Olimex Launches the ESP32-S3-DevKit-LiPo, a Compact Dev Board with MicroPython and Linux Powers
GPL-licensed open hardware board can be a MicroPython microcontroller or a Linux single-board computer, depending on your needs.
Bulgarian open hardware specialist Olimex has announced a low-cost development board built around the Espressif ESP32-S3 microcontroller — and offering the ability to run either MicroPython or a full Linux 6.3 environment, depending on your needs.
"ESP32-S3-DevKit-LiPo is small €12 [around $13.30] open source hardware board which is [able] to run Linux Kernel 6.x and MicroPython," Olimex founder Tsvetan Usunov writes of his latest board design, which as the name implies is a follow-up to the ESP32-S2-DevKit-LiPo launched back in February 2021 — replacing the Espressif ESP32-S2 with an ESP32-S3 while adding a few new features besides.
Specifically, the new board is built around the Espressif ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R8 module — meaning it pairs an ESP32-S3 system-on-chip, which offers a two Tensilica Xtensa LX7 cores running at up to 240MHz and 512kB of internal static RAM (SRAM), with 8MB of external pseudo-static RAM (PSRAM) and 8MB of flash storage. The module also includes single-band 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (BLE) connectivity, for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Elsewhere on the board is a lithium-polymer charging circuit and battery connector, a USB Type-C connector for power and data and a second for JTAG debugging and serial port access, a physical reset button and another user-addressable button, and a range of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) ports brought out to breadboard-friendly pin headers at either side — plus a pUEXT connector for solderless connectivity to Olimex breakout boards.
The board's most interesting feature, though, is its software. As well as being able to boot a MicroPython firmware for use as a microcontroller, the ESP32-S3-DevKit-LiPo can boot a Linux installation based on Linux 6.3 or above — turning it into a fully-functional, if resource-limited, single-board computer.
More information on the development board is available in the Olimex webshop, where it's listed for sale at €12 (around $13.30) before volume discounts; the board's KiCad project files are available on GitHub under the reciprocal GNU General Public License 3.