ESP32 30-Pin DevKit (Generic Clone)

At its core is the ESP32 - a dual-core Xtensa with both Bluetooth Classic and BLE.

Expect to pay about $3.00 - less than the ~$20 most ESP32 boards go for.

Onboard you'll find EN/Boot buttons.

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The ESP32 30-Pin DevKit is one of the most common ESP32 development boards found on AliExpress, eBay, and Amazon. These boards are typically unlabeled clones that follow the general ESP32-WROOM-32 pinout but come in many variations with different USB-serial chips, regulators, and silkscreen labels.

How to Identify Which Board You Have

1. Check the USB-to-Serial Chip
Look near the USB port for a square or rectangle IC with one of these labels:

• CH340C / CH340G → Most common on cheap clones. Rectangle chip.
{% image "images/ch340c.png", "CH340C on ESP32 30pin Development Board", [500], "auto", "rounded-lg my-4", "max-width: 500px; width: 100%; height: auto;", true, true %}
• CP2102 → Common on mid-range boards. Square chip.
{% image "images/cp2102-nodemcu-32s.png", "CP2102 on ESP32 30pin Development Board", [500], "auto", "rounded-lg my-4", "max-width: 500px; width: 100%; height: auto;", true, true %}
• CH9102F → Newer chip, similar to CP2102. Square chip.
{% image "images/cp2102-vs-ch9102.png", "CP2102 vs CH9102 on ESP32 30pin Development Board", [500], "auto", "rounded-lg my-4", "max-width: 500px; width: 100%; height: auto;", true, true %}
• FT232RL → Less common but still found. Rectangle chip.

If you want to know more about USB-to-Serial chips, check out this detailed guide.

2. Count the Pins
3. Check the Power Regulator

• AMS1117 → Older clones (gets hot under load)
  • Usually comes in a larger SOT-223 package with a flat metal tab (heatsinkable)
  • Often has "AMS1117" or "1117/3.3" printed directly on the chip
  • If you see a chunky 3-lead component with a metal tab near the USB port, it's likely AMS1117
  {% image "images/ams1117.png", "AMS1117 Voltage Regulator on ESP32 30pin Development Board", [500], "auto", "rounded-lg my-4", "max-width: 500px; width: 100%; height: auto;", true, true %}
• ME6211 / HT7333 → Newer low-dropout regulators (better efficiency)
  • Typically comes in small SOT-89 or SOT-23 packages (much smaller than SOT-223)
  • If it's a tiny 3-pin SMD component next to the input capacitors, it's likely HT7333
  • May have short marking codes that are harder to read

Tip: Some boards print the regulator type on the silkscreen (check the board's underside or near the regulator for labels like "AMS1117" or "HT7333").

4. Verify Silkscreen Labels
Most clones follow standard Espressif naming (3V3, GND, EN, GPIO0, GPIO2, etc.) but positions may vary. The pinout below matches 99% of 30-pin boards.

Important Notes

• Only 30 pins → Missing some GPIOs compared to 38-pin boards
• Some boards label ADC pins as VP, VN, SVP, SVN instead of GPIO numbers
• Driver installation required for CH340 chips (automatic on most modern systems)
• Strapping pins (GPIO0, GPIO2, GPIO12, GPIO15) must be in correct state during boot

Despite the variations, these boards are excellent for beginners and offer great value. They work perfectly with Arduino IDE, PlatformIO, and ESP-IDF once you identify which USB driver you need.

• No PSRAM (ESP32-WROOM-32 module)
• Voltage regulator varies by batch: AMS1117-3.3 (older) or ME6211 / HT7333 (newer LDO)