Yes
Yes
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Espressif ESP32-S3-EYE
AI vision dev board with ESP32-S3, camera, and mic - perfect for facial detection, voice activation, and edge ML.
60 × 30 mm
ESP32-S3
MCU
240MHz
clock
8MB
flash
512KB
SRAM
9· 1 ADC
GPIO
BLE 5.0+ WiFi
radio
Pinout
20 pins · 2.54 mm pitch
| Pin | GPIO | Labels | Status | Capabilities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 2 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 3 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 4 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 5 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 6 | 48 | IO48 | strapping | pwm | SPICLK_N; general-purpose GPIO |
| 7 | 47 | IO47 | strapping | pwm | SPICLK_P; general-purpose GPIO |
| 8 | 44 | IO44RX | strapping | uart · pwm | UART0 RX (U0RXD) |
| 9 | 21 | IO21 | safe | pwm | General-purpose GPIO; RTC |
| 10 | 43 | IO43TX | strapping | uart · pwm | UART0 TX (U0TXD) |
| 11 | - | 3V33.3V | power | - | 3.3V regulated output |
| 12 | 0 | IO0 | strapping | pwm | BOOT strapping pin; onboard BOOT button |
| 13 | 3 | IO3A3T3 | strapping | adc · touch · pwm | ADC1_CH2; TOUCH3; strapping (JTAG select); RTC |
| 14 | 45 | IO45 | strapping | pwm | Strapping pin (VDD_SPI voltage); general-purpose GPIO |
| 15 | 46 | IO46 | strapping | pwm | Strapping pin (ROM boot log); general-purpose GPIO |
| 16 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 17 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 18 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 19 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
| 20 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground |
Start with these
1 pins with no boot or system involvementIO21
Freely assignable - no strapping, flash, USB or JTAG duties. Ideal first picks for buttons, sensors and LEDs.
Fine - with a little care
sampled at boot or shared with debug/serial| Pin | Label | What to know | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| IO44 | U0RXD (GPIO44) | Used for bootloader input (download mode via serial). If repurposed, you cannot use the default UART0 download mode for programming the chip. | Other |
| IO43 | U0TXD (GPIO43) | Used for bootloader output and UART console logs. If repurposed, you will lose the default serial output (and programming via UART0). | Other |
| IO0 | GPIO0 | Must be pulled high (default) or low (to enter UART download mode) at reset. Using it for other functions can interfere with boot mode configuration. | Strapping |
| IO3 | GPIO3 | Sampled at reset to select JTAG interface (USB Serial/JTAG controller vs. external pins). Improper use can disable external JTAG or alter debug interface. | Strapping |
| IO45 | GPIO45 | Determines flash/PSRAM power voltage (3.3 V vs 1.8 V) at boot. Must match hardware configuration; using as GPIO can upset flash supply setting. | Strapping |
| IO46 | GPIO46 | Must be at a defined level during reset (with GPIO0) to select normal or download boot and UART/USB print mode. This pin is input-only (no output drive), so it should be left for its intended strapping function. | Strapping |
Only if you know the tricks
wired to flash or USB - expect a fight| Pin | Label | What to know | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| IO48 | SPICLK_N | Used only on variants with Octal SPI interface, as the negative leg of the differential clock&. On such chips it operates at 1.8 V; it should be avoided for GPIO to prevent conflicts with the octal flash/PSRAM clock. | Flash |
| IO47 | SPICLK_P | Used only on variants with Octal SPI interface (e.g. ESP32-S3R16V) as part of the differential clock pair. On such chips it operates at 1.8 V and is reserved for the high-speed octal SPI clock, not for general GPIO use. | Flash |
These are recommendations, not hard rules - with the right pull-ups, timing and boot-state awareness most pins can be made to work. When in doubt, start green.
Pinout notes The Espressif ESP32-S3-EYE breaks out 20 pins in total: 9 GPIO for your project, with GND and 3V3 handling power. For peripherals, TX / RX on GPIO43 and GPIO44…
The Espressif ESP32-S3-EYE breaks out 20 pins in total: 9 GPIO for your project, with GND and 3V3 handling power.
For peripherals, TX/RX on GPIO43 and GPIO44 cover serial logging and flashing.
On the analog side there is 1 ADC-capable pins for sensors and battery monitoring, PWM on every GPIO and 1 capacitive-touch inputs.
If you want zero surprises, IO21 is free of any such role - the safest first picks. 6 of the exposed pins carry boot-time or system duties on the ESP32-S3 (IO44, IO43, IO0 and 3 more).
The ESP32-S3-EYE provides access to various GPIOs and communication interfaces through its connectors. Key components include the camera interface, LCD interface, microphone, and function buttons. The board supports multiple I/O interfaces, facilitating integration with peripherals and sensors for AIoT applications.
Getting started
flash your first firmware in ~2 minutes1
Connect over USB
Native USB - shows up as a port right away, no driver needed. Not detected? Hold BOOT while plugging in.
2
Match & flash
Set the Tools options shown, then click Upload.
3
Verify it runs
The onboard LED on GPIO21 blinks - swap the pin if your board's LED differs.
Set these in Tools · leave everything else at default
Arduino IDE 2.x — Tools Copy
Board: "ESP32S3 Dev Module"▸
USB CDC On Boot: "Enabled"▸
Flash Size: "8MB (64Mb)"▸
Flash Mode: "DIO"▸
PSRAM: "OPI PSRAM"▸
Partition Scheme: "8M with spiffs (3MB APP / 1.5MB SPIFFS)" (default)▸
Upload Speed: "921600"▸
▸ every other Tools option — leave at default
Board: ESP32S3 Dev Module USB CDC On Boot: Enabled Flash Size: 8MB (64Mb) Flash Mode: DIO PSRAM: OPI PSRAM Partition Scheme: 8M with spiffs (3MB APP / 1.5MB SPIFFS) Upload Speed: 921600
Find it: Tools ▸ Board ▸ ESP32 Arduino ▸ ESP32S3 Dev Module
// blink the onboard LED
void setup() {
pinMode(21, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
digitalWrite(21, HIGH); delay(500);
digitalWrite(21, LOW); delay(500);
}board to selectesp32-s3-devkitc-1⧉ copy
[env:esp32-s3-eye]
platform = espressif32
board = esp32-s3-devkitc-1
framework = arduino
monitor_speed = 115200
upload_speed = 921600
board_build.arduino.memory_type = qio_opi
build_flags = -DBOARD_HAS_PSRAMFind it: PlatformIO Home ▸ Boards, search
esp32-s3-devkitc-1 — or type it after board =.board to selectesp32-s3-devkitc-1⧉ copy
esp32:
board: esp32-s3-devkitc-1
variant: esp32_s3_eye
framework:
type: esp-idf
psram:
mode: octal
speed: 80MHz
# blink - GPIO21
output:
- platform: gpio
pin: 21
id: led_out
light:
- platform: binary
name: "LED"
output: led_outFind it: search ESPHome's board list for
esp32-s3-devkitc-1 (same ids as PlatformIO).esptool doesn't pick board settings — a prebuilt .bin already has them baked in. This is just the raw flash command.
esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port /dev/ttyACM0 \
--baud 921600 write_flash 0x0 firmware.bin--port = your /dev/tty* (macOS/Linux) or COMx (Windows).Build details: sketch space 8388608 B · data 327680 B · DIO
Specifications
ESP32-S3 · 60 × 30 mmCompute
MCU
ESP32-S3
Clock
240 MHz
SRAM · Flash
512 KB · 8MB · 8MB (OPI) PSRAM
Radio
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
5.0 LE
Antenna
PCB
I/O
GPIO · ADC
9 · 1
UART · I²C · SPI
3 · 2 · 4
PWM
8 channels
Power
USB
Micro-USB
Serial
Native (CDC)
Boot address
0x0
Display
Screen
LCD · 1.3" · 240x240
Driver
ST7789
Touch
No
Flashing
Upload · OTA
esptool_py · esp_ota
Flash · Boot mode
DIO · DIO
Sketch · Data
8 MB · 320 KB
60 × 30 mm · pin pitch 2.54 mm
The Espressif ESP32-S3-EYE uses esptool_py for firmware uploads, esp_ota for over-the-air (OTA) updates. Flash mode is DIO with DIO boot mode. The maximum sketch size is 8 MB with 320 KB available for data.
About this board
At its core is the ESP32-S3 - a dual-core Xtensa with vector extensions suited to AI workloads.
Expect to pay about $35.00 - above the ~$30 typical for ESP32-S3 boards.
Only 9 GPIO are left for your own hardware - the camera interface claims most of the pins.
Onboard you'll find 8MB (OPI) PSRAM, an LCD 1.3" 240x240 display, an OV2640 camera (1600x1200), a microSD slot, a microphone, battery charging (ME4054) and Boot/Reset/6x Function buttons.
It flashes over native USB - no serial-converter driver needed, which isn't a given among ESP32-S3 boards.
The ESP32-S3-EYE is a compact AI development board produced by Espressif, based on the ESP32-S3 SoC and the ESP-WHO AI development framework. It features a 2-megapixel camera, an LCD display, and a microphone, making it suitable for image recognition and audio processing applications. The board includes 8 MB of Octal PSRAM and 8 MB of flash, supporting image transmission via Wi-Fi and debugging through a Micro-USB port.
- 3-axis accelerometer (QMA7981) for screen rotation
- ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N8R8 module (ESP32-S3R8, 8MB Octal PSRAM)
- Camera and module have independent LDO power supplies
Where to buy
prices are typical street pricesEspressif ESP32-S3-EYE
$35.00per unit, typical
Resources
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