The ESP32 Rainbow is a small computer with a built-in touch keyboard, an integrated display, and a design that’s inspired by the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, with a keyboard layout and rainbow stripe that should look familiar to fans of the classic computer that was released more than four decades ago.
But this is also a modern device that’s powered by an ESP32-S3 dual-core processor and features some modern components including a microSD card reader for storage and a USB Type-C port for power. It’s also an open hardware design – the design files are available at GitHub. Developer Chris Greening plans to launch a Crowd Supply crowdfunding campaign for the ESP32 Rainbow soon though, for folks that don’t want to go through the trouble of building their own from scratch.
Some of the ESP32 Rainbow’s key features include a 40-key touch keyboard, a 320 x 280 pixel, 16-bit color TT display, stereo 8 ohm speakers, a battery connector, and a headphone jack. There’s also a battery connector and charging unit, an expansion port, and two QWIIC connectors.
While the ESP32 Rainbow’s stock firmware includes a ZX Spectrum emulator, the system should be able to support any other software that’s compatible with low-power ESP32 chips. The board can be programmed via the USB Type-C port.
Greening hasn’t announced a price or finalized a launch date for the crowdfunding campaign yet, but you can sign up at Crowd Supply to be notified when the campaign goes live, or follow Greening’s updates through the ESP32 ZX Spectrum Substack.
via Hackster.io
