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The Nano ESP32

blog.arduino.cc

11–20 of 142 posts

Re: The Nano ESP32

#11
post #8

Based on a pre RISC-V ESP32. Unfortunate.

What's the difference?

The OG ESP32 and successors esp32-S2 and ESP32-S3 use an ISA from company Tensilica called Xtensa LX6 (LX7 for the S3). The ESP32 C and H series use RISC-V. Xtensa is pretty well supported by compilers at this point, but RISC-V is on the rise and will have better support going forward. At this point in time, the S3 is the speediest ESP32 and is well supported, so it probably doesn't make a big difference.

ISA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instruction_set_architecture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESP32

Re: The Nano ESP32

#12
post #8

Based on a pre RISC-V ESP32. Unfortunate.

I wouldn't say this is necessarily a bad thing. The S3 is the most powerful ESP chip to date in terms of raw CPU power and even has AI and DSP instructions, esoteric things like direct CPU GPIO and more, I was kind of suprised to see such a powerhouse used for the Nano.

Re: The Nano ESP32

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you expand a bit on the value for the money? This board is $21 with headers... I've seen a ton of esp32 boards for much less. What do you think makes this board worth the extra cost?

Can you post your recommendations? I'm looking to build some stuff for fun, like DIY CO2 sensor. Say I go for something else than Arduino, what am I missing out on?

An actual Espressif ESP32, or the Arduino Feather variant if you want QUIK connectors for most sensors (if you can’t solder etc, or want to use plugs to make it serviceable).

Both are cheaper than this yet are the same thing.

Re: The Nano ESP32

#15
post #3

I'm using the Arduino RP2040 in a project. This is also in the same form factor as the Nano and is truly remarkable in terms of value for money. Really impressed with Arduino

Seems expensive compared to the nearly identical Pi Pico W.

Re: The Nano ESP32

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you expand a bit on the value for the money? This board is $21 with headers... I've seen a ton of esp32 boards for much less. What do you think makes this board worth the extra cost?

Can you post your recommendations? I'm looking to build some stuff for fun, like DIY CO2 sensor. Say I go for something else than Arduino, what am I missing out on?

You might get the most fun for your buck with an ESP32 Cam or EYE. ESP32 Cam boards go for about $7-9 on Amazon if you buy 2-3 at the same time. They don't have built-in USB, so you have to use an FTDI or other UART adapter to flash programs to it (at least the first time, you can set it up for OTA updates afterward). The more expensive ESPEYE has USB built in and a more powerful processor. The Seeed Studio ESP32 units also look interesting.

Here is a tutorial about how to use TinyML to perform image detection on the device: https://dronebotworkshop.com/esp32-object-detect/

Re: The Nano ESP32

#17
post #8

Based on a pre RISC-V ESP32. Unfortunate.

I’m going to say that people buying this product from Arduino for ostensibly using with the Arduino IDE is not going to care much about using a pre-RISC-V chip.

Re: The Nano ESP32

#18
It's almost as if Arduino is sherlocking Adafruit. They have offered ESP32 in a small standard-ish form for some time along with basic iot cloud logging services. Adafruit has also used and contributed heavily used libraries to Arduino.

Re: The Nano ESP32

#19
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the difference?

The OG ESP32 and successors esp32-S2 and ESP32-S3 use an ISA from company Tensilica called Xtensa LX6 (LX7 for the S3). The ESP32 C and H series use RISC-V. Xtensa is pretty well supported by compilers at this point, but RISC-V is on the rise and will have better support going forward. At this point in time, the S3 is the speediest ESP32 and is well supported, so it probably doesn't make a big difference. ISA: https:…

It's not just this, but also that Espressif CEO's expressed their desire to focus on RISC-V[0].

Thus, a new Arduino platform is being created out of a deprecated family of MCUs, the Tensilica-based ESP32s.

0. https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/espressif-moves-exclusively-...

Re: The Nano ESP32

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you expand a bit on the value for the money? This board is $21 with headers... I've seen a ton of esp32 boards for much less. What do you think makes this board worth the extra cost?

Can you post your recommendations? I'm looking to build some stuff for fun, like DIY CO2 sensor. Say I go for something else than Arduino, what am I missing out on?

Arduino's have a lot of documentation and a great platform. The language is basically C and there are lots of libraries available so most sensors should be easy to get running.

I don't know about the RP2040, but the ATMEGAs can't multitask and have pretty low resolution ADC.

In my experience having them calibrated properly is a pain in the ass because they rely on the input voltage and that changes slightly depending on the method of power input.

A computer using USB will give you a different result than on battery power since the USB is going through a diode but no regulator and the battery is going through a regulator or straight into the 5V line. To make it work I ended up cutting the voltage lines on a USB cable and connecting a battery for power.

I'm sure there is an easy way to deal with all that stuff but I'm not good enough to have figured it out.

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