Review of modules FACES
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Hi! Today we will look at a family of excellent additional FACES modules for M5
The family of modules is divided into two boxes - a larger box and a smaller box. Let's start with a bigger box.
The box is made of the same material as for M5. on the front panel we see the company logo and the logo of the family of modules (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. Box (which is bigger) with FACES
Inside the box were the same two leaflets as in the box with the M5 and an additional leaflet with stickers on the keyboard and company logos, a USB-C cable (~1m), a QWERTY keyboard, a keyboard from the calculator and a docking station for charging the device.
Figure 2. The contents of the box
Let's look at each module individually.
QWERTY keyboard (Fig. 3) it is intended for input of text information by the person. A distinctive feature is the presence of Fn and sym keys that extend the capabilities of the keyboard. When using the aA key (analog Caps Lock) - there is a glow of blue led on the left. When using the Fn key, the same thing happens, only with the right led. The labels are made in the form of stickers and are located above the keys. The keys themselves are made of solid hard-to-touch plastic. At the bottom of the front panel there is the name of the company.
Figure 3. QWERTY keyboard for M5
Consider the second keyboard from the calculator (Fig. 4) for M5. Here, the keys are larger, compared to the previous ones because of their smaller number. The peculiarity is that the inscriptions are made on the keys themselves, which is quite good.
Figure 4. Calculator keypad for M5
Dock-a very necessary and interesting thing (Fig. 5).
Figure 5. Dock for M5 FACES
A docking station is a module intended for mounting and charging the M5 FACES. On the front panel there is a company logo, two mounting holes and a magnetic contact. At the bottom of the module there is a USB-C connector, the name of the company and the slot for the lace. On the rear panel (Fig. 5.1) there are silicone feet, magnets under the body, screws to disassemble the device and holes for mounting on the screws.
Figure 5.1 a Docking station (back view)
This ends the contents of the box. Let's see what's inside the smaller boxes (Fig. 6).
Figure 6. Box (which is smaller) with FACES and M5
Inside the box there were: silver M5, fabric cord, gaming keyboard and the most important among all the FACES modules - the basic FACES module (Fig. 7).
Figure 7. The contents of the box
The FACES base module has a battery (same as the M5 battery module). Heart all modules keypads for M5 is the microcontroller MEGA328p (you know?) (Fig. 8).
Figure 8.
The gaming keyboard has keys compatible with the NES. Inscriptions are executed on the case (Fig. 9).
Figure 9. Gaming keyboard
Actually, both sets (Fig. 10).
Figure 10.
With the box in a silver M5 with the included FACES is pre-installed with the game Super Mario (Fig. 11).
Figure 11. Super Mario on M5
In conclusion, I want to note - FACES modules are an interesting idea, which is implemented quite well. If you are actively engaged in the development of various projects under the M5, it is highly recommended to purchase such a set. Do not forget that as a nice bonus, the developer has installed an additional battery on Board, which will always be useful. In the future, we will make a project on each keyboard, as well as learn how to download games in memory.
