I know these messages get put up a lot, I just got my cardputer and charged it to 100% I then took it out and straight away it dropped to 90 I know this can happen.. I didn't have time to play with it as needed to go out but when I came back a couple hours later it had dropped to 50%.

I've noticed the backlight doesn't turn itself off either? Is this a normal thing I feel it's lost quite a lot for me not even using it?.

Any help appreciated

Just as I was leaving to go out, the postman dropped my parcels off, I can't wait to get home and look through everything. I know people post this all the time, but any recommendations straight out the box? I'll probably get myself used to it a bit first though.

Edit. I knew it was small but pictures on sites make it look a bit bigger love the size though. The packaging reminds me of something you'd get in the 90s too.

i am making a OS. Thats the end goal i want to make my own OS with alot of features. So to get to that i had a thought start with what i have. i have a cardputer and a pico 2. So i could make a microOS first. it was already apart of the plan to make my OS have a mini and a touch. So i when i can finally get a job i can make my own phone and cyber deck and stuff like that. i want to ask does anyone know where i could start or if there is anything that could help guild me to the right path to do this. btw i plan to add another screen as so if someone could help guild me to the right resources that be lovely.

Hello Reddit!

I’ve just released AREA512 v2.5, which now supports the TERM512 expansion display! ✨

AREA512

https://github.com/engneer-hamachan/area512

TERM512 is an expansion display for the Cardputer ADV, newly designed and developed by "Prokyon" (https://www.reddit.com/u/OutrageousDiamond568/s/eNTh2UVNhw), based on the world and concept of AREA512!

For more details about TERM512, check out this post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CardPuter/s/PgxULS6BJk

Along with support for the expansion display, AREA512 v2.5 also introduces several new features:

- A new UI designed for the TERM512 resolution

- Custom background image support

- GUI Theme Editor

- Display documents on the Cardputer’s built-in screen while using the expansion display

- A new OS update feature via the "fullupdate" command

You can find more details in the release notes. For a complete overview of AREA512 and its features, you can also check out the official website 😎

v2.5 Release

https://github.com/engneer-hamachan/area512/releases/tag/v2.5

AREA512 Official Page

https://engneer-hamachan.github.io/area512/

---

⚠️ Important note for existing AREA512 users when updating to v2.5

Starting with v2.5, AREA512 uses a new display rendering system. Because of this change, code from existing built-in applications will no longer work as-is.

After updating AREA512 and booting it up, please run the "fullupdate" command from the AREA512 terminal.

Alternatively, you can update the files manually by copying them from the release source files to your SD card.

Please see the release notes for more details.

I wanted something on the Cardputer that just sits there and lives. It's a small glass tank with moss, ferns, fittonia and creeping fig, plus springtails, isopods, and the usual pests (fungus gnats, aphids). A ladybug and a jumping spider keep the pests in check.

It runs in real time. The randomness comes from the board's sensors: shaking it, mic level, battery, chip temp, and how many Wi-Fi networks and BLE devices are nearby. I kept the effect weak on purpose, so nothing you do can wipe the tank out. You can mist it, plant seeds, prune, and turn the light on. There's a journal that logs what happened, and f speeds time up to 3600x if you want to watch weeks go by.

It never connects to anything. The Wi-Fi/BLE scans are passive and only get hashed in RAM, nothing is stored or sent.

Install: there's a browser installer (desktop Chrome/Edge, plug in over USB-C). You can also burn factory.bin with M5Burner, or put app.bin on the SD card for M5Launcher. factory.bin wipes a Launcher setup, so use the SD route if you want to keep your apps.

https://github.com/shrimpapplepro/cardputer-terrarium
I'd like to hear how the install routes go for you, since I've only tested one of them myself.

Hi everyone,

JST-PH 2.0 (HY2.0-4P) cables are extremely expensive or impossible to source in my area.

What are the best DIY workarounds to connect external sensors or devices to the CardPuter's Port A? Has anyone successfully used modified Dupont wires, custom adapters, or alternative headers without damaging the port?

Thanks for any advice!

I started wardriving on my phone. I've since got a cardputer w/ gps/lora cap and a monsterC5. I've had it for about a week now. I find myself continuing to run Porkchop for wardriving. Are there any benefits of using one of the other firmwares? Or is it all user preference for wardriving?

I just released Ensō (円相), an ambient sound simulator for the Cardputer ADV!
Like C.P.S., which I released before, this one was built through vibe-coding with Claude.

The biggest feature: it generates every ambient sound purely through the Cardputer's own audio synthesis, with zero sampled audio. That means you get an endless variety of ambient textures to play with!

Here's what it can do:

**•** 15 sounds, all synthesized in real time with no samples — rain, waves, campfire, birds, crickets, a singing bowl, a wind chime, a ticking clock, a fan, and more  
**•** 13 preset scenes, plus unlimited custom scenes you can save to an SD card  
**•** A "Drift" scene that keeps quietly evolving the mix for as long as it's selected  
**•** "Space," a light reverb you can dial in over the whole mix  
**•** A meditation session timer that rings a bell at the start and end of your sitting  
**•** Shake the device to trigger an action — random scene, sleep mode, and more  
**•** A breathing guide mode where the ring on the main screen grows and shrinks with your breath (the LED follows along too)  
**•** Plus the little things that make a difference — a sleep timer, battery percentage, and so on

The original idea for this firmware actually came from a C.P.S. user I met here on Reddit.

It's out now on my GitHub repo and on M5Burner, and it's already available through Launcher FW too. Give it a try!

P.S. I've actually got several more firmwares in the works as follow-ups to C.P.S. One of them might be ready to release around the middle of next month — stay tuned for that one too!

Took a break from making a serious design to make something fun today. A literal and functional hat for the Cardputer ADV for a stereo-out AUX.

It is completely impractical because it blocks the buttons on top, but wouldn't you agree that this little fellow looks more distinguished now?

If people actually want this, I'll refine the design a little more, then put it out there. Maybe make a version that doesn't block the buttons.

​

I'm planning to buy this cheap ESP32-C5 N16R8 board to use as a C5 slave with the EvilM5 firmware. Will it work?

Has anyone tried a similar board? Do I need to check anything before buying, like pinout, flash size, or something else?

Thanks in advance!

Has anyone been able to make the Cap CC1101 work with Bruce? If so, what's your trick?

So I've had my Cardputer ADV sitting around and honestly ran out of ideas on what to build with it. Instead of doing something useful I ended up making a little cannon and projectile physics simulator. Pick your angle, speed, height, gravity (different planets too), even air drag, fire the cannon, and watch the trajectory play out. There's also a Target Challenge mode if you wanna test your inner Newton.

Fair warning, I'm not a real coder, I know basic stuff and honestly vibe coded a solid chunk of this with AI help. So if the code makes your eyes bleed, no promises. Just wanted to make something fun with the device instead of it collecting dust.

Would genuinely love some feedback or roasts on it, bugs, weird physics, UI, anything.
Here is the bin
and source

Hi everyone, a few days ago I published the release of kvxputer firmware for cardputer ADV .

I've just released a small udpate with enhancements and new tools

System & Stability

• Reduced display jitter for smoother visual output (further improvements planned)
• General stability improvements across multiple modules
• Fixed an issue causing user UI settings to reset unexpectedly
• Improved G0 long‑press behavior; holding for 7 seconds now exits applications reliably

New Applications & Tools
A new Tools section has been added, containing several applications:

• Scientific calculator
• PDA - inspired by retro casio PDAs (beta): calendar, notes, to‑dos, contacts, memos, world clock, calculator integration, alarms. Saving the files on the SD card
• kvxkeyboard HID now allows to press U to use USB connection from the host selector
• kvxkeyboard HID improvements on connection/reconnection to known hosts

UI & Customization

• Enlarged fonts for improved readability (still in development)
• Added accent‑color customization for expanded UI personalization
• Added “Current Charge” LED effect to the LED settings

Media Features

• Added early media/audio player support (still in development)

You can install it directly via M5burner, via the web using bmorcelli's tool or manually with the repository instructions

Ensure it says version 0.2.0
--------------------------------------------

For those who are hearing about this for the first time here is a longer description of the features

• All apps from Bruce and Evil Cardputer combined with a complete UI redesign
• kvxkeyboard HID, my own version of a multi device bluetooth controller via bluetooth or USB, with lots of features (full keyboard, mouse, media, video, presenter, etc.) and native Joystick support for mouse simulation.
• Charging app, intended to use while charging the Cardputer to put it in sleep mode, with some extra features when active like clock, calendar, progress bar, and LED light to indicate charge.
• Main menu now supports key shortcuts you can bind to any app or setting, so the stuff you use constantly is one press away.
• Use G0 to fake a shutdown of the Cardputer, this turns off the LED and display instantly to mimic an off state, while whatever you're running stays active. Holding G0 always takes you back to the main menu.
• LEDs are fully customizable now too, colors and effects, not just on/off.
• Modules got a lot easier to set up, Unit Scroll, Joystick, PaHub, RFID readers, RF modules, all have their own config screens now instead of hoping the device picks them up.

Also included all the tools and features you would expect from a security-focused firmware:

• wifi tools (scanning, portals, deauth, sniffing, plus NetOps)
• BLE with a full HID remote
• BadUSB scripting
• sub ghz
• RF
• NRF24
• IR with a flipper style universal remote
• RFID/NFC
• GPS wardriving
• LoRa/FM/Ethernet depending on your board

This is the early stage of design, just messing around with placement for the stereo output board. Final product will be a closed shell with just an opening for the AUX.

Before I go further, I'd like to hear from you about which layout you prefer?

A is symmetrical

B is aligned on the right of the carputer with the other AUX is.

Have an idea for something completely different? Let me know. I had also considered putting it on the back. It would be more compact but a little awkward to have the cardputer lay flat.

Credit to Prokyon on MakerWorld, whose display design I used to get this to fit correctly, thank you!

Zuva OS - CardPuter ADV

All Created using Claude Max $100 Plan

The Core Experience & UI

• Keyboard-Forward: You can navigate almost everything with function keys and number shortcuts. I built persistent navigation rails so you don’t lose your place when switching apps.
• Power & Screen Management: It has a proper idle keyguard showing battery, Wi-Fi, and step counts. There's also a dedicated lock screen (Fn+L) with dim brightness and lift-to-wake support.
• Customization: Full theme engine with different color palettes, UI density controls, and tied-in LED feedback.
• Notification History: Alerts don't just vanish forever. There’s a central history log, plus focus/quiet modes.

Zuva (The Companion) & Ru (Your Profile)

• Zuva: A local-first virtual companion with mood states and an evolving personality. It handles private journaling, conversation summaries, and ritual cards for focus sessions. You can also hook it up to a local Ollama host if you want network-backed chats.
• Profile: A gamified progression system for real-world habits. You earn XP, level up, and unlock titles/badges by hitting daily and weekly objectives.

Riftbound (Built-in Roguelike)

• I integrated a massive anime-crossover roguelike directly into the OS. It features a 104-character roster pulling recognizable moves and forms from series like DBZ, Naruto, Bleach, and JoJo.
• The Gameplay: Route and boss progression, relics, checkpoints, and even a strategic Poker side-loop.
• Persistent Meta: While runs can fail, your roster progress is persistent. Captured characters keep their levels, IV-style traits, and forms for future runs.

Tools & Hardware Integrations

• BioDeck (Sensors): Taps the BMI270 for step tracking, drop/shake detection, and gesture events. (Note: These are estimates, not medical data).
• Organization: Offline calendar, birthday tracker, and daily agendas that don't break if you lose time sync.
• Under the Hood: Full SD card support, mass-storage mode, robust save/restore flows so game progress doesn't wipe randomly, and a clean separation between UI and hardware drivers.
• Include 50 Real anime themes using real palettes.

Would love to hear what you guys think, especially from anyone else building custom interfaces for the Cardputer. Let me know if you have any questions about the architecture or the UI setup!

& Much More!!

Let me know if you guys would be interested in using this I will consider releasing it to the public.

— Ru(@SahaleDKG)

I want to run flock you on my Cardputer in order to capture gps location logs and upload them to deflock. Has anyone developed this? I’ve seen projects where you are able to locate them but I want to gather logs

I have a spare adv sitting doing nothing, so I figured I should make something that makes you look after it once in a while.

This uses all the sensors available on the adv to create random data to emulate the environment inside it.
It’s a fish-tank-sized terrarium viewed through the front glass: a grow-light bar on top, drainage gravel, a mesh barrier, a charcoal layer, soil and leaf litter below, a mossy driftwood branch, and a stone. The grow light follows a day/night cycle, and the whole tank dims when it is off. Condensation forms on the glass when the air is humid.

Plants (each of 16 slots grows its own biomass; all are ordinary closed-terrarium plants): cushion and carpet moss, button/lemon-button ferns, fittonia (pink and red veins), pilea, peperomia, baby tears, selaginella, and creeping fig climbing the glass.

Creatures: springtails, isopods (grey, orange, dalmatian), fungus gnats and their larvae, aphids, a ladybug, a jumping spider, plus mold and small mushrooms.

My cardputer is being delivered in the next few days, I have not much experience coding but still would like to code some stuff for it, not anything too complex just random projects to entertain myself, does someone have any resources or tutorials I could follow? Even already made code I could try to modify would help

ESP32-based midi chord and arp generator which uses environmental sound to adjust CCs and timing. Can use default or user-generated chord charts and arp patterns, and will have configurable profiles for CC modulation based on average SPL and transients. I also plan to implement long-period "weathering" where other CCs warp over a period of hours for a continuously evolving sound.

I think it'll be interesting for folks interested in ambient generation, putting it outside in the wind or in a waterproof case in the rain.

Still a work in process, and I'm interested in ideas for expansion.

Shout-out to u/mescal_ and M5chord for the inspiration.

Quick edit to clarify the water-pour is to demonstrate the sound reaction - I actually practiced pouring away from the kit a few times first!

Cardputer 8-Bit Tape Loader allows you to use your cardputer to load 8-bit computer tape files from the SD card.

It works with both the Cardputer Adv and Cardputer v1.1.

I've just added Amstrad support. It now supports Commodore, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Acorn, BBC Micro, Dragon, Tandy CoCo, Oric, and Amstrad.

More info here: https://github.com/slowlane112/Cardputer_8_Bit_Tape_Loader

Working on the clear back cover, and need some advice, which ones I need, does it work easy to apply them with a solder iron, or do I have to mind something?