Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB – A dual-band WiFi 6 IoT board with relays, opto-isolated inputs, LiPo battery support

Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB is an evaluation board built around Espressif’s ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 module with dual-band (2.4/5.0GHz) WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread/Matter) wireless connectivity,  8MB flash, and 4MB PSRAM.

The board integrates two relays rated 250V/10A, two opto-isolated inputs, and a LiPo UPS charger and step-up converter. Other features include USB-C ports, a UEXT connector for expansion, and two buttons. It’s one of the first ESP32-C5 boards we’ve seen, after Espressif’s own ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 development kit, and Wireless Tag’s WT99P4C5-S1 board using the ESP32-C5 as a wireless co-processor to the ESP32-P4 MCU.

Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB specifications:

• Wireless module –  ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4
  • SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5
    • CPU
      • Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz
      • Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications
    • Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip, support for external PSRAM
    • Storage – 320 KB ROM, support for external flash
    • Connectivity
      • Dual-band 802.11ax WiFi 6 in the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands, with 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 standard support for backward compatibility
      • Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (LE)
      • 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0, Thread 1.3, and Matter
  • Memory – 4MB PSRAM
  • Storage – 8MB SPI flash
  • PCB antenna
• USB
  • USB-C port for power & debugging
  • USB-C JTAG port
• Relays – 2x SUN HOLD RAS-0515 relays rated 250V / 10A with 3-pin terminal blocks
• Expansion
  • 2x opto-isolated inputs via terminal block
  • 10-pin UEXT connector for Olimex expansion modules
  • 9-pin unpopulated header with 5x GPIO, ESP_EN, 5V, 3.3V, and GND
• Misc – Boot & Reset buttons
• Power Supply
  • 5V via USB-C port
  • LiPo UPS charger & step-up converter; the ESP32-C5-EVB can continue running on battery even if the main power supply is disconnected.
• Dimensions – 80x70mm

Like most (all?) Olimex boards, the ESP32-C5-EVB is open-source hardware with KiCad files (schematics, PCB layout), Gerber files, BoM, etc. available on GitHub along with a user manual.

There’s no firmware yet there, but we’re told the ESP32-C5 is supported by the ESP-IDF 5.5. Since the ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 is a brand new module, popular platforms/firmware like Arduino, PlatformIO, MicroPython, and ESPHome have not been ported to the new dual-band WiFi 6 microcontroller just yet.

Target applications include Smart Home controllers and automation hubs, industrial monitoring and relay switching, remote IoT devices with unreliable power sources, prototyping (dual-band) Wi-Fi 6 IoT products, and multi-protocol IoT gateways.

The ESP32-C5-EVB board can be purchased for 16.95 Euros on the Olimex store, and a bit less if you order multiple boards.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

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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