KAIRO

ESP32-C3 system monitor with a 240×240 round IPS display — Nothing OS dot-matrix style.

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What it does

KAIRO is a compact USB system monitor that sits on your desk and shows real-time PC stats on a round display:

• CPU usage — red dot arc with temperature
• RAM usage — white dot arc with GB used
• No signal screen — animated scanning beams when PC app is not running
• Startup animation — dot wave → rotating ring → KAIRO glow

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Hardware

Part	Details
MCU	ESP32-C3
Display	GC9A01 240×240 round IPS (SPI)
IO Expander	PI4IO (I2C, 0x43)
USB-Serial	CH340 (UART0)

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Getting started

1. Download the PC app

👉 Download KairoMonitor.exe from Releases

Run it — it finds the display automatically and starts sending data.

The app runs in the system tray. Right-click the tray icon to quit or reconnect.

2. Flash the firmware

• Open Kairo_Display/Kairo_Display.ino in Arduino IDE 2
• Install board: ESP32 by Espressif (boards manager)
• Install libraries: LovyanGFX, ArduinoJson
• Board settings:
  • Board: ESP32C3 Dev Module
  • USB CDC On Boot: Disabled
  • USB Mode: USB-OTG (TinyUSB)
• Select port → Upload

3. Temperature sensors (optional)

For CPU temperature, install LibreHardwareMonitor and run it as administrator. The app will pick up the sensor automatically.

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Project structure

kairo_monitor/        # Python PC app (tray, serial, metrics)
Kairo_Display/        # Arduino firmware (ESP32-C3)
design_preview/       # HTML mockups used during design
docs/                 # Specs and implementation plans

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USB drive feature

When you plug KAIRO into a new PC, it appears as a USB flash drive called "KAIRO".
Open INDEX.HTM on the drive → browser opens the download page automatically.

Requires the board's native USB (GPIO18/19) to be wired to the USB connector.

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Building the PC app

cd kairo_monitor
pip install -r requirements.txt
build.bat

Output: dist/KairoMonitor.exe

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License

MIT