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Tab5 projects and builds

5-inch 1280×720 ESP32-P4 touch terminal with ESP32-C6 Wi-Fi 6, a 2 MP camera, audio, USB host, RS485 and M5-Bus expansion; battery depends on the C145 or K145 package.

Official page ↗Buying-link policy
Tab5 product photograph
Image: M5Stack product photography ↗ · Original image asset ↗Official M5Stack product photograph; creator beyond M5Stack is not identified and a reusable licence is unverified. Published under the site owner's standing editorial image-risk approval, not a claimed licence. Original 1200×1200 JPEG (served at a .webp-suffixed URL) resized to 1000×1000 and encoded as WebP at quality 82 for device identification, with attribution and original source retained. Remove or replace promptly if the rights holder objects.

Why it belongs on the bench

Tab5 is M5Stack's 5-inch 1280×720 touch terminal built around an ESP32-P4, with 16 MB flash, 32 MB PSRAM and an ESP32-C6 companion for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6. A 2 MP SC2356 camera, dual microphones, speaker, microSD, USB-A host, USB-C OTG, RS485 and M5-Bus give it a useful starting point for a custom control panel without assembling a separate display stack. The base C145 package excludes the NP-F550 battery; K145 includes it. On 18 October 2026 the official store listed those packages at $55 and $60 respectively, before any shipping or regional charges; confirm availability separately. Check the screen-controller sticker before choosing firmware: the original ILI9881C/GT911 combination changed to ST7123 in October 2025 and ST7121 in April 2026. M5Stack recommends M5Unified 0.2.23 or later and M5GFX 0.2.30 or later for current screen-reset handling. The linked factory-firmware workbench uses the official ESP-IDF path instead, with a pinned source revision and explicit hardware checks. Treat this as an embedded development terminal, not a general-purpose Android tablet or a guarantee that generic ESP32 examples support every peripheral.

Explore more M5Stack devices and projects.

Tab5 projects and open-source builds

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intermediatetime varies1 device

np2 TAB5 PC-9801 emulator

Turn an ST7123 or ST7121 Tab5 into a PC-9801 emulator, starting with the project's built-in compatible BIOS before adding your own lawful disk images.

retro computing
02
intermediatetime varies1 device

Tab5 factory firmware workbench

Compile M5Stack's Tab5 factory interface with ESP-IDF 5.4.2, check the fitted screen controller, then use the touch interface as a baseline for your own terminal.

hardware demo

Guides for Tab5

Run a PC-9801 emulator on Tab5: screen checks, first boot and disk images

Use np2 TAB5 on an ST7123 or ST7121 Tab5, not the original ILI9881C revision. Start with a blank FAT32 microSD card and the built-in compatible BIOS, then add a disk image you are entitled to use. The author's recommended installer is M5Burner; the pinned source route requires ESP-IDF v5.5 rather than v6.x.

1 devices

Useful alternatives to Tab5

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Cardputer

Pocket ESP32-S3 computer with a 56-key keyboard, 1.14-inch display, audio, infrared, microSD and expansion access.

Platform
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Core2 product photograph
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Core2

Stackable ESP32 IoT controller with a 2-inch capacitive touchscreen, battery, IMU, speaker and Grove expansion.

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M5StickC PLUS2 product photograph
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M5StickC PLUS2

Compact battery-powered ESP32 controller with a 1.14-inch display, IMU, microphone, RTC, infrared emitter and buttons.

Platform
Espressif ESP32-PICO-V3-02, Arduino/ESP-IDF/UIFlow
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04