Flipper Zero
Pocket hardware multi-tool with Sub-GHz radio, 125 kHz RFID, NFC, infrared, iButton, USB and GPIO interfaces.
- Platform
- STM32WB55 (Arm Cortex-M4/M0+) running Flipper firmware
- Builds
- 05
Independent hardware magazineProgrammable gadgets.
Programmable gadgets.
Things worth building.
DEVICES 35BUILDS 78GUIDES 12
Pick a programmable gadget, then follow it into the projects, code and practical guides that make it worth owning.
Browse all devices ↗Start with a platform
View all devices ↗Popular gadget paths
01 / On the bench
View all devices ↗Programmable devices with somewhere to go
Cardputer
Pocket ESP32-S3 computer with a 56-key keyboard, 1.14-inch display, audio, infrared, microSD and expansion access.
- Platform
- Espressif ESP32-S3 (StampS3), Arduino/ESP-IDF/UIFlow
- Builds
- 06
Core2
Stackable ESP32 IoT controller with a 2-inch capacitive touchscreen, battery, IMU, speaker and Grove expansion.
- Platform
- Espressif ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3, Arduino/ESP-IDF/UIFlow
- Builds
- 03
T-Deck
Pocket ESP32-S3 communicator platform with keyboard, trackball, 2.8-inch touchscreen, audio and optional LoRa radio.
- Platform
- Espressif ESP32-S3 with optional SX1262 LoRa
- Builds
- 05
XIAO ESP32S3 Sense
Thumb-sized ESP32-S3 board bundled with an OV2640 camera, digital microphone and microSD support for vision and audio projects.
- Platform
- Espressif ESP32-S3, Arduino/ESP-IDF/CircuitPython
- Builds
- 04
Raspberry Pi 5
General-purpose Linux single-board computer with a quad-core Cortex-A76 CPU, dual 4K display output, GPIO and PCIe expansion.
- Platform
- Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Arm Cortex-A76, Raspberry Pi OS/Linux · Linux
- Builds
- 06
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Compact Linux board with a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, 512 MB RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and camera connectivity.
- Platform
- Raspberry Pi RP3A0 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53, Raspberry Pi OS/Linux · Linux
- Builds
- 07
MacroPad RP2040
Programmable 3×4 mechanical-key macro pad with an RP2040, rotary encoder, OLED, RGB LEDs and speaker.
- Platform
- Raspberry Pi RP2040, CircuitPython/Arduino · Circuitpython
- Builds
- 01
Badger 2040 W
Wireless programmable e-paper badge with a 2.9-inch monochrome display, five front buttons and battery support.
- Platform
- Raspberry Pi RP2040 plus Infineon CYW43439, MicroPython/C++ · Micropython
- Builds
- 01
ESP32-S3-BOX-3
ESP32-S3 AIoT development kit with touchscreen, microphone array, speaker and modular sensor accessories.
- Platform
- Espressif ESP32-S3, ESP-IDF/Arduino
- Builds
- 03
Playdate
Pocket game console with a 1-bit 400×240 display, buttons, accelerometer, Wi-Fi and a side-mounted analog crank.
- Platform
- Arm Cortex-M7, Playdate SDK (Lua/C) · LUA
- Builds
- 03
HackRF One
Open-source USB software-defined radio peripheral for half-duplex transmission or reception from 1 MHz to 6 GHz.
- Platform
- LPC4320 Cortex-M4/M0 with MAX2837/RFFC5072 RF chain, libhackrf/GNU Radio
- Builds
- 03
02 / What people make
Browse all projects ↗Open-source projects built on these gadgets
01
Stack-chan desktop robot
Open-source palm-sized companion robot using an M5Stack display as an animated face with servo-driven movement.
02
Meshtastic off-grid communicator
Run Meshtastic's open-source LoRa mesh firmware on supported T-Deck hardware for off-grid text and telemetry.
03
MagicMirror² smart mirror
Build a modular full-screen information dashboard commonly mounted behind a two-way mirror.
04
BirdNET-Pi acoustic bird monitor
Continuously identify nearby bird calls from a microphone and publish detections through a local web interface.
05
CircuitPython hotkey MacroPad
Assign per-application keyboard shortcuts, labels and encoder actions to the twelve-key MacroPad.
06
PyPortal weather station
Fetch online weather data over Wi-Fi and present forecasts and conditions on the touch display.
07
ESP-BOX ChatGPT demo
Reference application connects ESP-BOX voice input and screen output to an online conversational API.
08
Playorama crank-controlled video player
Open-source crank-controlled video player demonstrates media conversion and frame playback on Playdate.
09
PortaPack MAYHEM firmware
Open-source firmware turns HackRF plus PortaPack hardware into a portable spectrum-analysis and radio experimentation platform.
03 / Start here
Read all guides ↗Practical hardware guides, not filler
How to choose a pocket ESP32 gadget: Cardputer vs T-Deck vs T-Embed
The Cardputer is the best low-cost choice for typing and experimenting with self-contained ESP32 apps; the T-Deck is the stronger communicator because it combines a larger touch display, keyboard, trackball and optional LoRa; the T-Embed is the compact control-panel choice built around a rotary encoder. Choose the input method and radio you need before comparing firmware ecosystems, because those differences matter more than headline processor specifications.
3 devices
Flipper Zero first-week setup: firmware, apps and safe experiments
Spend the first week on official firmware: update it, prepare a reliable microSD card, learn the application catalog and test only devices you own. Custom firmware can wait until you understand recovery, regional radio limits and which extra features you actually need.
1 devices
Build an off-grid LoRa messenger with T-Deck
A T-Deck can become a practical off-grid text terminal when you buy the correct regional LoRa variant, attach the matching antenna, and flash firmware that explicitly supports its keyboard and display. Meshtastic is the easiest ecosystem-first choice, while MeshCore suits a focused companion-radio network.
1 devices
Start an edge-AI camera project: XIAO Sense vs Nicla Vision vs Watcher
Choose XIAO ESP32S3 Sense for the lowest-cost camera prototype, Nicla Vision for a compact OpenMV/TinyML development board with richer onboard sensing, and SenseCAP Watcher for a packaged event-detection appliance that integrates with automation systems. Prove capture and lighting first, then measure an inference model on examples from the real deployment rather than trusting a demo score.
3 devices