Waveshare ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT credit card-sized board may look like a Linux-powered Raspberry Pi SBC, but instead, it’s based on an “ESP32-P4-Module” comprised of a 400 MHz Espressif ESP32-P4 RISC-V general-purpose microcontroller, an ESP32-C6 “co-processor” for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5, and a 16MB SPI NOR flash.
Designed for HMI applications, the board offers MIPI DSI and CSI connectors, as well as a 100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 jack, four USB 2.0 ports, a 40-pin GPIO header, and more. It basically integrates the same ports as a Raspberry Pi SBC minus HDMI, but relies on a microcontroller instead of a Linux-capable application processor.
Waveshare ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT specifications:
- ESP32-P4-Module
- Microcontroller – ESP32-P4NRW32
- MCU
- Dual-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU
- Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ up to 40 MHz
- GPU – 2D Pixel Processing Accelerator (PPA)
- VPU – H.264 and JPEG codecs support
- Memory – 768 KB HP L2MEM, 32 KB LP SRAM, 8 KB TCM, 32MB PSRAM
- Storage – 128 KB HP ROM, 16 KB LP ROM
- MCU
- Wireless – WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5 via ESP32-C6 SoC (SDIO)
- Storage – 16MB NOR Flash
- Microcontroller – ESP32-P4NRW32
- Storage – MicroSD card slot (SDIO 3.0)
- Display I/F – 2-lane MIPI DSI connector
- Camera I/F – 2-lane MIPI CSI camera connector supports up to 1920×1080 resolution, 1080p30 video encoding
- Audio
- Speaker connector supporting 8Ω 2W speaker
- MEMS microphone
- Networking
- 100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port with optional PoE support
- WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5 (via ESP32-C6) – There’s an 802.15.4 radio, but it’s not listed in the specs on the Waveshare website.
- USB
- 4x USB 2.0 OTG Type-A ports
- USB-C UART port
- Expansion
- 40-pin header with 28x GPIOs, I2C, UART, 5V, 3.3V, and GND with a pinout similar to the GPIO header on Raspberry Pi SBCs
- I2C and I3C connectors (7 and 8 below)
- Misc
- Boot and Reset buttons
- Power LED
- RTC battery connector (5)
- USB Host/Device jumper (13)
- Ceramic antenna for WiFi and Bluetooth (16)
- ESP32-C6 UART terminal (17)
- Power Supply
- 5V via USB-C port or 2-pin connector (18)
- Optional PoE via additional module connected to 4-pin header (9)
- Dimensions – 85 x 56 mm
It’s the second ESP32-P4 devkit from Waveshare since the company introduced the ESP32-P4-NANO board last year. At the time (November 2024), it could only be programmed with the ESP-IDF framework, and that’s still the case for ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT. The company did try Arduino/PlatformIO and MicroPython firmware, but it’s not stable enough for most people:
Due to stability requirements, in order for PlatformIO to support ESP32-P4, it also requires support from the PlatformIO community for the Arduino-esp32 SDK V3.1x version.
During development, we tested MPY firmware for ESP32-P4, which can run some basic commands. However, this is just a preliminary verification; actual interface and peripheral applications are not yet adapted. Once fully adapted and stable, we will release ESP32-P4 usage examples in MicroPython.
The wiki only has instructions and demo source code for the ESP-IDF for now, including an ESP-Phone demo based on ESP_Brookesia to show an Android-like interface with many different applications, an LVGL demo, an Ethernet to WiFi gateway, and more.
Waveshare sells the board itself, but also various kits with a speaker, a 7-inch touchscreen display, or a 10-inch touchscreen display.
- ESP32-P4-Module Basic Kit – Board with 8Ω 2W speaker
- ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT-A – Board with 8Ω 2W speaker, RPi Camera (B), and 15-pin FFC cable for the camera
- ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT-B – Same as DEV-KIT-A plus a 7-inch touchscreen display, a screwpack, and additional cables.
- ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT-C – Same as DEV-KIT-A plus a 10-inch touchscreen display, a screwpack, and additional cables.
The Waveshare ESP32-P4-Module-DEV-KIT credit card-sized board and devkits can be purchased on AliExpress for $27.89 to $105.29, with the exact price depending on the selected kit (and taxes). You’ll also find it on the Waveshare shop for $19.99 and up, and Waveshare has an Amazon store, but their latest ESP32-P4 board is not listed there yet. The ESP32-P4-Module itself is not sold online, and it’s unclear whether the company sells it to OEM/ODM clients or only uses it for internal projects.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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