NeuralCard
About the NeuralCard PCB
NeuralCard is an open source ESP32 PCB design by Brillar0101, published on GitHub under the CERN-OHL-P-2.0 license. It is a 2-layer board measuring 85.6 × 54 mm, with 66 components from 26 distinct parts.
Its main chip is the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2, from the ESP32 family. Other key parts include the LSM6DS3TR-C, ME6211C33M5G-N, ST25DV04KC-IE6S3, USBLC6-2SC6 and MCP73831T-2ACI/OT. By type, the board carries 25 diodes, 15 resistors, 14 capacitors, 6 ICs, 3 switches and 1 transistor.
It belongs with the sensors and wearables designs in this gallery.
From the project
A credit-card-sized PCB that runs a neural network: ESP32-S3, 6-axis IMU, and 24 LEDs wired as the network itself. Draw a digit in the air and watch the activations light up
A business card that runs a neural network.
It is a credit-card-sized PCB, 85.6 by 54 mm, carrying an ESP32-S3, a 6-axis IMU, and 24 LEDs laid out as the network it actually runs: 6 input neurons, 8 hidden, 10 output. You hold the card, draw a digit in the air, and the LEDs light with the real activations as inference runs. Brightest output neuron wins.
The front artwork is the network diagram. The synapse lines are drawn at three stroke weights, the way a trained model's weights differ. There is also an NFC tag with a coil antenna etched into the copper, so tapping a phone opens…
Main components on the NeuralCard
NeuralCard bill of materials (BOM)
66 components, 26 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2 WIRELM-SMD_ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 Espressif Systems | WIRELM-SMD_ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 | U1 |
| 1 | LSM6DS3TR-C LGA-14_L3.0-W2.5-P0.50-TL STMicroelectronics | LGA-14_L3.0-W2.5-P0.50-TL | U2 |
| 1 | ME6211C33M5G-N Nanjing Micro One Elec | SOT-23-5_L3.0-W1.7-P0.95-LS2.8-BL | U3 |
| 1 | ST25DV04KC-IE6S3 SO-8_L4.9-W3.9-P1.27-LS5.9-BL STMicroelectronics | SO-8_L4.9-W3.9-P1.27-LS5.9-BL | U4 |
| 1 | USBLC6-2SC6 STMicroelectronics | SOT-23-6_L2.9-W1.6-P0.95-LS2.8-BL | U5 |
| 1 | MCP73831T-2ACI/OT Microchip Tech | SOT-23-5_L3.0-W1.7-P0.95-LS2.8-BL | U6 |
| 1 | AO3401A Alpha & Omega Semicon | SOT-23_L2.9-W1.3-P1.90-LS2.4-BR | Q1 |
| 1 | TYPE-C-31-M-12 Korean Hroparts Elec | USB-C_SMD-TYPE-C-31-M-12_1 | J2 |
| 1 | 3009 LIR2450 Keystone | BatteryHolder_Keystone_3009_1x2450 | BT1 |
| 2 | TS-1187A-B-A-B SW-SMD_4P-L5.1-W5.1-P3.70-LS6.5-TL_H1.5 XKB Connection | SW-SMD_4P-L5.1-W5.1-P3.70-LS6.5-TL_H1.5 | SW1, SW2 |
| 1 | MSK12C02 SW_SPDT_Shouhan_MSK12C02 SHOU HAN | SW_SPDT_Shouhan_MSK12C02 | SW3 |
| 24 | KT-0603R LED-SMD_L1.6-W0.8-R-RD Hubei KENTO Elec | LED-SMD_L1.6-W0.8-R-RD | D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8 +16 |
| 1 | B5819W SL B5819W MDD | D_SOD-123 | D25 |
| 6 | CC0603KRX7R9BB104 C_0603_1608Metric YAGEO | C_0603_1608Metric | C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C11 |
| 2 | CL10A105KB8NNNC 1uF Samsung Electro-Mechanics | C_0603_1608Metric | C6, C7 |
| 1 | CL21A106KAYNNNE C_0805_2012Metric Samsung Electro-Mechanics | C_0805_2012Metric | C8 |
| 2 | CL21A226MAQNNNE C_0805_2012Metric Samsung Electro-Mechanics | C_0805_2012Metric | C9, C10 |
| 1 | CC0603JRNPO9BN680 C_0603_1608Metric YAGEO | C_0603_1608Metric | C12 |
| 2 | CL10A475KP8NNNC 4.7uF Samsung Electro-Mechanics | C_0603_1608Metric | C13, C14 |
| 6 | 0603WAF2200T5E R_0603_1608Metric UNI-ROYAL | R_0603_1608Metric | R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 |
Show 6 more
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0603WAF5101T5E 5.1k UNI-ROYAL | R_0603_1608Metric | R7, R8 |
| 2 | 0603WAF1002T5E R_0603_1608Metric UNI-ROYAL | R_0603_1608Metric | R9, R10 |
| 2 | 0603WAF4701T5E R_0603_1608Metric UNI-ROYAL | R_0603_1608Metric | R11, R12 |
| 1 | 0603WAF1003T5E 100k UNI-ROYAL | R_0603_1608Metric | R13 |
| 1 | 0603WAF1003T5E R_0603_1608Metric UNI-ROYAL | R_0603_1608Metric | R14 |
| 1 | 0603WAF2002T5E 20k UNI-ROYAL | R_0603_1608Metric | R15 |
NeuralCard design files
The KiCad project lives in the Brillar0101/NeuralCard repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.
NeuralCard: common questions
What microcontroller does the NeuralCard use?
The NeuralCard is built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2, from the ESP32 family.
How big is the NeuralCard PCB?
The NeuralCard measures 85.6 × 54 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.
How many components are on the NeuralCard?
66 components, from 26 distinct parts, with part numbers taken from the project's own BOM. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.
Where can I download the NeuralCard design files?
From the Brillar0101/NeuralCard repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout, the schematic and the BOM; the links under Design files point to each one.
Can I use the NeuralCard design in my own project?
Yes, under the terms of its CERN-OHL-P-2.0 license, which Brillar0101 chose for the repository.
Can I test firmware for the NeuralCard without the hardware?
Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug ESP32 firmware against it before you order a PCB.
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