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In this article, we will integrate the M5Stack Air Quality Kit with Home Assistant to monitor air quality.

Index

• Air Quality Sensor
• M5Stack Air Quality Kit
  
• Prerequisites
• Configuration in ESPHome
• Device Information

Air Quality Sensor

While air quality may not be a concern for everyone, those of us living in large cities or near industrial areas are increasingly worried about the air we breathe at home. This concern is not unfounded—numerous studies have shown that long-term exposure to pollutants can lead to respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis. Over time, it can also shorten lifespan and increase the risk of chronic illnesses like lung cancer.

From this perspective, home automation can help mitigate these effects by monitoring air quality, sending alerts when pollution levels rise, or even activating ventilation or air purification systems. If you're concerned about overall environmental pollution, you can refer to indexes like the World Air Quality Index.

However, whether you distrust external data (for instance, if monitoring stations are conveniently placed in green zones) or simply want to measure the specific data in your own home, an air quality sensor is essential. When it comes to finding a sensor that is comprehensive, integrable, and reasonably priced, debates always arise.

M5Stack Air Quality Kit

M5Stack is a well-known brand that offers devices like the M5Stack CoreS3SE and the historically significant Atom Echo. In this case, we’ll integrate the M5Stack Air Quality Kit with Home Assistant. This device is based on the ESP32S3FN8 chip and can measure CO2, VOCs, PM1.0, PM2.5, PM4, and PM10 particles, along with temperature and humidity (though some reviews suggest the accuracy of the latter two may be questionable). It also features an e-ink display and a built-in battery.

 

By the way, while this article focuses on integrating the M5Stack  Air Quality Kit with Home Assistant, you can also use it directly with your mobile device to monitor its readings. The video below explains the setup process.

Prerequisites

To integrate the M5Stack Air Quality Kit into Home Assistant, you will need:

• M5Stack Air Quality Kit 
• ESPHome installed in Home Assistant.
• A USB-C cable to power the DATA board (a charging-only cable will not allow software installation).

🥑 If you’re new to ESPHome, I recommend checking out the Academy workshop to get the most of it!

Configuration in ESPHome

Follow these steps to integrate the M5Stack Air Quality Kit into Home Assistant:

1. In Home Assistant, go to your ESPHome plugin, click “New Device,” and then click “Continue.”

2. Name your device (e.g., “ Air Quality Kit”) and click “Next.”

3. Select “ESP32-S3” as the device type. You'll notice that a new block has been created for your device in the background.

4. Click “Skip” and click “Edit” on the device block above. Copy the code that appears and save it, as you will need some parts of it later.

5. Copy the following code (which I found on reddit and edited slightly) and replace the above code in ESPHome.

substitutions:
  devicename: lounge-airq
  friendlyname: Lounge AirQ
  location: Lounge
  sensor_interval: 10s

esphome:
  name: ${devicename}
  friendly_name: ${friendlyname}
  area: ${location}
  platformio_options:
    board_build.mcu: esp32s3
    board_build.name: "M5Stack StampS3"
    board_build.upload.flash_size: 8MB
    board_build.upload.maximum_size: 8388608
    board_build.vendor: M5Stack
  on_boot:
  - priority: 800
    then:
      - output.turn_on: enable
  - priority: 800
    then:
      - pcf8563.read_time

esp32:
  board: esp32-s3-devkitc-1 #m5stack-stamps3
  variant: esp32s3
  framework:
    type: arduino

# Enable logging
logger:

# Enable Home Assistant API
api:
  encryption:
    key: REDACTED

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: REDACTED

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

  # Enable fallback hotspot (captive portal) in case wifi connection fails
  ap:
    ssid: "Lounge-Airq Fallback Hotspot"
    password: REDACTED

captive_portal:

output:
  - platform: gpio
    pin: GPIO10
    id: enable

web_server:
   port: 80
   include_internal: true

i2c:
  sda: GPIO11
  scl: GPIO12
  scan: true
  frequency: 100kHz
  id: bus_a

spi:
  clk_pin: GPIO05
  mosi_pin: GPIO06

time:
  - platform: pcf8563
    address: 0x51
    update_interval: 10min
  - platform: homeassistant
    id: esptime

light:
  - platform: esp32_rmt_led_strip
    rgb_order: GRB
    pin: GPIO21
    num_leds: 1
    rmt_channel: 0
    chipset: SK6812
    name: "LED"
    restore_mode: ALWAYS_OFF
    id: id_led

text_sensor:
  - platform: wifi_info
    ip_address:
      name: IP
    ssid:
      name: SSID
    bssid:
      name: BSSID
    mac_address:
      name: MAC
    dns_address:
      name: DNS

  - platform: template
    name: "VOC IAQ Classification"
    id: iaq_voc
    icon: "mdi:checkbox-marked-circle-outline"
    lambda: |-
      if (int(id(voc).state) < 100.0) {
        return {"Great"};
      }
      else if (int(id(voc).state) <= 200.0) {
        return {"Good"};
      }
      else if (int(id(voc).state) <= 300.0) {
        return {"Light"};
      }
      else if (int(id(voc).state) <= 400.0) {
        return {"Moderate"};
      }
      else if (int(id(voc).state) <= 500.0) {
        return {"Heavy"};
      }
      else {
        return {"unknown"};
      }

  - platform: template
    name: "NOX IAQ Classification"
    id: iaq_nox
    icon: "mdi:checkbox-marked-circle-outline"
    lambda: |-
      if (int(id(nox).state) < 100.0) {
        return {"Great"};
      }
      else if (int(id(nox).state) <= 200.0) {
        return {"Good"};
      }
      else if (int(id(nox).state) <= 300.0) {
        return {"Light"};
      }
      else if (int(id(nox).state) <= 400.0) {
        return {"Moderate"};
      }
      else if (int(id(nox).state) <= 500.0) {
        return {"Heavy"};
      }
      else {
        return {"unknown"};
      }

sensor:
  - platform: scd4x
    co2:
      name: CO2
      id: CO2
      filters:
        - lambda: |-
            float MIN_VALUE = 300.0;
            float MAX_VALUE = 2500.0;
            if (MIN_VALUE <= x && x <= MAX_VALUE) return x;
            else return {};         
    temperature:
      name: CO2 Temperature
      id: CO2_temperature
      filters:
        - lambda: |-
            float MIN_VALUE = -40.0;
            float MAX_VALUE = 100.0;
            if (MIN_VALUE <= x && x <= MAX_VALUE) return x;
            else return {};      
    humidity:
      name: CO2 Humidity
      id: CO2_humidity
      filters:
        - lambda: |-
            float MIN_VALUE = 0.0;
            float MAX_VALUE = 100.0;
            if (MIN_VALUE <= x && x <= MAX_VALUE) return x;
            else return {};      
    altitude_compensation: 0m
    address: 0x62
    update_interval: $sensor_interval

  - platform: wifi_signal # Reports the WiFi signal strength/RSSI in dB
    name: "Wifi Signal dB"
    id: wifi_signal_db
    update_interval: 60s
    entity_category: "diagnostic"

  - platform: sen5x
    id: sen55
    pm_1_0:
      name: "PM 1"
      id: PM1_0
      accuracy_decimals: 2
    pm_2_5:
      name: "PM 2.5"
      id: PM2_5
      accuracy_decimals: 2
    pm_4_0:
      name: "PM 4"
      id: PM4_0
      accuracy_decimals: 2
    pm_10_0:
      name: "PM 10"
      id: PM10_0
      accuracy_decimals: 2
    temperature:
      name: "SEN55 Temperature"
      id: sen55_temperature
      accuracy_decimals: 2
    humidity:
      name: "SEN55 Humidity"
      id: sen55_humidity
      accuracy_decimals: 2
    voc:
      name: VOC
      id: voc
      accuracy_decimals: 2
      algorithm_tuning:
        index_offset: 100
        learning_time_offset_hours: 12
        learning_time_gain_hours: 12
        gating_max_duration_minutes: 180
        std_initial: 50
        gain_factor: 230
    nox:
      name: NOX
      id: nox
      accuracy_decimals: 2      
      algorithm_tuning:
        index_offset: 100
        learning_time_offset_hours: 12
        learning_time_gain_hours: 12
        gating_max_duration_minutes: 180
        std_initial: 50
        gain_factor: 230
    temperature_compensation:
      offset: 0
      normalized_offset_slope: 0
      time_constant: 0
    acceleration_mode: low
    store_baseline: true
    address: 0x69
    update_interval: $sensor_interval

  - platform: template
    name: Temperature
    id: temperature
    lambda: |-
      return (( id(sen55_temperature).state + id(CO2_temperature).state ) / 2 ) - id(temperature_offset).state;
    unit_of_measurement: "°C"
    icon: "mdi:thermometer"
    device_class: "temperature"
    state_class: "measurement"
    update_interval: $sensor_interval
    accuracy_decimals: 2

  - platform: template
    name: Humidity
    id: humidity
    lambda: |-
      return (( id(sen55_humidity).state + id(CO2_humidity).state ) / 2) - id(humidity_offset).state;
    unit_of_measurement: "%"
    icon: "mdi:water-percent"
    device_class: "humidity"
    state_class: "measurement"    
    update_interval: $sensor_interval
    accuracy_decimals: 2

binary_sensor:
  - platform: gpio
    name: Button A
    pin:
      number: GPIO0
      ignore_strapping_warning: true
      mode:
        input: true
      inverted: true
    on_press:
      then:
        - component.update: disp
      
  - platform: gpio
    pin:
      number: GPIO08
      mode:
        input: true
        pullup: true
      inverted: true
    name: Button B
    
  - platform: gpio
    pin:
      number: GPIO46
      ignore_strapping_warning: true
    name: Button Hold

  - platform: gpio
    pin: 
      number: GPIO42
    name: Button Power

button:
  - platform: restart
    name: Restart
    
  - platform: template
    name: "CO2 Force Manual Calibration"
    entity_category: "config"
    on_press:
      then:
        - scd4x.perform_forced_calibration:
            value: !lambda 'return id(co2_cal).state;'

  - platform: template
    name: "SEN55 Force Manual Clean"
    entity_category: "config"
    on_press:
      then:
        - sen5x.start_fan_autoclean: sen55

number:
  - platform: template
    name: "CO2 Calibration Value"
    optimistic: true
    min_value: 400
    max_value: 1000
    step: 5
    id: co2_cal
    icon: "mdi:molecule-co2"
    entity_category: "config"

  - platform: template
    name: Humidity Offset
    id: humidity_offset
    restore_value: true
    initial_value: 0.0
    min_value: -70.0
    max_value: 70.0
    entity_category: "CONFIG"
    unit_of_measurement: "%"
    optimistic: true
    update_interval: never
    step: 0.1
    mode: box

  - platform: template
    name: Temperature Offset
    id: temperature_offset
    restore_value: true
    initial_value: 0.0
    min_value: -70.0
    max_value: 70.0
    entity_category: "CONFIG"
    unit_of_measurement: "°C"
    optimistic: true
    update_interval: never
    step: 0.1
    mode: box

display:
  - platform: waveshare_epaper
    model: 1.54inv2
    id: disp
    cs_pin: GPIO04
    dc_pin: GPIO03
    reset_pin: GPIO02
    busy_pin:
      number: GPIO01
      inverted: false
    full_update_every: 6
    reset_duration: 2ms
    update_interval: 10s
    lambda: |-
      auto now = id(esptime).now().strftime("%H:%M %d/%m/%y").c_str();
      it.printf(it.get_width()/2, 0, id(f12), TextAlign::TOP_CENTER, "${location} @ %s", now);

      it.print(0, 23, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_LEFT, "PM 1: "); 
      it.print(0, 48, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_LEFT, "PM 2.5: "); 
      it.print(0, 73, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_LEFT, "PM 4: "); 
      it.print(0, 98, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_LEFT, "PM 10: "); 
      it.print(0, 123, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_LEFT, "CO2: "); 
      it.print(0, 148, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_LEFT, "VOC: ");
      it.print(0, 173, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_LEFT, "NOX: ");

      it.printf(it.get_width(), 23, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_RIGHT, "%.0f", id(PM1_0).state);
      it.printf(it.get_width(), 48, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_RIGHT, "%.0f", id(PM2_5).state);
      it.printf(it.get_width(), 73, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_RIGHT, "%.0f", id(PM4_0).state); 
      it.printf(it.get_width(), 98, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_RIGHT, "%.0f", id(PM10_0).state);
      it.printf(it.get_width(), 123, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_RIGHT, "%.0fppm", id(CO2).state);
      it.printf(it.get_width(), 148, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_RIGHT, "%.0f", id(voc).state);
      it.printf(it.get_width(), 173, id(f24), TextAlign::TOP_RIGHT, "%.0f", id(nox).state);

font:
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']
    id: f16
    size: 16
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']
    id: f18
    size: 18
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    id: f12
    size: 12
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    id: f24
    size: 24
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    id: f36
    size: 36
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    id: f48
    size: 48
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    id: f32
    size: 32
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']

  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 500
    id: f64
    size: 64
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']

  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 800
    id: f64b
    size: 64
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']

  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Noto Sans Display
      weight: 800
    id: f55b
    size: 55
    glyphs: ['&', '@', '!', ',', '.', '"', '%', '(', ')', '+', '-', '_', ':', '°', '0',
        '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E',
        'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S',
        'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', ' ', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f',
        'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't',
        'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z','å', 'ä', 'ö', '/', 'µ', '³', '’']

  - file: 
      type: gfonts
      family: Material Symbols Sharp
      weight: 400
    id: font_weather_icons_xsmall
    size: 20
    glyphs:
      - "\U0000F159" # clear-night
      - "\U0000F15B" # cloudy
      - "\U0000F172" # partlycloudy
      - "\U0000E818" # fog      
      - "\U0000F67F" # hail
      - "\U0000EBDB" # lightning, lightning-rainy
      - "\U0000F61F" # pouring
      - "\U0000F61E" # rainy
      - "\U0000F61C" # snowy
      - "\U0000F61D" # snowy-rainy
      - "\U0000E81A" # sunny
      - "\U0000EFD8" # windy, windy-variant
      - "\U0000F7F3" # exceptional
  - file: 
      type: gfonts
      family: Material Symbols Sharp
      weight: 400
    id: font_weather_icons_small
    size: 32
    glyphs:
      - "\U0000F159" # clear-night
      - "\U0000F15B" # cloudy
      - "\U0000F172" # partlycloudy
      - "\U0000E818" # fog      
      - "\U0000F67F" # hail
      - "\U0000EBDB" # lightning, lightning-rainy
      - "\U0000F61F" # pouring
      - "\U0000F61E" # rainy
      - "\U0000F61C" # snowy
      - "\U0000F61D" # snowy-rainy
      - "\U0000E81A" # sunny
      - "\U0000EFD8" # windy, windy-variant
      - "\U0000F7F3" # exceptional

  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Open Sans
      weight: 700    
    id: font_clock
    glyphs: "0123456789:"
    size: 70
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Open Sans
      weight: 700    
    id: font_clock_big
    glyphs: "0123456789:"
    size: 100
  - file: "gfonts://Roboto"
    id: font_temp
    size: 28
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Open Sans
      weight: 500    
    id: font_small
    size: 30
    glyphs: "!\"%()+=,-_.:°0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz→»"
  - file:
      type: gfonts
      family: Open Sans
      weight: 500    
    id: font_medium
    size: 45
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6. Important: This code does not include the credentials for connecting the device to your Wi-Fi and Home Assistant instance, so you will need to enter them manually. Specifically, I am referring to the following lines of code that you copied in step 4.

# Enable Home Assistant API
api:
  encryption:
    key: "bg6hash6sjdjsdjk02hh0qnQeYVwm123vdfKE8BP5"

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: "asddasda27aab65a48484502b332f"

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

  # Enable fallback hotspot (captive portal) in case wifi connection fails
  ap:
    ssid: "Assist Fallback Hotspot"
    password: "ZsasdasdHGP2234"



    

7. What you need to do is find the corresponding lines in the code (at the beginning) and add the necessary information.

8. Now, click “Save” and “Install.” Select “Manual download” and wait for the code to compile.

9. When finished, select the “Modern format” option to download the corresponding “.bin” file.

10. Connect the M5Stack Air Quality Kit to your computer using the USB-C data cable via the port on the bottom.

11. Now go to the ESPHome page   and click "Connect." In the pop-up window, select your board and click "Connect."

12. Now click on “Install” and select the '.bin' file obtained in step 9. Again, click on “Install”.

13. Go back to Home Assistant and navigate to Settings > Devices & Services. Your device should be discovered and appear at the top, ready for you to click the “Configure” button. If not, click the “Add Integration” button, search for "ESPHome," and enter your board’s IP address in the "Host" field.

Device information

If you navigate to Settings > Devices & Services > ESPHome and select the M5Stack Air Quality Kit, you'll find several entities providing information about air quality.

Additionally, the buttons on the device's top-left corner have also been exposed as entities. This means you can create an automation to trigger an action when you press them, such as activating your ventilation system.

To set this up, go to Settings > Automations and Scenes > Create Automation. In the "When" section, add a "State" trigger. In the entity field, select the one corresponding to your device (e.g., 'binary_sensor.airq_button_a'), and in the "To" field, choose "On." Then, simply add the desired actions.

Source: AguacaTEC
Author: TitoTB

Taking the MStack Basic as an example, the first step is to refer to the UIFlow firmware burning tutorial and download M5Burner to burn the UIFlow firmware to the controller.

Building an IoT System

If we need to detect air quality. We can stack the PM2.5 Air Quality Module  to the MStack Basic.

Then, in UIFlow, click on "PM2.5" and select "Load Examples" to open the sample code.

Click "Run," and we will see the air quality displayed on the screen.

When we want to drive a stepper motor to actuate certain mechanisms when the PM2.5 concentration is high. We can stack the GRBL  Module.

Next, find the code blocks corresponding to the GRBL module in UIFlow.

Set the motor drive mode at the beginning of the code, here we set it to distance mode.

In the main loop of the program, add a condition based on the PM2.5 concentration, using the value stored in SP for simplicity. When the concentration exceeds 55 (μg/m³), the stepper motor starts rotating. When it falls below 55, the stepper motor stops rotating.

Click "Run," and the system will operate as we set.

Conclusion

In summary, the stackable modular design provides a flexible, efficient, and scalable approach to IoT system development. When combined with the visual and user-friendly programming environment of UIFlow, it makes system construction easier, reduces development costs and risks, and facilitates rapid prototyping and feature expansion.

Next, we will use the M5Stack device as an example to demonstrate the application of RS485 communication in IoT. Here we use RS485 HAT, RS485 HAT consists of a 485 automatic transceiver circuit and a DC-DC buck circuit which can drop an input 12V to 5V.

Setting up the Arduino Environment

First, please refer to the Arduino IDE setup tutorial to complete the basic software installation. And then install the `M5Unified and FastLED libraries` in the library manager, or manually clone and install them from the following GitHub links into the C:\Users\PC\Documents\Arduino\libraries  directory:

*M5Unified: (https://github.com/m5stack/M5Unified)

*FastLED: (https://github.com/FastLED/FastLED)

Setting up the Hardware Environment

Devices needed:

1.  ATOM Matrix x1
2. M5StickC Plus x1
3. RS485 HAT x1
4. Tail485 x1
5.120 Ohm plug-in resistor x1
6. RS485 cable x1
7. 12V power supply x1

Operational steps:

1.Connect the RS485 HAT to the M5stickc Plus.

2. Connect the ATOM Matrix to the Tail485.

 3. Connect a 120-ohm matching resistor is needed at the AB end of RS485.

4. Use a 12V power supply.

5. Connect using the RS485 cable.

RS485 Transmitter

Using the following code, we will utilize the M5stickc Plus + RS485 HAT to create an RS485 transmitter. Pressing button A will send control commands via RS485 to control the color of the receiving end's RGB light.

#include "M5Unified.h"

String command[3] = {"RED\n", "GREEN\n", "BLUE\n"};

uint8_t command_index = 0;

void setup() {

  M5.begin();

  M5.Display.setEpdMode(epd_mode_t::epd_fastest);

  M5.Display.setFont(&fonts::Font4);

  M5.Display.setTextColor(WHITE);

  if (M5.Display.width() < M5.Display.height())

  { /// Landscape mode.

    M5.Display.setRotation(M5.Display.getRotation() ^ 1);

  }

  M5.Display.startWrite();

  M5.Display.setTextSize(1);

  M5.Display.drawCenterString("M5Stack RS485", M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8);

  M5.Display.drawCenterString("Demo", M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8+20);

  M5.Display.setTextSize(1);

  M5.Display.drawCenterString("btnA send command", M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8+60);

  M5.Display.endWrite();

  Serial2.begin(115200, SERIAL_8N1, 26, 0);

  while (1)

  {

    M5.update();

    M5.Display.startWrite();

    if (M5.BtnA.wasClicked()) {

      command_index++;

      if (command_index > 2)

        command_index = 0;

      Serial2.printf("%s", command[command_index].c_str());

      switch (command_index)

      {

      case 0:

        M5.Display.clear(RED);

        break;

      case 1:

        M5.Display.clear(GREEN);

        break;

      case 2:

        M5.Display.clear(BLUE);

        break;

      default:

        break;

      }

      M5.Display.setTextSize(1);

      M5.Display.drawCenterString("M5Stack RS485", M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8);

      M5.Display.drawCenterString("Demo", M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8+20);

      M5.Display.setTextSize(2);

      M5.Display.drawCenterString(command[command_index], M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8+60);

      M5.Display.endWrite();

      break;      

    }

  }

}

void loop() {

  M5.update();

  M5.Display.startWrite();

  if (M5.BtnA.wasClicked()) {

    command_index++;

    if (command_index > 2)

      command_index = 0;

    Serial2.printf("%s", command[command_index].c_str());

    switch (command_index)

    {

    case 0:

      M5.Display.clear(RED);

      break;

    case 1:

      M5.Display.clear(GREEN);

      break;

    case 2:

      M5.Display.clear(BLUE);

      break;

    default:

      break;

    }

  }

  M5.Display.setTextSize(1);

  M5.Display.drawCenterString("M5Stack RS485", M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8);

  M5.Display.drawCenterString("Demo", M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8+20);

  M5.Display.setTextSize(2);

  M5.Display.drawCenterString(command[command_index], M5.Display.width()/2, M5.Display.height()/8+60);

  M5.Display.endWrite();  

}

RS485 Receiver

With the code below, we utilize the ATOM Matrix+Tail485 to create an RS485 receiver. The receiver waits for commands sent by the transmitter and changes the color of the RGB LED.

#include "Arduino.h"

#include <FastLED.h>

#define NUM_LEDS 25

#define DATA_PIN 27

CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];

char terminateChar =  '\n';      

const int bufferLength = 100;    

char serialBuffer[bufferLength];

String rx_str;  

void setup() {

    FastLED.addLeds<NEOPIXEL, DATA_PIN>(leds, NUM_LEDS);

    Serial2.begin(115200, SERIAL_8N1, 32, 26);

}

void loop() {

    if (Serial2.available()) {

        Serial2.readBytesUntil(terminateChar, serialBuffer, bufferLength);

        rx_str = serialBuffer;

        if (rx_str.indexOf("GREEN") != -1) {

            for (int i = 0; i < 25; i++)

                leds[i] = 0x001000;

            FastLED.show();

        }

        else if (rx_str.indexOf("RED") != -1) {

            for (int i = 0; i < 25; i++)

                leds[i] = 0x100000;

            FastLED.show();

        }

        else if (rx_str.indexOf("BLUE") != -1) {

            for (int i = 0; i < 25; i++)

                leds[i] = 0x000010;

            FastLED.show();

        }

    }

}

In the following, we'll use the M5Stack TimerCam as an example and provide a guide to help you set up your own video surveillance project.

We will provide tutorials for four different uses: Web camera, scheduled wake-up capture, push and pull RTSP streaming. However, before getting started, it is necessary to set up the Arduino working environment.

To set up the Arduino environment, we can complete the basic software installation by following the first step in the Arduino IDE environment setup tutorial. And then install the "M5Stack board management" and the "TimerCam-Arduino library" in the Library Manager, or manually clone it from the GitHub link and install it into the "C:\Users\PC\Documents\Arduino\libraries" directory.

1. Set up your webcam

1). Using the code below, we will explain how to initialize the camera, capture a frame of image data, and enable the Webserver Demo for image preview.

// Include the necessary header files

#include "battery.h"

#include "esp_camera.h"

#include <WiFi.h>

#include "soc/soc.h"

#include "soc/rtc_cntl_reg.h"

#include "camera_pins.h"

//Configure the Wi-Fi information for the camera to connect to

const char *ssid     = "******";

const char *password = "******";

void startCameraServer( );

void setup( ) {

}

void loop() {

// After startup, you can view the IP address assigned to the camera by serial communication. Here's the code that will continuously print the IP address for easy viewing

    Serial.print("Camera Ready! Use 'http://");

    Serial.print(WiFi.localIP());

    Serial.println("' to connect");

    delay(1000);

    digitalWrite(2, HIGH);

    delay(1000);

    digitalWrite(2, LOW);

}

2). Modify the code with the WiFi information section, and compile and burn the program to the device. Then, you can use the serial monitor to view the IP address assigned to the camera.

WiFi connected

Camera Ready! Use 'http://192.168.31.11' to connect

For devices on the same network, you can access 192.168.31.11 through a web browser to access the control page, where  can obtain real-time images and adjust image properties.

(Note: You need replace the IP address with the actual IP address printed on the serial monitor).

2. Scheduled wake-up capture

To achieve scheduled wake-up and capture using the RTC (Real-Time Clock) functionality for extended battery life, you can refer the code below. It captures an image during the period between camera startup and entering sleep mode. You can then transmit the image data to another location using a method such as HTTP POST for scheduled capture.

#include "battery.h"

#include "esp_camera.h"

#include <WiFi.h>

#include "soc/soc.h"

#include "soc/rtc_cntl_reg.h"

#include "led.h"

#include "camera_pins.h"

#include "bmm8563.h"

void setup() {

    Serial.begin(115200);

    WRITE_PERI_REG(RTC_CNTL_BROWN_OUT_REG, 0);  // disable   detector

    bat_init();

    led_init(CAMERA_LED_GPIO);

    bmm8563_init();

    // Configuration of the camera includes settings for pins, image size, and compression format.

// Setting a large image size or high image quality may result in insufficient memory allocation, leading to initialization failure.

    camera_config_t config;

    config.ledc_channel = LEDC_CHANNEL_0;

    config.ledc_timer   = LEDC_TIMER_0;

    config.pin_d0       = Y2_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_d1       = Y3_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_d2       = Y4_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_d3       = Y5_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_d4       = Y6_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_d5       = Y7_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_d6       = Y8_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_d7       = Y9_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_xclk     = XCLK_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_pclk     = PCLK_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_vsync    = VSYNC_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_href     = HREF_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_sscb_sda = SIOD_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_sscb_scl = SIOC_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_pwdn     = PWDN_GPIO_NUM;

    config.pin_reset    = RESET_GPIO_NUM;

    config.xclk_freq_hz = 20000000;

    config.pixel_format = PIXFORMAT_JPEG;

    config.frame_size   = FRAMESIZE_UXGA;

    config.jpeg_quality = 10;

    config.fb_count     = 2;

// Initialize the camera

    esp_err_t err = esp_camera_init(&config);

    if (err != ESP_OK) {

        Serial.printf("Camera init failed with error 0x%x", err);

        return;

    }

    sensor_t *s = esp_camera_sensor_get();

//  Initially flip the sensor vertically and adjust brightness and saturatio

s->set_vflip(s, 1);        // flip it back

    s->set_brightness(s, 1);   // up the blightness just a bit

    s->set_saturation(s, -2);  // lower the saturation

    // Set Frame Size

    s->set_framesize(s, FRAMESIZE_QVGA);

    camera_fb_t *fb = NULL;

    esp_err_t res   = ESP_OK;

    // Get a frame of image data

    fb = esp_camera_fb_get();

    if (!fb) {

        Serial.println("Camera capture failed");

    }

    Serial.println("Camera capture OK");

    // Acquired image data

    uint8_t *data_buffer = fb->buf;

    size_t data_len      = fb->len;

    //...................

    // You can perform data processing in this section and send it to the server using the HTTP method.

    //...................

    // Set a 5-second wake-up interval.

    bmm8563_setTimerIRQ(5);

    delay(1000);

}

void loop( ) {

    // Power off.

    // The device enters sleep mode and wakes up after 5 seconds to start executing the program from the beginning. (This only applies when powered by a battery.)

    bat_disable_output();

}

3. Push and pull RTSP streaming

RTSP, short for Real-Time Streaming Protocol, is a network transmission protocol used to control the real-time transmission of data in multimedia applications. It is commonly used in conjunction with streaming media servers and clients to achieve real-time streaming and playback of audio and video content. Here is a brief description of the applications of RTSP and the meanings related to push and pull:

RTSP Applications:

Streaming Media Transmission: RTSP is widely used in streaming media applications such as online video streaming, video-on-demand, and video conferencing. It enables clients to work collaboratively with streaming media servers by negotiating session parameters, controlling playback status, and data transmission methods, thus achieving real-time media data transmission and playback.

Surveillance Systems: RTSP is commonly used in surveillance cameras and camera systems, allowing users to remotely monitor video streams over the network. This is particularly useful for home security, enterprise security, and public safety.

Video Conferencing: RTSP is used in video conferencing applications, allowing multiple participants to share audio and video data in real-time, enabling remote collaboration.

Audio Streaming: RTSP not only supports video streaming but also facilitates the transmission of audio streams. This is important for applications such as audio broadcasting and audio conferences.

Push and Pull

Push: Push refers to the process of sending multimedia data (typically audio and video) from a source to the network, allowing other devices or users to access and play it in real-time. Typically, the media source generates data and then pushes it to a streaming media server using a streaming media transfer protocol (such as RTSP, RTMP, HLS, etc.). The process from the source to the server is called "push".

Pull: Pull refers to the process of retrieving multimedia data from a streaming media server and decoding and playing it at the receiving end. Users or client devices request specific media content from the streaming media server using the same streaming media transfer protocol. This process is called "pull".

In summary, RTSP is an essential protocol for real-time streaming transmission widely used in the multimedia domain, enabling users to transmit and play audio and video data in real-time over the internet. Push involves sending media data to the network, while pull involves retrieving and playing media data from the network. Together, they form the core of streaming media services.

Using the Camera as an RTSP Server

By running the examples -> rtsp_stream code, you can configure the device as an RTSP server. Devices on the same network can access the real-time image by using a media player (such as VLC Player) and accessing rtsp://192.168.xxx.xxx:8554/mjpeg/1 (Note: Please replace the IP address with the actual IP address obtained from the serial monitor).

« ..WiFi connected

RTSP URL: rtsp://192.168.2.175:8554/mjpeg/1

LinkedListElement (0x3ffdb9ac)->(0x3ffdb9ac)->(0x3ffdb9ac)

Creating TSP streamer

Created streamer width=640, height=480

Relevant Links

 rtsp_stream relies on the Micro-RTSP library, which can be installed by following the dependency prompts when installing the TimerCam-arduino library. Alternatively, you can manually clone and install it using the GitHub link provided. VLC Player is a powerful media player that we will use for pulling/streaming tests in the subsequent testing phase.

- Micro-RTSP

- VLC player

VLC Player Pull Streaming

Configuration of Streaming Relay Server

Distributing HTTP Streaming Sources

In the previous demo, we used the camera as an RTSP server, but there are limitations in terms of performance, especially when multiple clients want to pull the stream, it can be challenging. In some cases, you may want to distribute media resources to external servers or live streaming platforms, or achieve stronger multi-device access capabilities. In the following, we will use an open-source RTSP server project combined with the ffmpeg tool to implement streaming (forwarding TimerCAM data to the server) and pulling (clients pulling video resources from the server).

Here we need to burn the camera with the first web_cam demo program mentioned at the beginning of the article, and we can directly access the image stream through http://IP:81/stream.

Visit EasyDarwin - Github releases, download the release version to your local machine, and extract it. Run it as a service and start the server. (Note: Please use the sudo command to run it, otherwise, you may not have permission to open the port.)

cd EasyDarwin

sudo ./start.sh

#sudo ./stop.sh 

Then please use ffmpeg to configure forwarding, and use the IP and port used in the previous demo for TimerCAM's running port and IP. The latter is the IP of the RTSP server (EasyDarwin) (default port 554, followed by a customizable ID number).

Note: Before executing this command, make sure to start the camera and ensure that the image can be previewed correctly on the webpage.

ffmpeg -re -i http://192.168.2.175:81/stream -rtsp_transport tcp -vcodec h264 -f rtsp rtsp://192.168.2.89:554/666

After completing the previous configuration, open a browser and enter http://IP:10008 to access the EasyDarwin control page. The default username and password are admin/admin. (Replace IP with the IP address of the Linux host).

By refreshing the page, we can see a new streaming address added to the control page. We can use general media player software such as VLC to fill in the corresponding streaming address to pull the video and locally cache the recording. Additionally, you can use multiple clients simultaneously for streaming playback.

Distributing Pull Sources

If the camera is being used as an RTSP server, you can also directly configure the pull forwarding in the EasyDarwin backend. For more details, please refer to the EasyDarwin GitHub repository.

Today, we are introducing two CO2 measuring sensors for detecting carbon dioxide concentrations: CO2L Unit and TVOC/eCO2 Unit.

CO2L Unit is a digital CO2 concentration detection unit with a low-power mode designed for single-shot measurements. It features the Sensirion SCD41 sensor and a voltage regulator circuit, and communicates via I2C. This unit is suitable for measuring environmental conditions, with a typical accuracy of ±(40 ppm + 5% of the reading) for CO2 measurements. The measurement range for CO2 is 400 ppm to 5000 ppm, and it can also measure ambient temperature and humidity simultaneously.

TVOC/eCO2 mini Unit is a digital multi-pixel gas sensor unit that integrates the SGP30 sensor internally. It is primarily designed for measuring the concentrations of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and H2 in the air. Through programming, it allows for the measurement of TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) and eCO2 (Equivalent Carbon Dioxide) concentrations. The typical measurement accuracy within the measurement range is 15%. The SGP30 sensor communicates using the I2C protocol and has an on-chip humidity compensation feature that can be enabled with an external humidity sensor. The SGP30 also has a built-in calibration function, allowing users to calibrate it based on known measurement sources. Once internally calibrated, the SGP30 provides stable long-term output. Additionally, it's important to note that eCO2 is derived from H2 concentration, so the TVOC/eCO2 mini Unit cannot fully replace a CO2 sensor.

CO2 Monitoring Solution:

Here, we will introduce three methods to monitor the CO2 levels in the environment using the CO2L Unit and TVOC/eCO2 Unit and display the data on M5Stack Basic.

Method one: Use EasyLoader to get started.

This is the simplest and fastest way, let’s get it started!

Steps:

1. Open the documentation for the CO2L Unit  and  TVOC/eCO2 Unit .

2. Download the Easyloader program for each unit, which is a quick verification program.

3. Click to install when the download is complete. 

4. Select the port (here we choose COM34, but it's worth noting that different computers may display different COM ports, so please select the appropriate port), then click "burn" to start the program burning process.

It’s downloading and burning now.  Once completed, the screen will display "Successfully".

Then, the sensor will begin collecting carbon dioxide data from the air and display it on the Basic. The display effect will be as shown in the following image.

Method two: using source code in Arduino IDE

Next, I’ll lead the way to burn the firmware using the source code. We will use Arduino IDE as the programming environment.

Program CO2L Unit in Arduino IDE

1. The first step is to install the M5Stack development board in the Arduino IDE, which has been covered in our previous article.

2. Open the official documentation for the CO2L Unit , where we provide information about CO2L Unit and its relative code.

3. At the bottom of the documentation page, there are links to download the Arduino sample code. Since we are using the Core series Basic host today, please click on the first link.

4. Open the link and go to the entire project file.

5. Please click on the "Code" here to download the compressed file.

6. Please extract the compressed file into the "libraries" folder within the Arduino installation directory.

7. Open Arduino IDE, and click File>Examples>M5Unit-ENV>Unit_CO2_M5Core

8. Select the board

Select M5Stack-Core-ESP32 and the corresponding port (in this case, it is COM34, but the COM port may differ on different computers). Click OK.

9. Click the right arrow icon to upload the code.

When the upload is complete, we can see that the M5Stack Basic host screen is already displaying the CO2 concentration, as shown in the picture.

ProgramTVOC/eCO2 Unit in Arduino IDE

Next, we will continue to use the TVOC/eCO2 Unit to display the CO2 concentration.

1. Similarly, the first step is to install the M5Stack development board in the Arduino IDE, which has been covered in our previous article .

2. Open the documentation for the TVOC/eCO2 Unit. You can find information about the product and related code. 

3. At the bottom of the documentation, there is a link to download the code.

4. Open the link and go to the entire project file.

5. Please click on the "Code" here to download the compressed file.

6. Please extract the downloaded installation package into the "libraries" folder within the Arduino installation directory.

7. Open Arduino IDE, and click File>Examples>M5Stack>Unit>TVOC-SGP30

8. Select the board

Select M5Stack-Core-ESP32 and the corresponding port (in this case, it is COM34, but the COM port may differ on different computers). Click OK.

9. Click the right arrow icon to upload the code.

When the upload is complete, we can see that the M5Stack Basic host screen is already displaying the CO2 concentration, as shown in the picture.

Method three: using EasyLoader to get started

Finally, we introduce M5Stack’s graphical programming software UIFlow. It is convenient for those who are not familiar with coding.

1.To begin with, you need to install the firmware burning tool "Burner".

Note that different operating systems require different versions of Burner to be downloaded.

M5Burner_Windows: https://m5burner.m5stack.com/app/M5Burner-v3-beta-win-x64.zip

M5Burner_MacOS: https://m5burner.m5stack.com/app/M5Burner-v3-beta-mac-x64.zip

M5Burner_Linux: https://m5burner.m5stack.com/app/M5Burner-v3-beta-linux-x64.zip

Note:

For macOS users, after installing Burner, please move the application to the "Applications" folder as shown in the following image.

For Linux users, navigate to the extracted file directory and run "./M5Burner" in the terminal to launch the application.

2. Firmware Burning

Double-click to open the Burner firmware burning tool. In the left-side menu, select the corresponding device category and choose the firmware that matches your device, and click the“Download”button.

Connect the device to your computer using a Type-C data cable. Burner will automatically select the corresponding COM port. You can use the default configuration for the baud rate in M5Burner. Click "Burn" to start the burning process.

During the firmware burning stage, you need to enter the WiFi information in the WiFi configuration box. The WiFi information will be burned and saved to your M5Stack device along with the firmware.

Then, click "Start" to begin the burning process. Note: If a timeout occurs during the burning process, you can try lowering the baud rate to 115200.

When the burning log displays "Burn Successfully," it indicates that the firmware has been successfully burned.

If this is the first time burning or if the firmware program is running abnormally, you can click on "Erase" in the top right corner to erase the flash memory. In subsequent firmware updates, there is no need to erase again. However, please note that erasing the flash memory will delete the saved Wi-Fi information and refresh the API key.

3. Obtaining API Key

Please connect your M5Stack device to the computer using a Type-C data cable and select the corresponding COM port.

1). Click on "Configuration" to view the API Key information, which will appear in the configuration box. (Please copy and save the API Key as it will be used as credentials for UIFlow communication going forward).

2). Set the "Start Mode" to "Internet Mode." After completing this configuration, the device will automatically restart and enter online programming mode.

3). For further explanation of other configuration options in the configuration box, please refer to the configuration instructions below.

4. M5Burner Configuration Instructions

If you need to modify the configuration file, please connect your M5 device to the computer using a Type-C data cable and select the corresponding COM port. Then, you can click on "Configuration" to make the modifications.

APIKEY: The communication credentials for M5Stack device when using UIFlow web programming.

Start Mode: Configurable startup mode after booting.

Quick Start: Option to enable quick start to skip the startup interface.

Server: Selection of the server.

WiFi: Configuration of WiFi SSID and password.

COMX: Option to enable COMX.LTE network (this feature requires stacking the COMX.LTE module, for detailed instructions, please refer to the "Network Over COM.LTE Tutorial").

APN: Configuration of APN access point for COMX.LTE module. 

5. After completing the above steps, you can now start using UIFlow for programming.

Enter the UIFlow website URL in your browser: https://flow.m5stack.com/

Here, we will choose UIFlow 1.0 for now, as the list of supported devices for UIFlow 2.0 is still being expanded.

① In Step 3, we have got an API Key, and here we enter it in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Then the screen will display “Connected”.

② At the "Add Units" section, add the "CO2L Unit" and select "OK."

Click “Load Examples”

④ Click on "Run" or "Download" (running is for testing the code and you can see the results on the host, but the code will not be saved on the device if power is disconnected. Downloading, on the other hand, will save the code on the device, and it will be retained even if power is disconnected. Choose based on your needs. If you choose to modify the code and upload it again, you will need to re-burn the firmware, which is discussed in Step 2).

The device will now start working as shown in the following image.

For the TVOC/eCO2 mini Unit, just follow the same steps as mentioned above, with the difference being the sensor selection during the unit addition. After completing the addition, select the example code, click "Run," and the device will start functioning normally.

Today's tutorial is complete here.

For an introduction to UIFlow statements, you can refer to https://docs.m5stack.com/en/quick_start/m5core/uiflow.

In the future, we will have a dedicated section specifically for explaining UIFlow statements. Stay tuned for that!

Link: M5Stack Core2 - Slaganje cigala i u mreži - SVET KOMPJUTERA (sk.rs)

Translate: M5Stack

 M5Stack is a company engaged in the production of hardware and software in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT). Their most famous product series is the stackable devices, hence the name. These devices can be microcontroller boards, development boards with screens, sensors, and more. There are various solutions available with different sizes, power, and hardware functionalities (Stack, Stick, Atom). The common feature is that they can be stacked together. This allows for ready-made solutions suitable for different needs and projects. We obtained the Core2 from M5Stack, which is a standalone and complete device.

One impressive aspect of Core2 is the availability and completeness of the hardware and software created by M5Stack... 

The Core2 is a compact device, measuring approximately 54x54x16 millimeters and enclosed in a white plastic casing. At the heart of the system lies the Espresif ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 microcontroller. This dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX6 chip operates at a frequency of 240 megahertz. M5Stack has added additional memory, including 16 megabytes of flash memory and 8 megabytes of PSRAM.

Unlike typical ESP32 modules found in the market (with onboard antennas), the Core2 doesn't follow that form factor. Instead, it provides an interface for an external antenna, allowing the manufacturer to have flexibility in antenna design. In this case, M5Sttack have opted for a 3D antenna, which is clearly a superior solution compared to a printed antenna. The ESP32 itself can connect to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, although only one radio can be used at a time, with both sharing the same antenna. 

Core2 utilizes a USB-C interface for programming and power supply, which uses the CH9102F UART for communication with a computer and is equipped with a circuit for automatically downloading user programs. There is also a JST connector on the board for the same purpose. It is worth noting that M5Stack can be stacked, and the USB interface can be extended using a cable. Core2 can be powered by a battery, and surprisingly, it is equipped with a 390 milliamp-hour lithium-ion battery integrated into the bottom gray casing cover. The AXP192 chip is responsible for battery management, and this programmable circuit is connected to the ESP32 chip via the I2C interface. The chip controls power consumption and notifies the status through the PWR LED. Additionally, it also allows for device shutdown through software. The SY7088 is used as a boost converter. There are two buttons on the casing, 'RST' and 'PWR', with the latter connected to the AXP192. Furthermore, the Core2 casing is secured with internal hex screws and comes with an accompanying wrench with a data cable.

Core2 comes with a rich set of features, and the bottom cover is labeled with tags. Despite being small, each aspect of the device is clearly marked, including pin layouts and other identifiers. If Core2 is used as a clock, it is equipped with the BM8563 real-time clock (RTC) chip, onnected to the ESP32 via the I2C interface. We haven't utilized the RTC functionality yet, but there are corresponding libraries available on the Arduino IDE. Additionally, there is a microSD card slot, a vibration motor, and a speaker. The speaker faces the NS4168 I2S audio driver, providing excellent sound effects. The motor is directly connected to the AXP192. In Core2, the AXP192 plays a more important role, with many EN pins connected to it. This applies to the NS4168, BM8563, and even the LED.

However, the most notable feature is undoubtedly the 2-inch color screen with an integrated capacitive touchscreen (FT6336U). The screen has a resolution of 320x240 pixels and is driven by the ILI9342C driver. We are very pleased with the screen display; although it may not compare to smartphone screens, it is excellent for the purpose of a development board. If you find that the screen calibration and touch sensitivity are not satisfactory, you can download M5TOOL from the official DOCS page to upgrade the firmware. There are three clearly marked touch areas below the screen that can be programmed as needed.

Core2 is equipped with two expansion ports. The smaller four-pin Grove on the side is actually an I2C interface. Grove is a variant of Seeedstudio, similar to QWIIC, STEMMA, easyC, and others. However, unlike other listed variants, M5Stack's Grove has a wider pin spacing and is not compatible with other brands. At the bottom, there is a large 2x15 female header, which is connected to the unused pins of the ESP32. All labels are clearly printed on the bottom, and Core2 can be powered using regulated voltage through the 5V pin. This header can also be used to stack additional modules, and these modules can have any functionality. Core2 comes with a smaller base (M5GOBottom2) that can fit perfectly into the casing and act as a cover for the header. It features the MPU6886 and SPM1423 chips. The former is a motion-tracking sensor that combines a three-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, while the latter is a microphone. 

All M5Stack development boards are available in the ESP32 package in the Arduino IDE. For full hardware functionality, M5Stack provides corresponding Arduino libraries. However, M5Stack recommends adding special support through the JSON software package:

https://m5stack.oss-cn-shenzhen.aliyuncs.com/resource/arduino/package_m5stack_index.json,

which helps reduce the hassle when programming and interacting with the internal hardware of Core2. The same approach applies to libraries added for the specific hardware used, such as M5Core2, through "Include Library -> Manage Libraries...". The list of libraries to be installed is quite long. Hardware management is divided into five sections: AXP192, CORE2 LCD, Button, TOUCH, and RTC, each with its own corresponding and well-documented library available. For example, printing "Hello World" typically requires only a few lines of code:

#include <M5Core2.h>

Void setup(){

M5.begin();

M5.Lcd.print("Hello World!");

}

Void loop(){

}

The graphics API does not adhere to the familiar AdafruitGFX, but it has very detailed documentation and allows for creative freedom. It enables drawing various geometric shapes and also supports loading bitmaps from the microSD card. The documentation page (DOCS) is highly detailed, and we really have no complaints in this regard.

Arduino is not the only starting point for learning programming with this device. M5Stack offers UIFlow, MicroPython, and .NET nanoFramework as alternative options. MicroPython does not have a dedicated compiler but can utilize the general compiler of the ESP32. We are not familiar with this approach and have not had any experience with it. However, the most interesting option is undoubtedly UIFlow (www.flow.m5stack.com). This "programming language" is actually a visual "blocks" language. If you recall our discussion about BBC micro:bit and MakeCode, there are many similarities here. It's similar to MIT App Inventor as well. It's a visual block-based approach but based on Python. Above the toolbar, besides the project name, there is a tab to switch between the "block world" and the "Python world" editors. Before any programming, you need to download the M5Burner tool, which is used to load the necessary firmware and the interface for interacting with the "blocks" into the Core2, as well as local network data. We know that these parameters are not cleared when loading user programs. In addition to input parameters, M5Burner also displays the API key, which is important for establishing a connection between UIFlow and Core2.

Let's continue discussing UIFlow. The top toolbar of UIFlow contains various tools and shortcuts. Here, you can open new projects, save existing projects, and more. However, the most important option is "Settings," where you can select the device, port, and enter the API key. After that, you can choose whether to connect Core2 to the computer via a data cable or program it without connecting the data cable. Yes, Core2 supports wireless programming (Over the Air, OTA), similar to MikroElektronika's CodeGrip (although CodeGrip is actually something else). After opening Core2, three options are displayed on the screen: App, UIFlow, and Setup. We are interested in the second option, where we can choose the programming mode, either USB or Wi-Fi. We choose Wi-Fi and disconnect the USB cable from Core2. There is a detailed tutorial on the assembly of "blocks" on the DOCS page, so we won't go into detail here. The UIFlow interface consists of a left section, which can be called a graphical drag-and-drop screen designer, and the middle section is a strip of basic blocks that we can simply drag into the editor on the right. Once the "construction" is complete, the "modules" are loaded onto Core2 almost instantly (in less than a second) by clicking the "Run" button. 

We are absolutely thrilled with the availability of M5Stack in terms of hardware and software. The efforts put into it have yielded significant results. It is fascinating, especially with Core2, as it can be used directly as a finished product without any modifications. For instance, it can display data from a server and more, without even requiring a case. It is evident that it can be flexibly stacked according to needs. What's even more interesting is that it can be programmed anywhere as long as it is connected to the internet. We highly recommend it without a doubt.

ESP Tool (espressif.github.io)

2). Connect M5Core2 with USB cable

Select a lower baud rate and then click the Connect button.

Select the serial port number of M5Core2 in the pop-up window.

3). Erase

Once connected, the next page will show the correct model and version of the M5Core2's ESP32 chip.

Click the Erase Flash button to start erasing the Flash chip!

When "Chip erase completed successfully ..." is displayed, it means that the M5Core2 flash chip has been successfully erased. As mentioned earlier, the erasing process may take some time due to the different actual capacities of the flash chip. Please be patient and wait a while. In addition, this website is not limited to the erase function, but also allows you to burn firmware. You can explore this functionality separately, as it is beyond the scope of this discussion.

Now, we have successfully used Esptool-js to erase the Flash chip of M5Core2.

Next, we will present the final method.

Flash Download Tools

Introduction:

Flash Download Tools is a GUI tool designed for the Windows platform. This tool can be used to program not only ESP32 series chips but also chips such as ESP8266 and ESP8285. It also provides batch programming for mass production. In this article, we will only discuss how to erase the flash chip.

To get started, you will need to download the tool from the following link:Tools | Espressif Systems

How to use Flash Download Tools to erase the Flash chip of M5Core2

1). We need to extract the downloaded files.

Once the extraction is complete, we will see the list of files shown in the image below.

This tool does not need to be installed. You can simply double-click it to run it. The documentation can be found in the red box.

2). View the serial port number in Device Manager

Connect M5Core2 to your computer using a USB cable, and then open Device Manager.

The serial port number here is COM28, the numbers may vary for different devices. Please check the actual serial port number on your computer. If you have multiple devices connected, please disconnect the others and ensure that only one M5Core2 device is connected to the computer.

 3). Open the tool and begin to erase!

Here we select "ESP32" for ChipType. If you are using a device with a different chip model, select the specific chip model accordingly. For WorkMode and LoadMode you can leave the default options. The tool interface will look like the image below.

At the bottom right, select the serial port number we checked in step two from the COM drop-down menu. If you have more than one device connected, make sure you do not select the wrong one to avoid accidentally erasing another device's flash or causing an error. Once you have made your selection, click the ERASE button to start the erasing process. Wait a while and when you see "FINISH" it means that the flash chip has been successfully erased.

Congratulations! You have successfully used Flash Download Tools to erase the Flash chip in M5Core2.

Summary:

In this tutorial, using M5Core2 as an example, we have presented three methods for erasing the ESP32 flash chip. Each method can be used and you can choose the one that suits you best.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_dev_index.json

In this turial, we use M5Stack’s development boards,so in this step, just copy the following M5Stack board manager URL and paste it into the Additional Board Manager URLs:https://m5stack.oss-cn-shenzhen.aliyuncs.com/resource/arduino/package_m5stack_index.json 

3.Select Tools -> Board -> Board Manager

4. Installing ESP32 Board in Arduino IDE

In this tutorial, M5Stack's Basic Core is an example for leading. Thus, in this step, please enter "M5Stack" in the search field and click Install.

And if you use other ESP32 controllers, please enter "ESP32" in the search field and click Install.

5. Selecting the Board

In this step, please select Tools -> Board -> M5Stack Arduino -> M5Stack-Core-ESP32. And currently, various M5Stack controller options are available for selection.

6. Programming ESP32 with Arduino IDE

Now, you can program the device using Arduino IDE and conveniently use it alongside hardware like Arduino Uno to unlock additional functionalities.  In this step, an example demo of Basic Core is uploaded, and you can see, the code is synchronized with the device. Now, you can start your own programming projects.

https://twitter.com/robo8080/status/1631224076005179393

As more and more users joined, Stack-chan's form and use became more diverse. Earlier this year, Chat-GPT became popular, and many users started trying to connect M5Stack devices to OpenAI's API. User @robo8080 combined Stack-chan and Chat-GPT to create an AI version of Stack-chan. The intelligence level of the AI version of Stack-chan was significantly improved, and it quickly gained a lot of attention and popularity.

https://twitter.com/lewangdev/status/1675709684664369153

Stack-chan themselves has no special mission to solve. They just live. They have multiple communication modalities such as speech and gaze. In despite of its small size, Stack-chan has a very lifelike appearance with its eyes and breathing.

This behavior is achieved by simulating neurophysiological phenomena such as saccadic eye movements.

But who cares about the detail? However, what truly matters is that everyone treats Stack-chan as a real child and loves it dearly. In fact, some users have even started discussing what style of commemorative shirts to create for Stack-chan.