Back in 2024, Espressif Systems introduced the ESP32-C61 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE (BLE) SoC as a low-cost variant of the ESP32-C6 without an 802.15.4 radio, a single RISC-V core, and lower-capacity SRAM (320KB vs 512KB).
We had first seen the ESP32-C61 in the Wireless Tag ESP32P4C61 board introduced last June in a Kickstarter campaign last June, but Espressif has now started to sell samples of the ESP32-C61-MINI-1 and ESP32-C61-MINI-1U on AliExpress for $10.7 for a pack of 5 pieces, or around $2 per module.
ESP32-C61-MINI-1/1U Module specifications:
- SoC – ESP32-C61
- CPU core – Single-core 32-bit RISC-V microprocessor up to 160 MHz
- Memory
- 320KB SRAM
- Up to 8 MB PSRAM
- Storage
- 256KB ROM
- Up to 8 MB Quad SPI flash
- Wireless
- 2.4 GHz WiFi 1T1R
- Frequency: 2412 ~ 2484 MHz
- IEEE 802.11ax-compliant
- 20 MHz-only non-AP mode
- MCS0 ~ MCS9
- Uplink and downlink OFDMA
- Downlink MU-MIMO
- Target wake time (TWT) that optimizes power saving mechanisms
- Backward compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n
- 20 MHz and 40 MHz bandwidth
- Data rate up to 150 Mbps
- Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)
- TX/RX A-MPDU, TX/RX A-MSDU
- 4x virtual Wi-Fi interfaces
- Simultaneous support for Infrastructure BSS in Station mode, SoftAP mode, Station + SoftAP mode, and promiscuous mode
- 802.11mc FTM
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth LE 5.3 certified
- Bluetooth mesh
- High power mode (20 dBm)
- Speed: 125 Kbps, 500 Kbps, 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps
- Advertising extensions
- Multiple advertisement sets
- Channel selection algorithm #2
- LE power control
- Internal co-existence mechanism between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to share the same antenna
- 2.4 GHz WiFi 1T1R
- Peripherals via 53 pads
- GPIO, SPI, UART, I2C
- I2S
- LED PWM
- USB
- Serial/JTAG controller
- GDMA
- On-chip debug functionality via JTAG
- Event task matrix
- ADC, temperature sensor, brown-out detector, analog voltage comparator
- General-purpose timers, system timer, and watchdog timers
- Misc
- 40 MHz crystal oscillator on-module
- Antenna options
- On-board PCB antenna (ESP32-C61-MINI-1)
- External antenna via a connector (ESP32-C61-MINI-1U)
- Supply Voltage – 3.0 ~ 3.6 V
- Dimensions
- 13.2 × 16.6 × 2.4 mm (ESP32-C61-MINI-1)
- 3.2 × 12.5 × 2.4 mm (ESP32-C61-MINI-1U)
- Temperature Range – -40 ~ 85°C
- Certifications – Various RF, Green, and Test certifications
You’ll find the full technical details in the datasheet. Software-wise, the ESP-IDF v6.0 framework added support for the ESP32-C61 when it was released in March 2026. Arduino is supported, but at this stage it’s not straightforward, as explained in the getting started instructions:
ESP32-C2 and ESP32-C61 are also supported by Arduino-ESP32 but require using Arduino as an ESP-IDF component or rebuilding the static libraries.
Besides the ESP32-C61-MINI-1/1U module, you can also use the ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1-N8R2 development board to get started, sold for $9 on AliExpress, or $12 on Amazon. Besides the ESP-IDF framework and Arduino, I can also see an alpha version of the CircuitPython firmware for the board.
In other news, Espressif Systems also announced mass production for the more powerful ESP32-S31 SoC and modules, following the availability of two ESP32-S31 development kits last May. The ESP32-S31-WROOM-3 module is sold for $4.95 with 16 MB of flash and 16MB of PSRAM, and the ESP32-S31NRV16 SoC for $3.76.
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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