The IoT industry has not only grown in terms of features and cost expectations, but it has also become one of the mainstream markets. As a result, while creating a new product, Espressif understands the importance of striking a balance between features and price.
The ESP32-C3, launched in November 2020 is a single-core, 32-bit, RISC-V-based MCU with 400KB of SRAM and a 160MHz processor speed. It includes 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 (LE) having long-range capability incorporated. It includes 22 programmable GPIOs that support ADC, SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, RMT, TWAI, and PWM, as well as ADC, UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, RMT, TWAI, and PWM.
Espressif 32 C3 comes with several key benefits which are as follows :-
1. Bluetooth 5 (LE) with Long-Range Support
2. Security
3. RISC-V at the core
4. Software availability
5. Sufficient memory
1. Bluetooth 5 (LE) with Long-Range Support :
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 (LE) with long-range (LR) capabilities help in the development of devices with improved coverage and usability whereas Bluetooth LE SIG Mesh and Espressif Wi-Fi Mesh are still supported by the ESP32-C3. Furthermore, the ESP32-C3's excellent RF performance is maintained at greater operating temperatures.
2. Security :
The ESP32-C3 includes AES-128-XTS-based flash encryption and RSA-3072-based secure boot, which can be utilized to develop secure connected devices. Both the HMAC and the novel digital signature peripherals give a secure device identity for programs, adding another degree of security. Support for cryptographic algorithms in hardware guarantees great performance for secure communication both within a local network and with the Cloud.
3. RISC-V at core :
Espressif 32-c3 includes a 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller that comes with 160 MHz clock speed. It can also support a variety of linked device use-cases because of its 22 configurable GPIOs, 400 KB of internal RAM, and low-power mode support. The MCU is available in a range of configurations, including both integrated and external flash. It's ideal for industrial and lighting applications because of its high-temperature support.
4. Software Availability :
Espressif's open-source ESP-IDF, which now powers millions of devices in the field, supports ESP32-C3. This ensures that a robust SDK and tools, as well as a simple application migration path for developers, are available. Using the ESP-AT and ESP-Hosted solutions, the ESP32-C3 can also be used with an external host MCU.
5. Sufficient Memory :
There is a wide variety of user-cases that are present in the market today and all of them have different requirements. Therefore, it becomes tricky to determine the best memory size for SoC. It is suggested for users to support user-cases with one to two TLS connections to the cloud, which are Bluetooth-LE-active every time while supporting a reasonable app headroom on the top. These requirements are met by ESP32-C3’s 400 KB of SRAM while keeping the chip’s cost within the target budget.
ESP32-C3 also has a dynamic partitioning for data (DRAM) memory and instruction (IRAM) which helps in maximizing the usable memory. The memory requirements of the Bluetooth subsystem are also optimized in comparison to ESP32.
How to interface ESP32-C3?
ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1
ESP32-C3-MINI-1 has a number of I/O pins on the module which are broken out to the pin headers on both corners of the board for simple interfacing. Developers can either mount ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1 on a breadboard or connect peripherals with jumper wires.
The key components of ESP32-C3- DevKitM-1 are ESP32-C3-MINI-1, Boot Button, Micro-USB Port, 5 V Power On LED, 5 V to 3.3 V LDO, USB to UART Bridge, Reset Button, I/O Connector and an RGB LED that is driven by GPIO8.
The ESP32-C3 board can be connected to a PC with the help of a USB cable. There are cases when the device driver does not get automatically installed, in these cases, you need to identify the USB to serial converter chip on the ESP32-C3 board (external converter dongle), then search for drivers on the internet and install the same.
Here are some links to drivers for ESP32-C3 boards that are produced by Espressif :
The drivers that are provided above are provided for reference. Under usual circumstances, the drivers can be bundled with the operating system and installed automatically when one of the boards is connected to the PC.
After this, you need to follow the process mentioned below:
Check port on windows:
You need to check a series of COM ports that are identified in the Windows Device Manager. After this, you need to disconnect ESP32-C3 and connect it back in order to check which port gets disappeared from the list and then becomes visible again.
Check port on Linux and macOS:
To examine the device name for the ESP 32-C3 board’s (converter dongle) serial port, you need to run this command twice, firstly, with the dongle/board unplugged, then when the board is plugged in. The port that appears the 2nd time is the one that you require.
Linux: ls /dev/tty*
macOS: ls /dev/cu.*
Adding user to dialout on Linux:
The user who’s logged in currently should have permission to write and read the serial port over USB. This is done by adding the user to dialout group on most Linux distributions.
Verify serial connection.
To determine whether or not the serial connection is functional or not, it must be tested. This can be done with the help of serial terminal software by examining if any output appears on the terminal when the ESP32-C3 is reset.
Other SoC’s :
Apart from Espressif -32-C3 series, Espressif also offers various variants of SoC’s to serve the different requirements of the market. Some of these series are ESP-32-S2 series, ESP-32, and ESP-32s, etc. These series are available on the official website of Espressif along with their full specifications.