ESP32-S Expansion Board 38-Pin

Description

This expansion baseboard works with 38-pin ESP32-S type development modules and brings the I/O out to a series of headers along with power and ground.

PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• ESP32-S Expansion Board 38-pin

KEY FEATURES OF ESP32-S EXPANSION BOARD 38-PIN:

• Supports multiple ways to power the ESP32 module
• Male header pin plus power and ground pins for each I/O pin for easy hookup
• Supports both 0.9″ and 1.0″ wide ESP-32 38-pin modules

OUR EVALUATION RESULTS:

This expansion board works with 38-pin ESP32 modules in either the narrower 0.9” or wider 1.0” configurations.

It provides flexibility in how the ESP32 is powered and also provides header pins on all I/O pins along with power and grounds to easily make jumper connections such as to sensor modules.

The board provides 3 ways to power the ESP32. It accepts either a USB Micro-B or USB C cable or can be powered from a standard DC Power jack. The DC power jack accepts 6.5V to 16V as input. It is recommended to keep the input down to a maximum of 12V to limit power dissipation in the on-board 5V linear regulator. Only one of these three DC power inputs should be connected at a time.  A red LED lights when power is applied.

Baseboard 5V Power – If powered from USB, the 5V power comes straight from the USB after passing through a reverse current protection diode. If powered from the DC power jack, an on-board 5V regulator provides the 5V power.

Baseboard 3.3V Power – The 3.3V power on the baseboard is provided by the 3.3V regulator on the ESP32 module. Typically, the current drawn off this regulator should not exceed 250mA.

A USB Micro-B cable connected directly to the ESP32 will also power the expansion board. There are reverse current protection diodes in place both on the ESP32 and the baseboard, so it is safe to connect to the ESP32 USB, such as to reprogram it or monitor the serial output, while the baseboard is also powered by one of the 3 input power sources.

The board itself provides Signal/Power/Ground header pins for each of the ESP32 signal pins.  This can be handy when connecting sensor modules or similar that also require power to be connected.

A jumper on the baseboard cleverly labeled JUMP selects whether 3.3V or 5V is applied to the power rails. Since the ESP32 is a 3.3V logic level compatible only device, this jumper should normally be left in the 3.3V position.

A separate header block brings out both 3.3V and 5V as well as GND. These are independent of the jumper position.

Another header block brings out the TX/RX and I2C SDA/SCL (D21/D22) as well as power and ground. This VCC voltage will change based upon the JUMP jumper position.

The baseboard has the pins labeled which is handy since the ESP32-S only labels the pins on the bottom side of the module, which isn’t handy at all.

The board does have four M4 size mounting holes.  Some of these are very close to the edge of the PCB and may be partially broken out, but will still work to secure the module.

BEFORE THEY ARE SHIPPED, THESE MODULES ARE:

• Sample inspected per incoming shipment.

Notes: 

1. None

Technical Specifications