May 02, 2024

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity module with microcontroller

If you are developing a product for the Internet of Things (IoT), you need to know about Espressif's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity module options with microcontroller.

In other words, when you choose your connectivity module, you already have an embedded microcontroller, which allows much or all of your application's processing to be carried out on this single module.

This is an advantage for the application developer as it eliminates communication between two chips (module and microcontroller).

As well as for the PCB layout developer who will be routing tracks from just one chip, reducing the PCB area.

In addition to these development advantages, using just one chip for both functions results in lower component costs for the electronic project.

ESP32-C61 SoC - Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5 (LE) connectivity chip

The ESP32-C61 SoC is a System-on-Chip (SoC) with Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5 (LE) that follows the success of the ESP32-C2 and ESP32-C3, meeting the market demand for Wi-Fi 6 technology by offering optimized peripherals, enhanced connectivity, and greater memory options.

Wi-Fi 6 support is optimized for IoT devices, and the new SoC supports a 20 MHz bandwidth for 802.11ax mode and a 20/40 MHz bandwidth for 802.11b/g/n mode.

The 802.11ax mode supports features such as OFDMA, MU-MIMO, which provide a reliable, low-latency connection, along with Target-Wake-Time, which is the basis of ultra-low-power applications.

In addition, Bluetooth 5 (LE) supports long-range operation via announcement extension and coded PHY, while also supporting 2 Mbps of high-throughput PHY. The ESP32-C61 will also support the BLE-Mesh 1.1 protocol.

System and memory

In terms of CPU, the ESP32-C61 has a 32-bit single core RISC-V microcontroller that can be clocked up to 160 MHz. It has 320 KB on-chip SRAM, 256 KB ROM and works with Quad SPI flash.

The SoC introduces support for PSRAM with Quad SPI up to 120 MHz, thus allowing developers to concentrate on application development without worrying about memory optimization.

In addition, the increased memory availability also offers better support and protection for upgrades in the future.

Security

In line with Espressif's philosophy, the ESP32-C61 places a strong emphasis on affordable security, incorporating features such as secure boot, flash and PSRAM encryption, as well as cryptographic accelerators.

It also has an ECDSA-based digital signature peripheral in hardware, thus protecting private keys from software access. The addition of a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), using an Access Permission Management (APM) and Physical Memory Protection (PMP) hardware block, provides flexibility in application security management.

Optimized Peripherals

ESP32-C61 covers standard microcontroller peripherals such as I2C, I2S, SPI, UART, LED-PWM, ADC, Timers, and DMA.

Specialized peripherals include the Event Task Matrix for tasks triggered by trigger automation and the Zero-crossing comparator for easy zero-crossing detection.

The ESP32-C61 will be supported through Espressif's IoT Development Framework (ESP-IDF) so that the developer can benefit from their familiarity with our field-proven platform that already powers millions of connected devices.

The ESP-Matter-SDK will also include support for creating Matter-enabled products with ESP32-C61. With the availability of PSRAM, the ease of development as well as the applications that can be supported on this unique product are unparalleled.

For developers wishing to use the ESP32-C61 as a co-processor for communication with an external host, the ESP-Hosted and ESP-AT firmware will also be available.

If you are interested in the ESP32-C61 series of SoCs, please contact us.

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