Tanmatsu handheld terminal features ESP32-P4 RISC-V MCU, QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth, 802.15.4, and LoRa connectivity

Tanmatsu is a handheld terminal device for hackers, makers, and tech enthusiasts based on the 400 MHz ESP32-P4 RISC-V microcontroller, including a QWERTY keyboard, and supporting various connectivity options with WiFi, Bluetooth LE, 802.15.4, and even LoRa in the 433 MHz or 868/915MHz bands.

The handheld computer also features a 3.97-inch MIPI DSI display, a built-in speaker and a 3.5mm audio jack, and various expansion connectors such as a Qwiic connector for I2C/I3C modules, and PMOD and SAO expansion connectors.

Tanmatsu specifications:

Microcontrollers
- Espressif ESP32-P4 dual-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 400MHz with 32MB of built-in PSRAM
- WCH CH32V203C8T6 32-bit RISC-V microprocessor @ up to 144 MHz with 20KB SRAM, 64KB flash used for keyboard matrix and power management
Storage
- 16MB flash for firmware
- MicroSD card slot supporting SD cards at 3.3v and 1.8v voltage levels (SDIO 3)
Display – 3.97-inch MIPI DSI display with 800 x 480 resolution, 65,536 colors
Audio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Built-in speaker
Wireless
- ESP32-C6 radio module for WiFi, BLE, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread and ZigBee) mesh networking connectivity
- Ai-Thinker Ra-01S or Ra-01SH LoRa module working at 433MHz or 868/915MHz
- Antenna – PCB antenna or external SMA antenna
USB – USB-C port
User input – QWERTY keyboard
Expansion
- I2C and I3C via Qwiic compatible JST-SH style connector
- Side-facing expansion port with both SAO (Simple Add-ons) and PMOD capabilities
- Back-facing expansion port for expanding functionality using personality modules
Power Supply – 2000 mAh/3.7V Lithium polymer battery
Dimensions – 13.5 x 12 x 1.8 cm
Weight – 215 grams with case and battery

We’re not given too many details about the software, but the Tanmatsu will have a launcher menu for easy access to multiple applications and firmware, and access to user-generated content and applications repository via the hub app.

The hardware design will be made fully open source and available under a CERN-OHL-P license with KiCAD schematics and PCB layout release. The board support package (BSP) and launcher firmware will also be made open source under an MIT license. We are not told when all this will be released, but we can probably assume this will happen once devices are shipping. A few more technical details may be found on the documentation website.

Nicola Electronics is taking pre-orders for 120 Euros including VAT, or 99 Euros for users outside of Europe. Deliveries are scheduled to start in April 2025. Note that the company stresses that “initial batch of Tanmatsu devices is targeted at developers only” since the firmware is still a work in progress.

Via Liliputing

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.