ESP32-C5 SoC Offers Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6, BLE, Zigbee, and Thread along with ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 Development board

The ESP32-C5 is a powerful RISC-V-based wireless SoC from Espressif Systems, now in mass production, and is the first in the industry to support dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) along with Bluetooth 5 (LE) and IEEE 802.15.4 protocols like Zigbee and Thread.

Designed for low-latency, high-efficiency wireless applications, it features a 32-bit single-core processor running up to 240 MHz, backed by 384 KB SRAM, 320 KB ROM, and support for external PSRAM. It includes up to 29 GPIOs and supports high-speed interfaces like SDIO and QSPI, as well as a low-power CPU (up to 40 MHz) for energy-efficient tasks. With advanced security features and support from Espressif’s ESP-IDF framework (starting v5.5), the ESP32-C5 is ideal for a wide range of IoT applications, including smart home devices, industrial automation, and as a connectivity coprocessor in ESP-AT or ESP-Hosted setups.

Previously, we wrote about the Espressif ESP32-C5 Test Board. On April 30, the company officially announced the start of mass production. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 board, which comes with some changes compared to the earlier version.

ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 specifications:

• Module: ESP32-C5-WROOM-1
  • SOC:  ESP32-C5
    • CPU:
      • Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ 240 MHz
      • Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz
    • Memory: 384 KB On-chip SRAM
    • Storage: 320 KB ROM
  • Connectivity:
    • Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) – 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
    • Bluetooth 5 (LE)
    • Zigbee and Thread (802.15.4)
    • Onboard PCB antenna
  • Memory: 8MB PSRAM
  • Storage: 4MB SPI flash
• USB:
  • USB Type-C port (ESP32-C5) for power, flashing, communication, and JTAG (USB 2.0 Full Speed – up to 12 Mbps)
  • USB Type-C to UART port via on-board USB-to-UART bridge (up to 3 Mbps)
• I/Os:
  • 2x 16-pin GPIOs (except SPI for flash) are broken out to 2x pin headers for breadboard compatibility
• Misc:
  •  LED:
    • Power LED (3.3V)
    • RGB LED connected to GPIO27
  • Buttons:
    • Boot button (for entering download mode)
    • Reset button
  • J5 header for current measurement
• Power Supply Options:
  • USB Type-C ports (recommended)
  • 5V and GND pin headers
  • 3.3V and GND pin headers
  • Onboard 5V to 3.3V DC/DC regulator
• Dimensions: 51.8 x 25.5 mm

The ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 is quite similar to the ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1, but it uses the ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 module featuring dual-band Wi-Fi 6. Official support for the ESP32-C5 SoC, WROOM modules, and the devkit is expected in the upcoming ESP-IDF v5.5 release. Arduino support may follow later. Setup instructions are available on the documentation page.

At the time of writing, the ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 board is available on Aliexpress for $15.40. For additional details, you can visit the product page.

Please follow and like us: