MakerFocus M5Stack Core2 ESP32 Development Kit 2nd Generation Core Device CP2104 MPU 6886 Built-in WiFi Bluetooth with Dual Core 32-bit 240Mhz LX6 Processors 16MB Flash 8MB PSRAM for Ar duino UIFlow

The media could not be loaded. This device can be coded with c++ or micro python with the option of using blockly which is a form of scratch. Very easy to make stuff with the ability to make complex stuff in c.

Very nice device. The tools and examples are good and I like what they’re doing.

I've been a big fan of the m5stack modules for a while. They're very handy products for those applications where you need something more than a breakout board but don't want to go through the hassle of doing a case/etc. I have several of the earlier version of this product - the m5stack "basic". The original was always a really nice go-to product for control projects, but that nice color screen begged to be a touch screen.The core2 fixes that problem. Gone are the three tactile buttons on the front. They have been replaced with a larger, brighter capacitive touch screen. The touch screen is exactly what this module needed to be a full featured go-to control panel for your IOT and robotics projects. I've only done a few small applications thus far but it was easy to do them with UIFlow.One of the biggest changes to the design - and one to be aware of if you have already invested in the original - has to do with the m-bus interface and the default kit configuration. The original "basic" kit shipped with the "m5base" m-bus compatible baseplate. This baseplate breaks out all the GPIOs to header pins and sockets, and the basic kit actually comes with jumper wires to get the signals to a breadboard. The core2 does away with the baseplate and the I/O while retaining the same thickness (see photos). As a consolation prize they DO include a small expansion board to fill up the m-bus socket hole until you expand. The expansion board has a microphone and an IMU - both absent from the original m5stack - so you're getting more sensors. The downside is if you install an m-bus peripheral you have to pull the expansion board out. Since it's not a full-sized base stacking it onto an added base will be cumbersome; appears to be an either-or option, at least from a mechanical standpoint. I'm kind of mixed on this tradeoff. While the mic and the IMU are nice I've always enjoyed having those pins broken out for quick interface stuff when I don't want to use a grove connector and i2c.Other upgrades include a significantly larger battery (390 mAH vs 110 for the original), a vibration motor, upgraded audio (much better sounding), and a larger power button that doesn't feel as mushy as the original.I'm a big fan of this upgrade. While I wish they would have kept some raw pin I/O capabilities (hence the 4-stars instead of 5), I think the consolation prize of a mic and an IMU was a nice trade. If you're getting into the m5stack system for the first time this is a great unit to start with. If you're upgrading from the existing m5stack I think your main deciders would be the extra battery life and the touchscreen. Otherwise the existing m5stack is still a worthwhile product. The m5stack system is fun and this is a great option.

Great tool for test, dev or learning. Enough sensors to build an interactive prototype.

I love the new touch screen

I’ll give these 2 stars since they are a decent hardware package. The UIFlow software that you are supposed to be able to program them with is extremely buggy, though. The core2 boards constantly reset themselves when flashing, and whenever they turn on, they automatically jump to some portion of the UIFlow application (i.e., if you were setting the WiFi, the board will try to set the WiFi for an hour no matter how many times you turn it off and on). The main problem with the UIFlow software, though, is that the capacitive buttons aren’t used to let you exit apps or settings. Instead, you’re stuck in an app or a setting until you turn the block off and on again, or until you hit the reset button.There are also issues with the Arduino code libraries for this board. You are expected to flash it using the m5stack core2 Arduino board setting, but that limits your esp32 to aspects of the m5stack library they have developed, which do seem very limited. Moving forward, I’m going to look at programing the board and all the different breakout boards inside the cube separately, but we’ll see how that goes.All of that said, this is a great hardware piece, and I feel like the related software will get better as time goes on. But if you’re looking at buying this as an entry board right now, I would go with something a little less buggy.

Broke immediately after trying to upgrade the firmware; no way to recover. Also, the driver support for the touchscreen is lacking currently, so you have to rewrite everything to handle touch inputs vs. physical buttons.Probably good for folks who are trying to dev on it versus my use case of just playing with WiFi and BT scanning featuresI’m sure it’ll be a great device with a few updates, but it’s too new right now. Get the older version unless you explicitly need a touchscreen, or you’ll be spending most of your time rewriting code

I purchased this to develop a basic dash for megasquirt ECUs. I will update as I get more into the development. So far I have issues uploading and connecting to Arduino ide. I would like to try the same product that is offered as a dev kit from expressive and adafruit