SparkFun's Redesigned Espressif ESP8266 Module Quadruples the Flash Storage to 4MB
From the original module's miserly 512kB to the relaunched 1MB variant, SparkFun's latest ESP8266 module has the most storage yet.
SparkFun has announced a new variant of its popular break-out board for the Espressif ESP8266 microcontroller, increasing the flash memory to 4MB from 1MB.
Described by SparkFun's Xtopher as "a new version of the extremely popular ESP8266 Wi-Fi Module," the revised ESP8266 module retains the same overall design as its predecessors: There's the ESP8266 system-on-chip itself, with 802.11b/g/n support and a 32-bit low-power processor which can be co-opted for application use, plus the usual supporting hardware including a TR switch, balun, low-noise amplifier, power amplifier, matching network, phase-locked loops (PLLs), regulators, DCXO, and power management circuitry — plus a PCB antenna etched into the top of the module.
What's new is a dramatic increase in the amount of storage on the board: Where the last revision of the module had just 1MB of flash memory, the revised model packs 4MB — up fourfold from the last model, and eightfold from the company's very first design.
"This module has a powerful enough on-board processing and storage capability that allows it to be integrated with the sensors and other application specific devices through its GPIOs with minimal development up-front and minimal loading during runtime," the company claims. "Its high degree of on-chip integration allows for minimal external circuitry, including the front-end module, is designed to occupy minimal PCB area. The ESP8266 supports APSD for VoIP applications and Bluetooth co-existence interfaces."
The new module is now available on the SparkFun store, priced at $6.95 per unit before volume discounts; the earlier variants are now retired and no longer available to order.
