Just the other day, I lamented the lack of options when it came to ESP32-C5 boards featuring dual-band WiFi 6 support. The FireBeetle 2 ESP32-C5 IoT development board made by DFRobot shows that I needed to be more patient…
The ESP32-C5 board features 4MB flash, a USB-C port, a LiPo battery connector, and two GPIO headers for expansion, as well as a GDI display connector designed to add an SPI/I2C touchscreen display. The new RISC-V board has about the same features and form factor as the FireBeetle 2 ESP32-S3. It adds 5 GHz WiFi and an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter, but loses a camera connector, and comes with less memory and storage.
FireBeetle 2 ESP32-C5 specifications:
- Wireless module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-1-N4
- 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
- Storage – 320 KB ROM, support for external flash
- Connectivity
- Dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) 802.11ax WiFi 6, 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 backward compatibility
- WiFi modes: Station mode, SoftAP mode, SoftAP + Station mode, and promiscuous mode
- Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (LE) with Mesh support, up to 2Mbps data rate
- 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0, Thread 1.3, and Matter up to 250 Kbps
- CPU
- Storage – 4MB SPI flash
- PCB antenna
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5
- Display Interface – 18-pin GDI FPC connector with SPI, I2C, backlight…
- USB – 1x USB-C port
- Expansion – 14-pin + 18-pin GPIO headers
- Up to 18x digital I/Os
- 1x SPI, 3x UART (1x LPUART), 2x I2C (1x LP I2C)
- I2S
- LED PWM controller
- Infrared trnsceiver pin
- 12-bit SAR ADC with 7 channels
- DMA Controller with 3 receiving channels and 3 transmitting channels
- 5V, 3.3V, and GND power signals
- Misc
- Reset and Boot/User (GP28) buttons
- User LED, charging LED
- Power Supply
- 5V via USB-C port
- 4.5V to 6V via VIN pin for solar panel
- 2-pin connector for 3.7-4.2V Li-Ion battery with battery level detection; up to 0.5A charging current
- Sleep mode power consumption – 21 μA (battery powered)
- Dimensions – 60 x 25.4 mm
The company provides instructions to get started with the Arduino IDE (basically the same as adding the ESP32C5 Dev Module), as well as links to general tutorials for the ESP-IDF framework, MicroPython, and PlatformIO in the wiki, where we’ll also find PDF schematics, datasheets, and additional hardware documentation.
We notably learn that the GDI interface supports six different displays from the company:
- 1.54-inch 240×240 IPS wide-angle TFT display
- 1.8-inch 128×160 IPS TFT LCD display
- 2.0-inch 320×240 IPS wide-angle TFT display
- 2.8-inch 320×240 IPS TFT resistive touch display
- 3.5-inch 480×320 IPS TFT capacitive touch display
- 1.51-inch OLED transparent screen
The company also highlights support for Home Assistant via MQTT with detailed instructions integrating a DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor on a separate blog post (i.e., not in the wiki…).
DFRobot sells the Firebeetle 2 ESP32-C5 IoT board for $6.90 plus shipping, or you can select the kit with an IO board for $8.90 on the same page to more easily connect sensors. For the optional display, you’ll need to browse the DFRobot store and make sure the selected display supports the GDI interface.
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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