In a world where almost everything is digital, there’s something surprisingly satisfying about holding a real, physical, printed manual in your hands. It might feel a bit retro, but for the ESP32 Rainbow, it’s not just nostalgia; it’s a requirement.

As part of our compliance obligations, we need to include printed safety instructions with every shipped unit. But rather than just ticking the box, we decided to lean in and do it properly. After all, if we’re going to print something, it might as well be great!

Getting Started, The Right Way

Say hello to the ESP32 Rainbow Getting Started Guide!

We took inspiration from the original ZX Spectrum manuals in both design and tone. It’s our little tribute to the era that inspired this project in the first place. The manual is pretty brief, we are going to rely on online docs for in-depth information, but it really did seem a shame not to take advantage of the printing and shipping.

Print Quality That Feels Premium

Printing is surprisingly cheap, so I decided to splurge and get slightly heavier paper. I’m really glad I did as these have come out very nicely; I do think going slightly less expensive woud have felt "cheap".

What’s Next? Assembly, Flashing, and Final Touches

Now that the manuals are in, it’s time to focus on the final assembly phase. That means:

• Attaching the speakers and displays
• Flashing the latest firmware
• Carefully packing everything together for shipping

I’ve had an urgent work trip come up (the joys of trying to balance full time work with fun things!), so we may be slightly delayed on shipping. But I will do my best to get everything packaged up and shipped to Mouser to minimise this.

We’re nearly there and we couldn’t be more excited to get the ESP32 Rainbow into your hands!