SPARKFUN ESP8266 THING - DEV BOARD

SPARKFUN ESP8266 THING - DEV BOARD

This is the SparkFun ESP8266 Thing Dev Board – a development board that has been solely designed
around the ESP8266, with an integrated FTDI USB-to-Serial chip. The ESP8266 is a cost-effective,
and very capable WiFi-enabled microcontroller. Like any microcontroller, it can be programmed to
blink LEDs, trigger relays, monitor sensors, or automate coffee makers, and with an integrated WiFi
controller, the ESP8266 is a one-stop shop for almost any Internet-connected project. To top it all
off, the ESP8266 is incredibly easy-to-use: firmware can be developed in Arduino, and uploaded
over a simple, serial interface. The ESP8266 Thing Development Board breaks out all of the module’s
pins, and the USB-to-serial converter means you don’t need any peripheral components to program
the chip. Just plug in a USB cable, download the Arduino board definitions, and start IoT-ing.

The ESP8266 Thing Development Board is a relatively simple board. The pins are broken out to two
parallel, breadboard-compatible rows. The USB connector sits next to an optional power supply input,
and an ON/OFF switch – controlling power to the ESP8266 – sits next to that. And LEDs towards the
inside of the board indicate power, charge, and status of the IC. The ESP8266’s maximum voltage is
3.6V, so the Thing has an onboard 3.3V regulator to deliver a safe, consistent voltage to the IC. That
means the ESP8266’s I/O pins also run at 3.3V, you’ll need to level shift any 5V signals running into the
IC. If your project requires a power source other than USB, the Thing Dev Board includes footprints for
a 2-pin JST, 2-pin 3.5mm screw terminal, or a simple 0.1"-pitch 2-pin header. This board has 4Mbit SPI
(512KB) on board flash memory. Unlike the original ESP8266 Thing, the ESP8266 Thing Dev Board does
not have a built-in LiPo charger.

Features & Specs