CASIO

Sensor Watch Pro hackable ARM microcontroller for Casio watches now crowdfunding

Oddly Specific Objects has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Sensor Watch Pro for Casio F-91W and A158W digital watches. The product allows you to replace the watch’s quartz crystal with an ARM Cortex M0+ microcontroller. This brings Movement firmware with a wide range of features, including interval timers, Wordle and a TOTP Authenticator.

The Sensor Watch Pro for the Casio F-91W and A158W digital watches is now crowdfunding at Crowd Supply. The original Sensor Watch, by Oddly Specific Objects, arrived in 2022 and gained over 2,200 backers for a similar Crowd Supply project. At the time of writing, the Sensor Watch Pro project already has more than 200 backers, reaching over 50% of its funding target.

The Sensor Watch Pro is described as a “hackable ARM Cortex M0+ brain upgrade”, replacing the quartz movement of these iconic Casio models. Compared to the original Sensor Watch, the new version offers a boost to the volume of the piezo buzzer and a soldering-free installation. Plus, the microcontroller can connect to the Casio watch’s accelerometer and adds RGB LED and an IR sensor. Benefits of the smartwatch include a low power consumption always-on-display and a year of runtime using a single 100mAh coin battery. The community-developed Sensor Watch firmware, Movement, offers a wide range of watch faces, with options like an interval timer, a Couch to 5K tool, Wordle and a time-based one-time password (TOTP) generator. Plus, the hack retains the waterproofing of the Casio watch meaning you can wear the watch when swimming or surfing.

Backers are asked to pledge $75 for the Sensor Watch Pro; this does not include the Casio A158W or Casio F-91W (curr. $16.88 at Amazon) watches. The product is scheduled to ship in March 2025, costing $8 for US customers or $18 for delivery to other countries. As with any crowdfunding campaign, there is no guarantee that backers will receive the product. It is also worth noting that Crowd Supply gets poor customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot.

Polly Allcock