Elecrow ThinkNode M9 - MeshCore Communication Terminal with Full QWERTY Keyboard, 2.4" LCD, GPS & 2300mAh Battery (915MHz)

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

ESP-IDF

ESP-IDF is Espressif’s official software development framework for ESP32-family chips. It gives more direct control over the hardware than beginner-style environments, which can help with advanced features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio and power management.

ESP32

ESP32 is a family of low-cost microcontroller chips and modules from Espressif with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. They support programmable firmware and over-the-air updates, and are commonly programmed with toolchains such as the Arduino core and ESP-IDF.

FPC

FPC stands for flexible printed circuit, a thin flat flexible cable or connector style often used where space is tight or some movement is needed, commonly for displays, cameras and other high-density connections. Connecting to an FPC connector generally needs a matching cable with the correct pin count, pitch and contact orientation.

Galileo

Europe’s satellite navigation system. Galileo support can improve satellite availability and accuracy, especially when combined with GPS and other constellations.

GLONASS

Russia’s satellite navigation system. A receiver that can also use GLONASS has more satellites to choose from, which can improve positioning reliability when the sky view is partly blocked.

GNSS

GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, an umbrella term for satellite positioning networks such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. Receivers use these satellites to determine position, and high-precision units can output a steady stream of serial position data.

GPS

The US satellite navigation system used by GNSS receivers to calculate position and time. Support for GPS is important because it is widely available and often used together with other constellations for more reliable positioning.

IDE

Short for Integrated Development Environment, a program used to write, run and manage code. It matters because some learners prefer a traditional coding workspace instead of a guided notebook-style lesson.

LCD

LCD stands for liquid crystal display, a screen technology that uses a backlight and liquid crystals to show images or text. It matters because LCD modules usually need a display driver and enough controller pins or a bus interface to send image data.

LoRa

LoRa is a long-range, low-power wireless radio technology often used for telemetry, remote sensors and other links that send small amounts of data over long distances. It is distinct from Bluetooth and WiFi, so sharing a connector or pinout with LoRa hardware does not mean a device actually uses LoRa.

LVGL

LVGL is an open-source graphics library for building buttons, menus, gauges and other user interfaces on small embedded displays. Support for LVGL matters if you want to create a polished touchscreen interface without drawing every screen element from scratch.

MicroPython

A version of the Python programming language made to run on microcontrollers. It matters because it lets beginners write readable code to control LEDs, sensors, motors and displays without needing to start with lower-level languages.

SRAM

Fast temporary memory used by a processor while a program is running. More SRAM helps with projects that handle larger data buffers, networking, displays, or more complex code.

TFT

A thin-film transistor display is a common type of colour LCD used for graphics screens. Knowing a product is for TFTs helps you check that the driver board matches the display’s connector, resolution, backlight, and signalling method.

USB Type-C

USB Type-C is a small, reversible USB connector used for power, data and sometimes video on many modern devices. The connector itself does not guarantee a particular speed or voltage, so check the supported USB version, data rate and whether it carries more than 5V via USB Power Delivery.

USB-C

USB-C is a small, reversible USB connector that can carry power, data and, on some devices, video over a single cable. The same connector can range from charging only to high-speed data, so the functions a given port actually supports vary.