ESP32-C3 Development Board : PinOut, Features, Specifications, Interfacing & Its Applications

ESP32 series boards from Espressif Systems are energy-efficient and low-cost microcontrollers including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. ESP32 boards come in a diverse array of modules and development boards, making them popular choices for IoT applications. These compact and affordable boards feature low power consumption and include models such as the ESP32-DevKitC, ESP32-C3, ESP32-WROOM-32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-Pico-Kit V4, ESP32-CAM, and ESP32-EYE. These boards feature different processing options like Tensilica Xtensa LX6, dual-core Xtensa LX7, and RISC-V single-core microprocessor. This article explores the ESP32-C3 board, explaining how it works and highlighting its applications across a wide range of modules and development boards commonly used in IoT applications.

What is the ESP32-C3 Development Board?

The ESP32 C3 is a Super Mini and IoT development board based on the open-source RISC-V architecture, which includes dual-mode WiFi & Bluetooth chips. This is a 32-bit RISC-V CPU board that includes a floating point unit (FPU) for 32-bit single-precision operations with great computing power. So, it provides outstanding performance by supporting IEEE 802.11b /g/n Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 5 protocols.

In addition, this board can also come with an external antenna to improve signal power for wireless applications. This module has a small and slight form factor merged with a one-sided surface mount design. Thus, this ESP32 C3 board includes a small reset button & a boot loader mode button which supports different serial interfaces: I2C, SPI, and UART. This board hits the right power balance, security, and I/O capabilities to provide the best cost-effective solution, mainly for connected devices.

How Does the ESP32-C3 Board Work?

The ESP32-C3 System-on-Chip works by incorporating a single-core RISC-V processor with Wi-Fi & BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) capabilities. This board allows for wireless communication, low-power operation, and efficient processing in a wide range of IoT applications. In addition, this board can also include additional components like a boot loader mode button, reset button, and external antenna for easier use & development.

This board gets power from a voltage source like a battery or USB. After that, this board decides which boot mode to enter for running or programming, depending on the strapping pins. This processor implements the programmed code by interacting with wireless communication modules and peripherals.
So the ESP32-C3 board can connect to Wi-Fi networks and interact with other devices through Bluetooth by exchanging data with a variety of protocols. After that, this board can go into sleep mode to save energy when not communicating or actively processing with other devices.

ESP32-C3 Board Pin Configuration:

The pin configuration of the ESP32-C3 board is shown below. This board has different pins compared to the standard ESP32 board, used for different purposes. So it includes power pins, digital & analog I/O pins, communication interfaces & special pins. This module has 22 GPIO pins, especially used as analog input, external interrupt, and general-purpose I/O pins. In addition, this board can also have I2C, SPI, and UART pins used for communication. Therefore, understanding each pin and its functionality is significant while designing electronic circuits or electronic projects using it.

Power Pins:

The power pins of development boards like 5V, 3.3V, and GND are discussed below.

• 5V: This pin can be utilized as an external power supply.
• 3.3V: The internal voltage regulator of the board provides a constant 3.3V supply.
• GND: It is a GND pin of the development board.

Digital/Analog I/O Pins:

The Digital/Analog I/O pins of the development board, like GPIOs and analog pins, are discussed below.

• GPIOs: These are general-purpose I/O pins that range from GPIO0 to GPIO21. These pins can be configured for a broad range of functions.
• Analog Pins: These pins range from A0 to A4, which can be utilized as input pins for ADC conversion.

Communication Pins:

The communication pins of development boards like I2C, SPI, SPI, and BOOT are discussed below.

• I2C: The I2C pins, like SDA or GPIO8 & SCL, like GPIO9, are used for I2C communication purposes.
• SPI: SPI pins like SCK or GPIO6, MISO or GPIO4, MOSI or GPIO5 & SS or GPIO7 are used mainly for SPI communication purposes.
• UART: The UART pins, like TX or GPIO21 & RX or GPIO20, are used mainly for UART communication purposes.

Special Pins:

The special pins of the development board, like BOOT and RST, are discussed below.

• BOOT: This BOOT pin puts the ESP32-C3 development board into bootloader mode, mainly for flashing firmware.
• RST: This is a reset pin, used to reset the development board.

Features & Specifications:

The features and specifications of the ESP32-C3 board include the following.

• ESP32-C3 is a 32-bit, low-power-based RISC-V processor.
• This board is integrated with Bluetooth 5 (LE) and Wi-Fi.
• It is available in the QFN-32 package & more compact versions.
• Its operating voltage is 3.3V.
• The  CPU is a 32-bit RISC-V single-core processor.
• Its CLK speed is up to 160 MHz.
• Its RAM is 400 KB of SRAM.
• It typically supports 4 MB of external flash memory via the SPI interface.
• Wi-Fi connectivity is IEEE 802.11 b/g/n with up to 150 Mbps speed.
• Its Bluetooth 5.0 LE allows economical wireless communication.
• This board includes up to 22 GPIO pins.
• It has 12-bit ADC analog inputs with equal to 6 channels.
• It includes up to 16 PWM channels.
• This board includes two 8-bit DACs.
• It supports SPI, UART, CAN, and I2C interfaces.
• It prevents illegal firmware from being loaded on the device.
• This board encrypts stored data for added security on flash memory.
• It supports hardware-based RSA, ECC, and AES for safe communication.
• Its power consumption is low in deep sleep mode, like 5 µA.
• Power consumption is around 160 mA based on the workload.
• In addition, this board has a low-power Real-Time CLK for timekeeping when the major core is within deep sleep mode.
• It is well-matched with Arduino IDE & ESP-IDF.
• Firmware uploading is very simple with Arduino, PlatformIO, or some tools.

Equivalents & Alternatives

Equivalent ESP32-C3 development boards are; ESP32-C3-Lyra, ESP32-C3-LCDKit, Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3, Arduino Nano ESP32-C3, Espressif ESP32-DevKitM-1, etc. Likewise, its alternative development boards are: the nRF52840, the Raspberry Pi Pico, ESP32-S3, etc.

ESP32-C3 Board Hardware

ESP32-C3 board hardware includes different components like power LED, USB Type-C, reset button, boot loader button, LED indicator, voltage regulator, crystal oscillator, and ESP32-C3 chip. So, each component and its functionality are discussed below.

Power LED

The ESP32-C3 board features a power LED, typically orange or green, whose location may vary depending on the specific board design. This LED primarily indicates whether the board is receiving power through the USB connection, turning ON when powered and OFF when not.

USB Type-C

USB-C type connector is a small, versatile, and reversible port, used to connect a variety of devices like smartphones, tablets, peripherals, laptops, etc. This connector transmits data and power to charge devices, and also supports different protocols to make it a suitable choice for several users. In addition, this connector handles various functions and also supports higher-speed data transfer rates by allowing you to transmit large files very fast. USB-C connector supports video output so that you can connect any device to an outside display.

Reset Button

The reset button on the ESP32-C3 development board, labeled RST/EN, restarts the chip with a single push. Pressing the RST button initiates a reset to restart the device. Additionally, you can use the BOOT button to enter firmware download mode by holding it down while pressing the RST button.

Bootloader Button

Labeled BOOT/Flash on the ESP32-C3 development board, this button allows you to access bootloader mode and upload new firmware. You have to press & hold the boot button normally to go into bootloader mode while connecting the development board to your PC & providing power to ON.

LED Indicator

The LED indicator on ESP32-C3 has several methods to control it, like using GPIO pins & the LEDC peripheral. For basic ON/OFF control, the board uses GPIO pins directly, while the LEDC (LED Control) peripheral manages brightness control and fading through PWM. You can also easily connect an external LED to a GPIO pin for digital output control.

Voltage Regulator

The ESP32-C3 development board uses an internal low dropout (LDO) voltage regulator for its 3.3V power supply by changing a 5V input supply to a 3.3V supply. It is generally recommended to supply the ESP32-C3 using the 5V pin, as this regulator provides a stable power supply for the chip and its connected peripherals.

ESP32-C3 Chip

The ESP32-C3 uses a primary ESP32-C3FN4 IC, which is a system-on-a-chip. This IC incorporates a 32-bit single-core RISC-V processor, flash memory – 4MB, and different peripherals, like I2C, UART, SPI, and I2S interfaces.

Crystal Oscillator

The ESP32-C3 board uses a set of internal & external crystal oscillators to produce its CLK signals. In particular, this board has a 40 MHz external crystal oscillator for its core CLK and a 32 kHz optional external crystal for the Real-Time Clock. In addition, this board can also have RC oscillators internally, used for slower CLK sources.

XIAO ESP32 C3 Interfacing with the DHT11 Sensor via I2C

The diagram below illustrates the XIAO ESP32 C3 interfacing with the DHT11 sensor via I2C. This DIY smart home device monitors temperature and humidity, displaying the data on a monitor.

The required components to make this interfacing mainly include: a DHT11 Temperature & Humidity Sensor, XIAO ESP32-C3 development board, OLED Display, and Arduino IDE.

ESP32C3 Microcontroller

This microcontroller is responsible for sensor data processing & driving the OLED display. So it is a low-power, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller, mainly designed for use in IoT (Internet of Things) applications. This development board features SRAM – 400 KB, flash memory – 2 MB, and a dual-core processor.

OLED Display

An OLED is a flat-panel type display that emits light by using organic materials. These are self-emissive displays, where every pixel emits its light without using a backlight. So this allows for more flexible, energy-efficient, and thinner displays as compared to fixed LCD panels. This device displays humidity levels in real time by adding an elegant touch to our device.

DHT11 Sensor

This is a digital and low-cost humidity & temperature sensor that has 20% to 90% relative humidity and a temperature range from -40°C to 80°C. This sensor’s accuracy is ±5% mainly for humidity, whereas ±2°C for temperature.

Connections

The connections of this interfacing follow as;

• Connect the 3V pin of the ESP32C3 development board to the GND pin of the DHT11 sensor.
• Connect the D6 pin of the ESP32C3 development board to the Data pin of the DHT11 sensor.
• ESP32C3 board’s 3V pin of the ESP32C3 development board to the 3V pin of the DHT11 sensor.
• Connect the GND pin of the board to the VCC pin of an OLED display.
• Connect the GND pin of the ESP32C3 board to the GND pin of the OLED display.
• Link the SCL pin of the ESP32C3 board to the SCL pin of the OLED display.
• Finally, connect the SDA pin of the ESP32C3 board to the SDA pin of the OLED display.
• Connect the D6 pin of the board to the Data pin of the DHT sensor.

Code:

The required code for XIAO ESP32 C3 Interfacing with the DHT11 Sensor via I2C includes the following. This code can be written by using Arduino IDE to read the DHT11 sensor’s data & display it on the OLED. This microcontroller works like a bridge that processes sensor inputs to drive the display through finesse.

#include “DHT.h” // DHT Library
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>
const int OLED_RESET = 0;
Adafruit_SSD1306 display(OLED_RESET);
// Pin to which the DHT11 sensor is connected.
// If using the DHT11 Shield, it’s digital Pin D4.
const int DHTPIN = D6;
// Specify the type of DHT sensor being used.
#define DHTTYPE DHT11
// Initialize the sensor with the pin and type.
DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHTTYPE);
void setup() {
Serial. begin(115200); // Begin serial communication at 9600 Baud.
Wire.begin();
display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C);
display.display();
delay(2000);
display.clearDisplay();
dht.begin(); // Start DHT communication.
}
void loop() {
// The DHT11 sensor provides a new reading every 2 seconds,
// so there’s no need to constantly loop in the program.
delay(2000);
// Read humidity value.
double humidity = dht.readHumidity();
// Read temperature in Celsius.
double temperatureC = dht.readTemperature();
// Read temperature in Fahrenheit.
// The boolean parameter controls whether
// the temperature is displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius.
double temperatureF = dht.readTemperature(true);
// Check if the values were read successfully.
if (isnan(humidity) || isnan(temperatureC) || isnan(temperatureF)) {
Serial.println(“Error reading data.”);
return;
}
display.clearDisplay();
display.setTextSize(1);
display.setTextColor(WHITE);
display.setCursor(5, 0);
display.println(“Hygrometer-1”);
display.setCursor(5, 15);
String tempValue = String(temperatureC);
display.println(“Temp: ” + tempValue + “C”);
display.setCursor(5, 23);
String humValue = String(humidity);
display.println(“Humidity: ” + humValue + “%”);
>display.display();
delay(500);<br />& gt;}

Working

Testing and calibration of this is important before installing. We create a variety of humidity conditions to authenticate sensor accuracy and process our code for best performance. Thus, this calibration helps in making our device deliver accurate readings by improving its reliability within real-world applications.

Once you have harmonized the hardware and software for this interfacing, shift your focus to enhancing user experience and integration. This smart home device effortlessly blends into any atmosphere by providing intuitive interaction & real-time feedback. Whenever this smart home device is located in a greenhouse, office, or living room. After that, it becomes an essential tool for humidity level monitoring with ease. By leveraging the power of OLED technology, the XIAO ESP32C3 board, and the DHT11 sensor accuracy, we have created a flexible gadget that improves our daily lives.

Advantages

The advantages of the ESP32-C3 development board include the following.

• The ESP32-C3 board is suitable for ultra-low power operation in battery-powered devices and where extensive battery life is significant.
• Its small form factor makes it to use in compact devices like smart home sensors and wearables.
• In addition, this board integrates both Bluetooth 5 (LE) and WiFi connectivity, which provides flexible wireless communication options.
• It has features like flash encryption, digital signature, secure boot, and HMAC peripherals, which improve security from various attacks.
• This development board uses open-source RISC-V architecture to provide a gainful & flexible platform.
• Developers can easily start programming with it, as it is well-matched with both the ESP-IDF and Arduino IDE.
• It provides sufficient storage & processing power mainly for several IoT applications.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of the ESP32-C3 development board include the following.

• ESP32-C3 boards consume more power, particularly in active mode, than some alternatives.
• The ADC on the ESP32-C3 is not of the maximum quality.
• Its GPIOs may not drive certain kinds of loads that need higher currents.
• This module provides numerous GPIOs, but some are exclusively reserved for functions like USB and flash memory, which limits the number of GPIOs available for general use.
• Users have reported connectivity and reliability issues with Bluetooth in certain versions, such as the Super Mini C3.
• The RTOS & complex CPU architecture can make it less fit for applications that need extremely tight real-time control.
• Some users reported problems through USB serial communication, mainly when utilizing the incorporated USB JTAG function.
• Properly configuring strapping, mainly pins for booting, can be difficult and needs cautious attention to keep away from boot failures.
• Proper PCB layout, particularly for power & GND planes, is necessary to keep away from problems with crystal and RF performance.
• The ESP32-C3 board can produce heat, particularly in active use, and correct heat dissipation may be essential in some applications.

Applications

The applications of the ESP32-C3 development board include the following.

• You can use the ESP32-C3 board in home automation to remotely control thermostats, smart home devices, and lighting through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections.
• Incorporate it into security systems, such as smart locks and surveillance cameras, to enhance safety.
• Smart home applications leverage this board to simplify tasks and help homeowners conserve energy by optimizing heating, cooling, and lighting.
• Additionally, in industrial automation, it monitors and controls machinery, delivering real-time capabilities and precise control.
• This board gathers and transmits data from various devices and sensors within industrial environments.
• You can also use it as a building block in PLCs for more complex industrial systems.
• In healthcare, the board monitors wearable health devices and collects and transmits patient health data from a variety of medical devices.
• Consumers benefit from its use in electronics like fitness trackers and smartwatches.
• Additionally, this development board enhances home entertainment systems by providing wireless connectivity and control.
• In smart agriculture, it facilitates environmental monitoring and irrigation control.
• Finally, it finds applications in USB devices, cameras, image recognition, speech recognition, smart buildings, mesh networks, and more.

Please refer to this link for the ESP32-C3 development board Datasheet.

Thus, this ESP32-C3 development board is a cost-effective and popular single-core WiFi & Bluetooth 5 (LE) enabled microcontroller SoC based on the RISC-V architecture. This board provides a good power balance and security to use in a variety of embedded and IoT applications. Thus, this development board provides a simple method to estimate and design projects using this chip. Here is a question for you: What is an ESP32 camera?