In the rapid development of Embedded systems and IoT (Internet of Things), the ESP8266 series of Wi-Fi modules has become popular for its ease of use and affordability. Recently Espressif launched its successor, i.e., the ESP8685 Wi-Fi module, which is a powerful upgrade to revolutionize the world of connected devices. In this blog post, we'll discuss in depth details of the ESP8685, exploring its features, advantages, and its potential impact on the IoT.
What is ESP8685?
ESP8685 is an ultra-low-power and highly-integrated MCU-based SoC solution that supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE). It is a powerful and versatile chip that can be used in a wide variety of applications, including smart home devices, industrial automation, and wearables and all types of IoT application. The block diagram of ESP8685 is shown below.
Pin Layout of ESP8685:
Below diagram shows the Pin Definition of ESP8685
It comes with Ultra Low Power SoC with RISC-V Single-Core CPU Supporting IEEE 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz WiFi) and Bluetooth® 5 (LE) 2MB(ESP8685H2) or 4MB(ESP8685H4) flash in the 4×4mm QFN package.
Refer ESP8685 datasheet for more details on Architecture.
Let’s See the Features of ESP8685:
WIFI
1) ESP8685 has IEEE 802.11b/g/n-compliant WiFi.
2) It Supports 20MHz, 40MHz bandwidth in the 2.4 GHz band.
3) 1T1R mode with data rate up to 150 Mbps
4) Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM).
CPU and Memory
1) 32-bit RISC-V single-core processor, up to 160MHz..
2) Core Mark® score:–1 core at160 MHz, 407.22 Core Mark, 2.55 Core Mark/MHz.
3) 384KB ROM.
4) 400KB SRAM (16KB for cache).
5) 8KB SRAM in RTC.
6) Access to flash accelerated by cache
7) Supports flash In-Circuit Programming (ICP).
Advanced Peripheral Interfaces
1) 15 × programmable GPIOs
2) Digital interfaces:
– 3× SPI (SPI0 and SPI1 are used to connect the SiP flash. Only SPI2 is available).
– 2×UART
– 1×I2C
– 1×I2S
– Remote control peripheral, with 2 transmit channels and 2 receive channels
– LED PWM controller, with up to 6 channels
– Full-speed USB Serial/JTAG controller
– General DMA controller (GDMA), with 3 transmit channels and 3 receive channels
– 1×TWAI®controller compatible with ISO 11898-1(CAN Specification 2.0)
3) Analog interfaces:
–2×12-bit SAR ADCs, up to 6 channels
–1× temperature sensor
4) Timers:
–2×54-bit general-purpose timers
–3×watchdog timers
–1×52-bit system timer
Low Power Management
•Power Management Unit with four power modes.
Security
1) Secure boot
2) Flash encryption
3) 4096-bit OTP, up to 1792 bits for use
4) Cryptographic hardware acceleration:
–AES-128/256 (FIPSPUB197)
5) Permission Control
6) SHA Accelerator (FIPSPUB180-4)
7) RSA Accelerator
8) Random Number Generator (RNG)
9) HMAC
10) Digital signature
Applications of ESP8685
• Smart Home
– Light control
– Smart button
– Smart plug
– Indoor positioning.
• Industrial Automation
– Industrial robot
– Mesh network
– Human machine interface (HMI)
– Industrial field bus.
• Health Care
– Health monitor
– Baby monitor.
• Consumer Electronics
– Smart watch and bracelet
– Over-the-top (OTT) devices
– Wi-Fi speaker
– Logger toys and proximity sensing toys.
• Smart Agriculture
– Smart greenhouse
– Smart irrigation
– Agriculture robot.
• Retail and Catering
– POS machines
– Service robot.
• Audio Device
– Internet music players
– Live streaming devices
– Internet radio players.
• Generic Low-power IoT Sensor Hubs
• Generic Low-power IoT Data Loggers
Conclusion
ESP8685 combines advanced features, low power consumption, and affordability. Its robust connectivity, powerful processing, offer developers endless possibilities for creating innovative smart applications. If you are looking for a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE-enabled chip with ultra-low power consumption from Espressif, ESP8685 Wifi Module is a great option to consider.