M5Stack Core2 ESP32 IoT Development Kit w/ 2-Inch Touch Screen

You can program the Core2 using the Arduino IDE, UIFlow (a web-based Blockly/MicroPython platform), or directly with MicroPython. For Arduino, install the ESP32 board support via the Boards Manager and add the M5Stack library. For UIFlow, connect the device via USB to the UIFlow web IDE. All methods utilize the USB Type-C port for both power and serial communication, requiring no external programmers.

The AXP192 is a dedicated power management integrated circuit (PMIC) that handles charging the internal 390mAh Li-Po battery, regulates voltage for the ESP32 and peripherals, monitors battery levels, and enables deep sleep modes to minimize power consumption. It provides stable power rails, manages the USB Type-C input, and controls the power sequencing for the display and sensors, which is crucial for reliable portable operation.

Yes, expansion is straightforward via the Grove-compatible M-Bus socket on the bottom, which provides I2C, digital I/O, and UART pins. You can connect hundreds of Grove modules. Additionally, the 20-pin bus on the back is designed for stacking other M5Stack units (faces). The microSD slot supports cards up to 16GB for data storage. For advanced projects, you can also access the ESP32's unused GPIOs via the pin headers.

The three circular icons on the front are capacitive touch pads, not physical buttons. They are connected to the FT6336U touch controller and are fully programmable in your code. You can define them as soft keys for menu navigation, mode selection, or triggering specific actions in your application. Their touch status is read via I2C, allowing for custom press, hold, and release event handling in Arduino or MicroPython.