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lamaPLC: ESP32 / ESP8266
The ESP32 can operate as a standalone system or as a slave device to a host MCU, reducing communication stack overhead on the main application processor. It can interface with other systems to provide Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality via its SPI/SDIO or I²C/UART interfaces.
Different between ESP32 and ESP8266
The main differences are that the ESP32 has significantly more processing power (a dual-core CPU), more memory, and Bluetooth, while the ESP8266 is older, single-core, and Wi-Fi-only. The ESP32 is better for complex projects because of its improved performance and peripheral features, while the ESP8266 is a more affordable choice for simple IoT applications.
| Feature | ESP32 | ESP8266 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Dual-core LX6/LX7, up to 240 MHz | Single-core L106, up to 160 MHz |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (BLE) | Wi-Fi only |
| RAM | Up to 520KB | 160KB SRAM |
| GPIO Pins | Up to 34 | 17 |
| ADC | 12-bit ADC | 10-bit ADC |
| Peripherals | More advanced peripherals like Ethernet, USB, touch sensors, CAN, and hall sensor | Basic peripherals like SPI, I2C, and UART |
| Cost | Higher price point | Lower price point |
Types of ESP32
| Type of ESP32 | CPU | Max clock speed | Connectivity | RAM | GPIO | ADC | Security | Peripherials/Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESP32 (original) | Dual-core LX6/LX7 | Up to 240 MHz | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (BLE) | Up to 520KB | Up to 34 | 12-bit ADC | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption, Hmac | More advanced peripherals like Ethernet, USB, touch sensors, CAN, and hall sensor |
| ESP32-C2 | Single-core RISC-V | 120 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE) | 272 KB SRAM 576 KB ROM | 20 | 12-bit ADC | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption | SPI, UART, I2C, LED PWM controller, General DMA controller (GDMA), SAR ADC |
| ESP32-C3 | Single-core RISC-V | 160 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE) | 400 KB SRAM 384 KB ROM | 22 | 12-bit ADC | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption | Cost-sensitive applications, Pin compatible with ESP8266 |
| ESP32-C6 | Single-core RISC-V | 160 MHz | Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 (LE), Thread, Zigbee, Matter | 512 KB SRAM 320 KB ROM | 30 (QFN40) or 22 (QFN32) | 12-bit ADC | RSA-3072 support | Matter Gateways, Thread Border Routers or Zigbee Matter Bridges, SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, RMT, TWAI, PWM, SDIO, Motor Control PWM |
| ESP32-S2 | Single-core Xtensa LX7 | 240 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, USB OTG | 320KB SRAM 128KB ROM | 43 | 2 × 13-bit SAR ADC | RSA-3072 support | Camera Interface, fit for lower-power applications like secure IoT |
| ESP32-S3 | Dual-core Xtensa LX7 | 240 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE), USB OTG | 512KB SRAM 384KB ROM | 45 | 2 × 12-bit SAR ADC | RSA-4096 support | Camera Interface, Accelerate machine learning applications |