Info

This guide is specific to the ESP32 Thing Plus (USB-C) board variant. For the variants with the USB micro-B connector, please refer to the ESP32 Thing Plus hookup guide.

Introduction

• ESP32 WROOM Thing Plus (USB-C)
  SKU: DEV-20168

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• The SparkFun ESP32-WROOM Thing Plus (USB-C) enjoys all the features of our previous ESP32 Thing Plus (Micro-B) boards, but with a few improvements. For this variant, we have included an SD card slot, upgraded to a USB-C connector, integrated an RGB status LED and battery fuel gauge, and provided two voltage regulators; offering separate 700mA current sources for the board and Qwiic connector. The board still retains its standardized 28-pin Feather footprint, 2-pin JST battery connector, and Qwiic connector like our other Thing Plus boards.

  The ESP32-WROOM module on the board provides a rich set of peripherals, ranging from capacitive touch sensors, Hall sensors, SD card interface, Ethernet, high-speed SPI, UART, I²S, and I²C. With Espressif's ESP32 comprehensive development platform and Bluetooth low-energy support (i.e BLE, BT4.0, Bluetooth Smart) these boards are jam-packed with possibilities!

  Purchase from SparkFun

Tip

The CH340C serial-to-UART bridge is used on this board. Therefore, a different driver installation is required from previous versions of the ESP32 Thing Plus.

Warning

Not Yet Implemented: The Arduino core for the ESP32 microcontroller is still a work in progress. There are a handful of peripherals and features that have yet to be implemented, including:

• Analog Output (analogWrite([pin], [value]))
  • Alternative: LED Control API
• Pulse Counter
• SDIO
• Timer/Real-Time Clock
  • Alternative: ESP32Time Arduino library
• TWAI

The peripherals are available (if, also, still in their infancy) in the IoT Development Framework for the ESP32. If your application requires any of the features above, consider giving the ESP-IDF a try! (Updated: June 2022.)

Required Materials

To get started, users will need a few items. Now some users may have a few of these items, feel free to modify your cart accordingly.

• SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C)
• USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot - The USB interface serves two purposes: it powers the board and allows users to upload programs. (*If your computer doesn't have a USB-A slot, then choose an appropriate cable or adapter.)
• Computer with an operating system (OS) that is compatible with all the software installation requirements.

USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot CAB-14743

SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C) WRL-20168

Headers & Accessories

Headers are great for development purposes, letting users swap parts with just a set of jumper wires. If you would like to add headers to your board, check out some of the options for the Thing Plus or Feather form factor boards below. For a full selection of our available Headers or Soldering Tools, click on the associated links.

Break Away Headers - Straight PRT-00116

SparkFun Beginner Tool Kit TOL-14681

Feather Stackable Header Kit PRT-15187

Photon Header - 12 Pin Female PRT-14321

Header - 8-pin Female (PTH, 0.1") PRT-11895

Tip

New to soldering? Check out our Through-Hole Soldering Tutorial for a quick introduction!

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

Li-Po Battery

For mobile applications, users will want to pick up a single-cell LiPo battery from our catalog. Below, are a few available options:

Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah PRT-13855

Lithium Ion Battery - 400mAh PRT-13851

Lithium Ion Battery - 1Ah PRT-13813

Lithium Ion Battery - 110mAh PRT-13853

Jumper Modification

To modify the jumpers, users will need soldering equipment and/or a knife.

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool TOL-09325

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station TOL-14228

Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen - 10mL TOL-14579

Hobby Knife TOL-09200

Tip

New to jumper pads? Check out our Jumper Pads and PCB Traces Tutorial for a quick introduction!

How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces

Suggested Reading

As a more advanced development board, we will skip over the more fundamental tutorials (i.e. Ohm's Law and What is Electricity?). However, below are a few tutorials that may help users familiarize themselves with various aspects of the board.

Serial Communication	Analog vs. Digital	Pulse Width Modulation
Logic Levels	I2C	Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
How to Install CH340 Drivers	ESP32 Thing Plus Hookup Guide	Installing the Arduino IDE
Installing Board Definitions in the Arduino IDE	How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering	How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces

One of the new, advanced features of the board is that it takes advantage of the Qwiic connect system. We recommend familiarizing yourself with the Logic Levels and I²C tutorials. Click on the banner above to learn more about Qwiic products.