Good morning,
At this time of the year, I find building small LED installations, table top fountains, statuary, etc, to be in demand. I have been using the esp32-c3 because of its small footprint. But they remain costly. I have not yet experimented with the esp32-s3, and a quick review of the comments makes me wary. Can anyone add any prescient observations about these tiny MCU’s?
Thank you
If you’re looking at ESP32-C3 just because of the small footprint, you might want to look at ESP-01 modules instead. They are esp8266 based and has a very small footprint. I use these for 3 of my led strips and they work perfectly.
Thank you for the answer. Did you find the ESP-01 difficult to flash? I am working in a Linux environment.
I’m looking for a small controller as well for a single light project. Where is the best place to purchase an ESP-01?
S3 and C3 are not the same thing, S3 is “flagship” while C3 is small and inexpensive.
I’ve used WLED with C3s just fine, IMO that’s a way better choice than an old 8266.
Thank you. I have been experimenting with all of the smaller esp8266 substitutes/replacements. The esp01s has been useful for small relay applications, and I had not considered it for WLED. I have now used it, and but for no OTA, it works pretty well on small installations. But, it runs at 3.3v and ins some cases I have to provide 3.3, 5, and 12vdc for a singe installation. So, the esp32C3 has been my go to. Until your reply, I had not been aware that a generic part was available on aliexpress. many thanks
You’re correct on your categorization of ESP32-s3.
Just one little point - the entire ESP line (32’s, 8266’s, 8285’s) run on 3.3V only.
The need to provide multiple voltages (3.3V, 5V, 12/24/36V) comes from the boards you buy for each device not the device itself. If you manage to find a board that has on board regulators for higher voltage, you get down to a single supply.
If you’re just buying the ESP chip itself, you’re responsible for appropriate power. That applies to the entire ESP line of chips.
All true. The esp01s has no power regulation and the breadboard adapters don’t either. The relay adapters can handle 12vdc, but interfere with WLED. I’m going to try a few of these esp32C3 boards from aliexpress.
There are plenty, for example if you want battery handling there’s the Lolin C3 Pico
That one is nice. The battery soldering pads on the Xiao model are a hassle.
How does someone install wled on this? I didn’t see a usb port or something. Am I missing something, or is there a faq/website/doc file I need to find to use this?
Nvm. I finally found an instructable, which included reference to a programmer. I’m all set.
One reason the C3 is more interesting, no need to fiddle with a serial interface.
