ESP32-S3-DEV-KIT-N8R8

ESP32-S3, USB Type-C

ESP32-S3-DEV-KIT-N8R8-M

Overview

Introduction

The ESP32-S3-DEV-KIT-NxR8 is a compact microcontroller development board with multiple interfaces.
In terms of hardware, the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-NxR8 module is equipped with an Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor with a main frequency of up to 240MHz, 512KB SRAM (TCM) and 8MB PSRAM, and a CH343 serial port and CH334 USB HUB dual chip on board, allowing simultaneous USB and UART use and development via a USB-C interface. The pin is compatible with the ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 development board, which is compatible with the expansion of a variety of peripherals, making it more convenient to use.

In terms of software, development environments such as ESP-IDF, Arduino, and MicroPython can be selected for development, making it easy to get started quickly and apply them to products.

Feature

Adopts ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-NxR8 module with Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor, capable of running at 240 MHz.
Integrated 512KB SRAM, 384KB ROM, 8MB PSRAM, and 8MB Flash memory.
Integrated 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE dual-mode wireless communication, with superior RF performance.
Type-C connector, easier to use.
Onboard CH343 and CH334 chips can meet the needs of USB and UART development via a Type-C interface.
Rich peripheral interfaces, pin compatible with ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 development board, high compatibility and expandability.
Castellated module allows soldering directly to carrier boards.
Supports multiple low-power operating states, the adjustable balance between communication distance, data rate, and power consumption to meet the power requirements of various application scenarios.

Function Diagram

Onboard Resource

Pinout

Outline Dimensions

Working with ESP-IDF

This chapter introduces the setup of the ESP-IDF environment, including the installation of Visual Studio, the Espressif IDF plugin, program compilation and download, as well as testing of sample programs. It aims to help users gain proficiency with the development board for secondary development.

Environment Setup

Download and Install VSCode

Open the download page of the official VSCode website, and select the corresponding system and system bit to download.

After running the installation package, the rest can be installed by default, but here for the subsequent experience, it is recommended to check boxes 1, 2, and 3

- After the first and second items are enabled, you can open VSCode directly by right-clicking files or directories, which can improve the subsequent user experience.
- After the third item is enabled, you can select VSCode directly when you choose how to open it.

The environment setup is conducted on the Windows 10 system. Linux and Mac users can refer to the ESP-IDF Environment Setup

Installing the Espressif IDF Plugin

The "online installation" is generally recommended for installing the Espressif IDF plugin. If online installation is not possible due to network issues, then "offline installation" can be used.
For the tutorial on installing the Espressif IDF plugin, please refer to: Install Espressif IDF Plugin Tutorial

Run the First ESP-IDF Demo

If you are just getting started with ESP32 and ESP-IDF, and you don't know how to create, compile, flash, and run ESP-IDF ESP32 programs, then please expand and take a look. Hope it can help you!

New Project

Create Demo

Using the shortcut F1, enter esp-idf:show examples projects

Select your current IDF version

Take the Hello world demo as an example

①Select the corresponding demo
②Its readme will state what chip the demo applies to (how to use the demo and the file structure are described below, omitted here)
③Click to create the demo

Select the path to save the demo, and require that the demos cannot use folders with the same name

Modify COM port

The corresponding COM ports are shown here, click to modify them
Please select the COM ports according to your device (You can view it from the device manager)
In case of a download failure, please press the Reset button for more than 1 second or enter download mode, and wait for the PC to recognize the device again before downloading once more

Modify driver object

Select the object we need to drive, which is our main chip ESP32S3

Choose the path to openocd, it doesn't affect us here, so let's just choose one

Introduction to other status bar functions

①.ESP-IDF Development Environment Version Manager, when our project requires differentiation of development environment versions, it can be managed by installing different versions of ESP-IDF. When the project uses a specific version, it can be switched to by utilizing it
②.Device flashing COM port, select to flash the compiled program into the chip
③.Select set-target chip model, select the corresponding chip model, for example, ESP32-P4-NANO needs to choose esp32p4 as the target chip
④.menuconfig, click it to Modify sdkconfig configuration file Project configuration details
⑤.fullclean button, when the project compilation error or other operations pollute the compiled content, you can clean up all the compiled content by clicking it
⑥.Build project, when a project satisfies the build, click this button to compile
⑦.Current download mode, the default is UART
⑧.flash button, when a project build is completed, select the COM port of the corresponding development board, and click this button to flash the compiled firmware to the chip
⑨.monitor enable flashing port monitoring, when a project passes through Build --> Flash, click this button to view the log of output from flashing port and debugging port, so as to observe whether the application works normally
⑩.Debug
⑪.Build Flash Monitor one-click button, which is used to continuously execute Build --> Flash --> Monitor, often referred to as “little flame”

Compile, flash and serial port monitor

Click on the all-in-one button we described before to compile, flash and open the serial port monitor.

It may take a long time to compile especially for the first time

During this process, the ESP-IDF may take up a lot of CPU resources, so it may cause the system to lag
If it is the first time to flash the program for a new project, you will need to select the download method, and select UART

This can also be changed later in the Download methods section (click on it to pop up the options)

As it comes with the onboard automatic download circuit, it can be downloaded automatically without manual operation
After successful download, it will automatically enter the serial monitor, you can see the chip output the corresponding information and be prompted to restart after 10S

Use the IDF demos

The following takes 'ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47-Demo’ as an example to introduce the two opening methods of the project and the general steps of use, and the detailed explanation of the ESP-IDF project. If you use other projects, the operation steps can be applied similarly.

Open in the software

Open VScode software and select the folder to open the demo

Select the provided ESP-IDF example and click to select the file (located in the Examples/Demo/ESP-IDF path)

Open from outside the software

Select the project directory correctly and open the project, otherwise it will affect the compilation and flashing of subsequent programs

After connecting the device, select the COM port and model, click below to compile and flash to achieve program control

ESP-IDF Project Details

Component: The components in ESP-IDF are the basic modules for building applications, each component is usually a relatively independent code base or library, which can implement specific functions or services, and can be reused by applications or other components, similar to the definition of libraries in Python development.
- Component reference: The import of libraries in the Python development environment only requires to "import library name or path", while ESP-IDF is based on the C language, and the importing of libraries is configured and defined through CMakeLists.txt.
- The purpose of CmakeLists.txt: When compiling ESP-IDF, the build tool CMake first reads the content of the top-level CMakeLists.txt in the project directory to read the build rules and identify the content to be compiled. When the required components and demos are imported into the CMakeLists.txt, the compilation tool CMake will import each content that needs to be compiled according to the index. The compilation process is as follows:

Demo

ESP32-S3-GEEK Demo
Demo	Basic Description
Wireless_USB_flash_drive	The ESP32-S3-GEEK can be used as a USB disk with wireless access capabilities

Wireless_USB_flash_drive

Program Description

This routine allows the ESP32-S3-GEEK to be used as a USB disk with wireless access capabilities. When combined with SD card storage, it can become a high-capacity wireless storage device. Additionally, you can connect to the ESP32-S3-GEEK's hotspot to upload and download via an HTTP file server, greatly facilitating user operations. It is suitable for learning the USB MSC functionality of the ESP32, as it can act as a storage device connected to a USB host, supporting various storage methods, with callback functions to handle various events, and testing for stability and reliability
To exit the program, simply press the boot button and power cycle the device

Hardware connection

Insert the TF card into the development board
Connect the development board to the computer

Code analysis

init_fat():Initializes the FAT file system. Depending on the configuration, it mounts either the internal flash memory or an external TF card
- If using internal flash memory, a specific function is selected for mounting based on the ESP-IDF version
- If using an external TF card, it is initialized and mounted according to the interface type (SPI or SDIO)
app_main ():The main function that coordinates the initialization of various parts of the program, including file storage, Wi-Fi (if configured), and USB MSC
- Calls init_fat to initialize file storage
- If Wi-Fi is configured, it initializes and starts the file server
- Initializes tinyUSB and installs the driver

Code Burning

Ensure the TF card is installed
Select the model (esp32s3) and port
Download via UART
Burn the program

Result demonstration

After programming, unplug and plug the ESP32-S3-GEEK again, and you can see a new USB flash driver

You can open the USB drive to browse through the files on the TF card and perform various operations such as adding, deleting, modifying, and checking files

Enter the PC's WIFI setting, connect to the ESP32-S3-GEEK's AP, and input the password of "Waveshare"
After connecting successfully, open the browser, and log in to IP: 192.168.4.1

After login successfully, you can upload and download files wirelessly

MicroPython

Flash Firmware

1. For ESP32-S3-Pico, please download firmware: Click here to download the burner and firmware.
For ESP32-S3-DEV-KIT-N8R8, please download firmware: ESP32-S3-DEV-KIT-N8R8-micropython-firmware.zip or download from micropython

2. Unzip the package downloaded before and enter.

3. Enter flash_download_tool_3.9.4 folder and open flash_download_tool_3.9.4.exe.

4. Choose the corresponding chip, choose ESP32-S3.

5. Choose the corresponding COM port, we have configured it and you just click Start to download.

- ①Choose the COM port.
- ②Download key.

Install Thonny

1. Open official Thonny website.

2. Select the corresponding system and version, here I choose "Windows", and the mouse has to move to Windows, only then will the corresponding information be displayed.

3. Just install it all the way by default.

4. Finish.

Get the Demo

1. Click here to download the demo.

2. Unzip the demo zip file.

Run the Demo

1. Open Thonny and choose Configure Interpreter.

2. Choose MicroPython (ESP32) as the Interpreter.

3. Click "OK" to save.

4. Click "Stop" or "Ctrl + F2".

5. You can see the MicroPython version information and the board name.

6. Open the files.

7. Choose our demo file and open a demo, here we choose a wifi-scan demo.

①Current local file directory.
②The demo we want to open is wifi-scan.py.
③ESP32-S3-PICO directory.

8. Click to run or press F5.

9. Please wait a moment, and you can see the wifi output information of esp32-s3-pico.

Resource

Schematic

ESP32-S3-DEV-KIT-N8R8 Schematic

Demo

Software

ESP32-S3

CH343

UART

SSCOM Serial Assistant

Datasheet

ESP32-S3

CH343

CH242 Datasheet

Official Document

ESP32

MicroPython Official Document

MicroPython Official Document

FAQ

Question:After power on, the recognized serial port devices and USB ports keep restarting?

Answer:

Check if the power supply voltage of the USB port is less than 5V. Generally, the power supply voltage of the USB port is above 4.9V, and both USB ports of the module can be used normally. If it is lower than 4.9V, there may be insufficient power supply and USB port disconnection. In this case, it is necessary to replace the USB port with sufficient voltage.

Question:After downloading the module program, sometimes there will be situations where the serial port cannot be connected or the program cannot be burned again.

Answer:

Long press the BOOT button, then press RESET at the same time, release RESET and then release the BOOT button. At this time, the module can enter the download mode, which can solve most of the problems that cannot be downloaded.

Question:Where can I power the below board externally?

Answer:

Our wiring sequence is different from the official Raspberry Pi rp2040. If you want VSYS, it is actually the 5V pin.

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