{"id":7010,"date":"2020-04-02T11:12:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T15:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/?p=7010"},"modified":"2023-04-11T16:50:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T20:50:51","slug":"esp32-intro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/esp32-intro\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting started with ESP32"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Download \"Parts<\/a> \"View<\/a> \"Download<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to move beyond the Arduino and work with a more modern microcontroller. Today we will get started with the popular ESP32.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

When we think about using a microcontroller for a project we usually consider an Arduino<\/a>. It\u2019s inexpensive, easy to use and has a generous number of digital I\/O ports, and a few analog inputs as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the Arduino, for all of its wonderful benefits, is lacking in a number of areas. The first one is speed, the popular Arduino AVR series of boards run at 16 MHz. That’s certainly fast enough to build thousands of applications, but it\u2019s a bottleneck for others.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arduino certainly has enough digital outputs and inputs to satisfy most requirements, and its analog inputs are also useful. But adding features like WiFi and Bluetooth requires external components.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, the Arduino has been around since 2005. That\u2019s fifteen years, which in terms of technology is eons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arduino is well-loved here in the DroneBot Workshop and I\u2019ll continue to use it for many projects and experiments. But I also feel that it\u2019s time to explore other microcontrollers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Introducing ESP32<\/span><\/h2>\n

The ESP32<\/a> is actually a series of microcontroller chips produced by Espressif Systems in Shanghai.\u00a0 It is available in a number of low-cost modules.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ESP32<\/p>\n

The ESP32 is an updated version of the ESP8266<\/a>, which was a chip that took experimenters in the western world by \u201csurprise\u201d in 2014. The original ESP8266 was introduced on a module called the ESP-01, which had very little English documentation so it’s capabilities were largely unknown at the time. Once the documentation was translated into English many experimenters soon became aware of the power of the ESP8266, and it quickly became very popular.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ESP32 improved upon the ESP32 design in a number of ways.\u00a0 It offers both Bluetooth and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), whereas the ESP8266 only has WiFi (which, of course, the ESP32 also has). It is faster and is available in a dual-core design. It is also capable of operating in an ultra-low-power mode, ideal for battery-powered applications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other features of the ESP32 include:<\/span><\/p>\n