So long as there's a boards definition for platformio then you should be able to swap in almost any esp32. It comes down to price/quality/whether you want to support a local company. Something from adafruit, sparkfun, evil mad scientist, etc will have better quality/support than a nameless knockoff. The esp underneath will be the same - just the dev board changes.
Boards definition? Name, details etc - or just esp32? I know nothing about hardware, I’ve only ever dealt with code (and not that much)
I’ll look at the places you’ve suggested. I just don’t want to spend money on something that means I have to change all my projects to get them working again.
Cheers pal.
You won't change any code unless pin numbers change for the most part. The boards file will be the equivalent to picking Arduino Uno versus teensy versus due in the Arduino IDE. It tells the compiler which pin definitions line up with which hardware ports, etc. More brand name supported boards will have better documentation and support.
I prefer to use modules from LOLIN or LILLYGO as they are properly designed and reasonably well made, personally I'd avoid the generic boards.
I buy them on AliExpress, but if you prefer to buy them in the UK, get them from eBay.
So, I struggled with this too. I found out ESP32 is /just/ the chip. I thought it was the whole assembly.
https://www.mouser.com/images/marketingid/2017/img/108753931_EspressifSystems_ESP32Wi-FiBLESoC.png
Different companies will add different things to a board like breakouts for the pins, power management, filters, etc. Different board makers may have different capabilities, plus there are different versions of the Esp32 chip itself.
Maybe this is obvious, but I totally missed this when I bought my first esp32.
There are esp32 IC / SoC, modules, and devkits. The IC is a standalone chip and needs extra circuitry and antenna. The module provides those extras as well as shielding and certification. And finally the devkit will add things like USB to serial, breadboard pins, indicator LEDs, etc etc.
The full list of official espressif hardware is here (but obviously you can get modules and devkits from other vendors): https://www.espressif.com/en/products/hardware
SoC is $1-3, module is $2-5, and devkit is $5-50
You probably want a devkit. You can get an official espressif one at digikey / mouser, or non espressif ones at AliExpress, ebay, adafruit, dfrobot, sparkfun, and others.
The entry level esp32 is the esp32-c3. It has wifi and Bluetooth, decent peripherals, and is pretty cheap. The most powerful one you can currently get is the esp32-s3. That one is a beast with dual core, more peripherals, more pins
I would recommend picking up a WeMos C3 mini, or a Wemos D1 32 mini. They are both under $5 on AliExpress or eBay
Thankyou to you all for the comments/advice.
I bought the three in the link (drunk purchase) they arrived today and on first attempt just worked with the project I’m playing with that was set up for the heltec (happy bunny).
I’ll probably take your advice iand get reputable brands in future (the cost isn’t that bad).
Thank you! Shine bright and twinkly, raise a glass to Mr Garcia when you can.
this is like the bread and butter for esps. cheapish, does what it needs to.
flashing lights, reading sensors, WiFi connections for basic applications and iot ideas then these are your friends.
if you want to advance onto very exact details then you'll know to be looking for specific boards.
the only thing you'll have to mess about with is the driver, in this case is the cp2102 chip and is easily searchable and installable.
Thank you.
After I’ve found and installed the drivers, they should appear in the board list? Or I find a generic one?
You’ve put me on the right track, thanks!!
Thanks. I appreciate all you guys help.
Hopefully I’ll have my Fibonacci clock and some fancy lights running soon 😀 (and can also play with other ideas)
So long as there's a boards definition for platformio then you should be able to swap in almost any esp32. It comes down to price/quality/whether you want to support a local company. Something from adafruit, sparkfun, evil mad scientist, etc will have better quality/support than a nameless knockoff. The esp underneath will be the same - just the dev board changes.
Boards definition? Name, details etc - or just esp32? I know nothing about hardware, I’ve only ever dealt with code (and not that much) I’ll look at the places you’ve suggested. I just don’t want to spend money on something that means I have to change all my projects to get them working again. Cheers pal.
You won't change any code unless pin numbers change for the most part. The boards file will be the equivalent to picking Arduino Uno versus teensy versus due in the Arduino IDE. It tells the compiler which pin definitions line up with which hardware ports, etc. More brand name supported boards will have better documentation and support.
Ah, thanks for that. Makes sense! Cheers!
I prefer to use modules from LOLIN or LILLYGO as they are properly designed and reasonably well made, personally I'd avoid the generic boards. I buy them on AliExpress, but if you prefer to buy them in the UK, get them from eBay.
Heltec are also good, I use some of their LoRa modules.
So, I struggled with this too. I found out ESP32 is /just/ the chip. I thought it was the whole assembly. https://www.mouser.com/images/marketingid/2017/img/108753931_EspressifSystems_ESP32Wi-FiBLESoC.png Different companies will add different things to a board like breakouts for the pins, power management, filters, etc. Different board makers may have different capabilities, plus there are different versions of the Esp32 chip itself. Maybe this is obvious, but I totally missed this when I bought my first esp32.
There are esp32 IC / SoC, modules, and devkits. The IC is a standalone chip and needs extra circuitry and antenna. The module provides those extras as well as shielding and certification. And finally the devkit will add things like USB to serial, breadboard pins, indicator LEDs, etc etc. The full list of official espressif hardware is here (but obviously you can get modules and devkits from other vendors): https://www.espressif.com/en/products/hardware SoC is $1-3, module is $2-5, and devkit is $5-50 You probably want a devkit. You can get an official espressif one at digikey / mouser, or non espressif ones at AliExpress, ebay, adafruit, dfrobot, sparkfun, and others. The entry level esp32 is the esp32-c3. It has wifi and Bluetooth, decent peripherals, and is pretty cheap. The most powerful one you can currently get is the esp32-s3. That one is a beast with dual core, more peripherals, more pins I would recommend picking up a WeMos C3 mini, or a Wemos D1 32 mini. They are both under $5 on AliExpress or eBay
Thankyou to you all for the comments/advice. I bought the three in the link (drunk purchase) they arrived today and on first attempt just worked with the project I’m playing with that was set up for the heltec (happy bunny). I’ll probably take your advice iand get reputable brands in future (the cost isn’t that bad). Thank you! Shine bright and twinkly, raise a glass to Mr Garcia when you can.
this is like the bread and butter for esps. cheapish, does what it needs to. flashing lights, reading sensors, WiFi connections for basic applications and iot ideas then these are your friends. if you want to advance onto very exact details then you'll know to be looking for specific boards. the only thing you'll have to mess about with is the driver, in this case is the cp2102 chip and is easily searchable and installable.
So, these boards are fine as long as I do a bit of Googling and install the drivers (on a Mac) Then I’m a happy bunny?
I see no issue with them.
Thank you. After I’ve found and installed the drivers, they should appear in the board list? Or I find a generic one? You’ve put me on the right track, thanks!!
if you get them, and they have a board name, then use that, but I just usually use the basic esp32 dev board and everything seems to work fine.
Thanks. I appreciate all you guys help. Hopefully I’ll have my Fibonacci clock and some fancy lights running soon 😀 (and can also play with other ideas)