The $21 All-in-One Dev Kit That Goes Anywhere

Every electronics hobbyist should have a few all-in-one development boards on hand to quickly prototype their latest project idea. These little devices typically pack a microcontroller, a display, and some communications interfaces into a small and accessible package. However, while they offer convenience, they tend to be lacking in power. That makes them great for building very basic projects, but rules them out for more complex creations.

The new M5Stack StickS3 ESP32-S3 Mini IoT Dev Kit is unusual in that it is an all-in-one development board, but it also has the extra oomph needed to power more complex builds. It comes equipped with an ESP32-S3 microcontroller, which means you’ll get a dual-core Tensilica LX7 CPU running at up to 240 MHz with 512 KB of SRAM, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. But the StickS3 also adds in an additional 8 MB of both PSRAM and flash memory to do some more serious number crunching.

For knocking out user interface prototypes, there is an onboard 1.14-inch color IPS screen with 240×135 resolution. The board also sports an I2S audio codec with 24-bit resolution, a MEMS microphone, and a 1 watt speaker for audio projects. A 6-axis BMI270 IMU senses motion with precision for gesture recognition or other motion-related use cases. The onboard infrared transmitter and receiver can be used to communicate with a wide variety of legacy electronics. For interfacing with external hardware, a 16-pin HAT2 port and a 4-pin Grove connector are included.

All of this hardware is packed into a tiny 48 x 24 x 15mm-brick with a USB-C interface for programming and supplying power. A magnetic backing makes it easy to stick the StickS3 anywhere you need to add a little intelligence.

The M5Stack StickS3 ESP32-S3 Mini IoT Dev Kit is now available for $21.50.