M5Stack Upgrades the AtomS3 with New AtomS3R, AtomS3R Camera Models

Refreshing the AtomS3 line, these new models include 8MB of PSRAM and a "3D antenna" for improved Wi-Fi performance.

Gareth Halfacree
3 months ago β€’ HW101 / Internet of Things

Embedded electronics specialist and Espressif subsidiary M5Stack has launched new models in its AtomS3 range of compact all-in-one development boards, featuring your choice of color display or on-board camera: the AtomS3R and AtomS3R Cam.

"[The] AtomS3R is a highly integrated programmable controller based on the [Espressif] ESP32-S3 main controller," M5Stack explains of its latest product launch. "It features the ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8 main controller with built-in Wi-Fi, 8MB onboard FLASH, and 8MB PSRAM. Applications [include] motion detection and direction sensing, wearable devices, smart device control, [and] IoT [Internet of Things] applications."

If you're an AtomS3 user finding yourself low on RAM, the AtomS3R is an obvious upgrade β€” offering 8MB of PSRAM. (πŸ“Ή: M5Stack)

The M5Stack AtomS3R, brought to our attention by CNX Software, is, as the name suggests, an evolution of the company's existing AtomS3, using the same ESP32-S3 microcontroller β€” meaning a pair of 32-bit Tensilica Xtensa LX7 cores running at up to 240MHz. Where it differs is in having 8MB of pseudo-static RAM (PSRAM) alongside 8MB of flash storage, and in moving from six-axis to nine-axis inertial measurement via a three-axis magnetometer and a six-axis attitude sensor. A shift from a PCB antenna to a "3D antenna" should also bring improved Wi-Fi reception.

The front of the M5Stack AtomS3R is dominated by a 0.85" color IPS display, with a 128Γ—128 resolution β€” which, while not touch-sensitive, is mounted atop a push-button switch to double as a simple input. There's an infrared transmitter, Grove connector for solderless expansion, and general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins brought out to the board's underside.

The AtomS3R Camera has the same internals as the AtomS3R, but a VGA camera in place of the screen. (πŸ“Ή: M5Stack)

For those who would rather see than be seen, the AtomS3R is essentially the exact same hardware but with a camera in place of the display β€” offering a 0.3 megapixel GalaxyCore GC0308 image sensor behind a protective glass cover, capable of capturing VGA resolution imagery at up to 30 frames per second.

Both models are now available on the M5Stack store, priced at $17.50 for the AtomS3R and $19.95 for the AtomS3R Camera.

Gareth Halfacree
Freelance journalist, technical author, hacker, tinkerer, erstwhile sysadmin. For hire: freelance@halfacree.co.uk.
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