Adafruit MagTag
Adafruit's MagTag can hold everything you've ever wanted in an e-Ink fridge magnet. First, the screen itself is a comfortable 2.9″ featuring a 298x128x4 grayscale image. The 4-level grayscale is an excellent design choice, allowing for improved image rendering while keeping display updates to around one second (tri-color black, white, red displays often have long times update). Above the display are four downward-lit RGB NeoPixels that create a kind of display panel lighting effect. Below the display, mirroring the LEDs, are four buttons connected to the GPIO pins. A light sensor completes the devices present on the front of the board.
The brain of the operation is an ESP32-S2 microcontroller. This latest iteration of the ESP line of Wi-Fi-enabled microcontrollers adds native USB support, allowing Adafruit to deploy CircuitPython on the platform. But that's not all that's on the back. There's a connector and charge controller for a LiPo battery and a handy space to secure a battery with double-sided tape. Crammed around this are a small speaker and a three-axis accelerometer.
Along the edge of the MagTag we find a few connectors and switches. There is a STEMMA QT connector providing power and an I2C serial connection for adding sensors and peripherals. STEMMA QT peripherals are designed to be daisy-chained from a single connector and are compatible with SparkFun's QWIIC system. There are also two "STEMMA" JST connectors providing power and access to a digital pin and an analog pin. The device is programmed or powered via a USB-C connector and there is a power switch at the top.
The MagTag is sold alone or as part of the MagTag Starter Kit. The starter kit includes a battery, faceplates, and four magnetic feet that screw into four M3 standoffs at the corners of the board. It's the four magnetic feet (which can also be purchased separately from the kit) that turn the MagTag into a Wi-Fi enabled fridge magnet. I can't help but think this rig would make a great badge if only there was an easy way to attach a lanyard.
To get started with the MagTag, I first chose the Arduino IDE, following the
Adafruit's MagTag can hold everything you've ever wanted in an e-Ink fridge magnet. First, the screen itself is a comfortable 2.9″ featuring a 298x128x4 grayscale image. The 4-level grayscale is an excellent design choice, allowing for improved image rendering while keeping display updates to around one second (tri-color black, white, red displays often have long times update). Above the display are four downward-lit RGB NeoPixels that create a kind of display panel lighting effect. Below the display, mirroring the LEDs, are four buttons connected to the GPIO pins. A light sensor completes the devices present on the front of the board.
The brain of the operation is an ESP32-S2 microcontroller. This latest iteration of the ESP line of Wi-Fi-enabled microcontrollers adds native USB support, allowing Adafruit to deploy CircuitPython on the platform. But that's not all that's on the back. There's a connector and charge controller for a LiPo battery and a handy space to secure a battery with double-sided tape. Crammed around this are a small speaker and a three-axis accelerometer.
Along the edge of the MagTag we find a few connectors and switches. There is a STEMMA QT connector providing power and an I2C serial connection for adding sensors and peripherals. STEMMA QT peripherals are designed to be daisy-chained from a single connector and are compatible with SparkFun's QWIIC system. There are also two "STEMMA" JST connectors providing power and access to a digital pin and an analog pin. The device is programmed or powered via a USB-C connector and there is a power switch at the top.
The MagTag is sold alone or as part of the MagTag Starter Kit. The starter kit includes a battery, faceplates, and four magnetic feet that screw into four M3 standoffs at the corners of the board. It's the four magnetic feet (which can also be purchased separately from the kit) that turn the MagTag into a Wi-Fi enabled fridge magnet. I can't help but think this rig would make a great badge if only there was an easy way to attach a lanyard.
To get started with the MagTag, I first chose the Arduino IDE, following the
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