Bill of materials
| Part | Spec | ~Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-2.8 | ST7789 240×320 IPS · 5-pt CST328 touch · I2S amp + volume dial · SD slot · Wi-Fi/BLE · speakers included in the kit | $35 | amazon · waveshare |
| Battery (optional) | MakerFocus 3.7V 2000 mAh 1S LiPo (103450) w/ protection board, JST 1.25 — fits under the board inside the case | $22 / 4-pack | amazon |
| microSD card | any 8 GB+, FAT32 — holds her face & sound pack; the default Hermes CRT pack ships in the repo, and a community Pack Exchange is on the roadmap | $6 | anywhere |
| Brass standoffs + M2.5 bolts | 4× standoffs raise the board for battery clearance; M2.5 bolts secure the case bottom | $8 | amazon link soon |
| USB-C cable | data-capable, to your gateway machine | — | your drawer |
| Case coming | snap-fit 3D-printable landscape stand — CAD + Bambu 3MF will live in the repo. No printer? A print-on-demand button is planned | filament | this site |
Assembly
- 1. Flash the firmware — from your browser on the FLASH page (WebSerial, Chrome/Edge), or with PlatformIO from the repo
- 2. Load the SD card — copy the
hermes-buddy/asset pack (face animations, sounds) to a FAT32 card, insert - 3. Plug a speaker — the kit's included speaker goes straight into the board's speaker jack; set the on-board volume dial to taste
- 4. Battery (optional) — the LiPo plugs into the BAT connector and tucks under the board; four brass standoffs give it clearance inside the case
- 5. Case — snap-fit print, M2.5 bolts on the bottom
- 6. USB into your gateway machine — the plugin finds her automatically on any port
- 7. Install the plugin — one command, see PLUGIN; Wi-Fi credentials are provisioned over USB, no SD editing
Orientation: she sits landscape, USB exiting to the side. If the screen comes up inverted for your stand, rotation is a one-line config over USB — never a reflash.
The board, briefly
ESP32-S3 (240 MHz dual-core, 8 MB flash), 2.8" IPS at 240×320 driven through LovyanGFX, CST328 capacitive touch, I2S mono amplifier to the speaker jack, SD over SDMMC, native USB-CDC serial. The familiar uses USB as its control channel and Wi-Fi only to pull audio — so it works fully even on a network-less bench, just silently.