M5Stack ESP32-S3-Pico-based devkits: ATOMS3R with 0.85-inch color display, and ATOMS3R Cam with VGA camera

M5Stack ATOMS3R and ATOMS3R Cam are two tiny devkits based on ESP32-S3-Pico system-in-package and a similar design but the first one features a 0.85-inch color color IPS display, while the other is equipped with a GC0308 VGA camera.

Both modules measure just 24x24mm with a thickness of around 13mm, integrate BMM150 and BMI270 motion sensors, offer GPIO expansion through female headers and a grove connector, and feature an infrared transmitter and a USB Type-C port for power and programming. Those are the second devkits based on the ESP32-S3-Pico SiP after we covered the tiny OMGS3 module earlier this week.

M5Stack ATOMS3R with display

ATOMS3R specifications:

SiP – Espressif ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8
- SoC
  - ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with 512KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM
  - Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 LE + Mesh
- Memory – 8MB QSPI PSRAM
- Storage – 8MB QSPI flash
Display – 0.85-inch color IPS screen with 128×128 resolution; GC9107 driver
Sensors
- 3-axis BMM150 geomagnetic sensor
- 6-axis BMI270 attitude sensor
USB – 1x USB-C port for power and programming
Expansion
- 5-pin + 4-pin females headers with 6x GPIO pins, 5V, 3.3V, GND
- 4-pin Grove connector with I2C, GPIO, ADC, or UART
Misc
- Programmable button (“inside”)
- Reset button
- IR Tx LED
Power Supply – 5V via USB-C port
Dimensions – 24 x 24 x 12.9mm
Weight – 6.7 grams

Applications include motion detection and direction sensing, wearable devices, smart device control, and various IoT applications. It’s an evolution of the earlier AtomS3 with basically the same specifications, but different motion sensors moving from 6-axis to 9-axis motion control, 8MB PSRAM, and an “enhanced 3D antenna”.

M5Stack ATOMS3R Cam with camera

ATOMS3R Cam specifications:

SiP – Espressif ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8 as described above
Camera – GC0308 camera sensor with 0.3 MP (VGA resolution)
Sensors
- 3-axis BMM150 geomagnetic sensor
- 6-axis BMI270 attitude sensor
USB – 1x USB-C port for power and programming
Expansion
- 5-pin + 4-pin females headers with 6x GPIO pins, 5V, 3.3V, GND
- 4-pin Grove connector with I2C, GPIO, ADC, or UART
Misc
- User LED (GPIO18)
- Reset button
- IR Tx LED
Power Supply – 5V via USB-C port
Dimensions – 24 x 24 x 13.5mm
Weight – 7.3 grams

It can be used as a driver-free USB camera, for motion detection and direction sensing, as a wearable device, a smart device controller, and various IoT applications.

Software, documentation, and availability

Like other M5Stack platforms, the ATOMS3R devkits support Arduino, UIFLOW 2.0, and MicroPython programming, and the Cam model comes pre-installed with UVC firmware so it can be easily connected to a host through USB without the need for additional drivers. Both use the same Arduino code as the previous generation ATOMS3 which you can find on Github, including a camera-specific sample working on the ATOMS3R Cam devkit. I struggled a bit more finding MicroPython documentation, but apparently, you’ll need to install the UIFlow “visual programming” firmware to use MicroPython programming on the devkit. You’ll find more hardware and technical details including power consumption numbers on the documentation website.

Both M5Stack development kits are available now with the ATOMS3R going for $17.50 on AliExpress and the ATOMS3R Cam for $19.95 plus shipping. You’ll also find those on the M5Stack store, and they should soon come up on the company’s Amazon store.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.