SparkFun ESP8266 Thing (WRL-13231)
The SparkFun ESP8266 Thing is essentially a breakout and development board for the ESP8266 WiFi SoC. Why the name? We lovingly call it the Thing due to it being the perfect foundation for your Internet of Things. Over the past year, the ESP8266 has been a growing star among IoT or WiFi-related projects. It’s an extremely cost-effective WiFi module, that – with a little extra effort – can be programmed just like any microcontroller. The only unfortunate part is: the ESP8266 has mostly only been available in a tiny, modular form, which, with limited I/O and a “unique” pin-out, can be difficult to build a project around. SparkFun’s new development board for the ESP8266 breaks out all of the module’s pins, and comes equipped with a LiPo charger, power supply, and all of the other supporting circuitry it requires.
The SparkFun ESP8266 Thing is a relatively simple board. The pins are broken out to two parallel, breadboard-compatible rows. USB and LiPo connectors at the top of the board provide power – controlled by the nearby ON/OFF switch. 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.
- /Documentation - Graphical datasheets (.pdf, .svg)
- /Hardware - Eagle design files (.brd, .sch)
- /Production - Production panel files (.brd)
- Hookup Guide - Exhaustive hookup guide for the ESP8266 Thing.
- SparkFun Fritzing repo - Fritzing diagrams for SparkFun products.
- SparkFun 3D Model repo - 3D models of SparkFun products.
This product is open source!
Please review the LICENSE.md file for license information.
If you have any questions or concerns on licensing, please contact technical support on our SparkFun forums.
Please use, reuse, and modify these files as you see fit. Please maintain attribution to SparkFun Electronics and release anything derivative under the same license.
Distributed as-is; no warranty is given.
- Your friends at SparkFun.