The ESP32 surpasses the performance parameters of the ESP8266 in RAM and clock frequency and also includes a number of interesting new features.

The ESP32 was developed by the Chinese company Espressif as a successor to the popular ESP8266. In addition to being a dual-core processor, Bluetooth functionality has been added to the controller.

As a successor to the ESP8266, the ESP32 from Espressif was equipped with a new, specially adapted processor core. The processor is based on an Xtensa dual-core SoC, works with 32-bit and clocks with up to 240 MHz. In addition to the new architecture, connectivity has also been expanded. The ESP32 also supports Bluetooth and BLE in addition to the usual WiFi standards like 802.11 b/g/n.

Analog functions have also been significantly improved on the ESP32. Also new is the second I2C interface, which allows two modules with identical addresses to operate without additional hardware.

Meanwhile, Espressif offers several variants of the ESP32, so the range has recently been expanded to include models with crypto core, single core and RISC-V architecture as well as variants with additional I/O capacities.

You will find modules for mounting on boards, evaluation and development platforms with different USB interfaces, additional onboard display, charge controllers, camera and much more in our assortment.

Hardly any other microcontroller can be programmed in as many ways as the ESP32. Several different operating systems with unique features and development environments from different manufacturers are available.

While beginners start into the world of microcontrollers with the Arduino IDE thanks to extensive documentation and many freely available libraries, advanced users especially appreciate the high degree of freedom in the realization of projects.

For example, the ESP32 covers basic machine learning functions with MicroPython or can be directly connected to AWS (Amazon Web Services) with FreeRTOS.

The ESP32 offers many interfaces such as an integrated DAC, two I2C buses or several UARTs that can be used flexibly.

As usual you can find the pinouts and connection diagrams for all our microcontrollers on the respective product detail pages.

The ideal application area for the ESP32 starts where the performance spectrum of the ESP8266 ends. Besides the extended connectivity through the additional Bluetooth interface, the GPIOs can also be used more flexibly, thus making the application range more flexible as well.

FAQ

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