Sourced from
docs/quick-start/what-you-need.mdin the firmware repo.
What you need
Everything to go from parts to a working Nimbus. There are two builds: the hand-built classic with a real LED ring (about $60-75 and an afternoon), or the all-in-one Freenove board (about $20-25 and minutes, nothing to wire).
Setup puts your phone or laptop on the device's own Wi-Fi, which has no internet, so you cannot fetch a key partway through. Create it first and keep it pasteable on the device you will set up from. See Get your provider key.
Choose your build
| Classic Nimbus board | All-in-one (Freenove CYD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 2.8" color touchscreen | 2.8" / 3.5" / 4.0" color touchscreen |
| Touch | Resistive | Capacitive |
| Status ring | 45-LED physical ring | Drawn on the screen |
| Build | Hand-wired from parts | One off-the-shelf module, no wiring |
| Modes | Notifier + Orchestrator | Notifier + Orchestrator |
| Cost | About $60-75 | About $20-25 |
| Guide | Build guide | All-in-one guide |
Both builds run the same firmware and do everything on this site. The classic board has a real light ring you can see across the room; the all-in-one draws the same status arcs on its screen and is the fastest path from box to running: buy one board, plug in USB-C, flash.
The checklist
- The board. For the classic build, the parts list (an ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 N16R8, a 2.8" touchscreen, the 45-LED ring, mic, amp, speaker, microSD, and the 2S battery section) with sourcing and prices is in the bill of materials. For the all-in-one, it is one part: the Freenove CYD.
- A data-capable USB-C cable for the first firmware install. (Many cables are charge-only and never show a serial port.)
- A computer to flash from: any OS with a Chromium-based browser for the browser flasher, or Python 3 and PlatformIO for the command line.
- A 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. The radio does not see 5 GHz-only networks.
- One AI provider key (for Orchestrator mode). Start with Mistral: its free tier is enough to set up and try Nimbus, and it is the voice default. OpenAI and Anthropic work too and can be added later (a few extras, like image generation and spoken replies on the device speaker, are OpenAI-only). The setup wizard needs one verified key. Skip this if you only want the Notifier status light. Prefer one prepaid balance across every provider? Use a Cumulo key. Step-by-step for each provider: Get your provider key.
- Optional, recommended: a microSD card (formatted FAT32) for long-term memory and media, and a Telegram account to chat with the assistant.
Next step: Flash the firmware.
How it works -> Architecture