I’d say some of the best cheap add-ons are Grove sensors, a small OLED display, and a battery module, super handy for making M5Stack projects more fun and portable!

Using M5Stack Atom Echo with M5Unified and FastLED is a smart combo. If you're going for tight control over the LEDs, make sure your timing loop is well-optimized and that you're handling brightness safely (to avoid flicker or overheating). Also, consider breaking your effects into functions so you can easily expand or tweak them later.

If you just need stronger and more reliable IR output, the easiest option is to add an external IR module like the M5Stack IR Unit, it plugs right into the Grove port and gives a much better range than the built-in LED on the M5StickC Plus 2. Some users also pair it with a simple IR booster circuit for even more distance.

You might find this related discussion helpful too, since it covers ways to improve IR performance on M5 devices: https://community.m5stack.com/topic/1429/real estate dagenham-m5stickc-improve-ir-range

Using M5Stack Atom Echo with M5Unified and FastLED is a smart combo. If you're going for tight control over the LEDs, make sure your timing loop is well-optimized and that you're handling brightness safely (to avoid flicker or overheating). Also, consider breaking your effects into functions so you can easily expand or tweak them later.

I’d say some of the best cheap add-ons are Grove sensors, a small OLED display, and a battery module, super handy for making M5Stack projects more fun and portable!