To learn more about the CL-32, and how you might build your own pocket computer, check out the full project write-up.