Espressif ESP32-S3-EYE
AI vision dev board with ESP32-S3, camera, and mic - perfect for facial detection, voice activation, and edge ML.
Espressif ESP32-S3-EYE 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 | uart | uart · pwm | UART0 RX (U0RXD) |
| 9 | 21 | IO21 | safe | pwm | General-purpose GPIO; RTC |
| 10 | 43 | IO43TX | uart | 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 involvementFreely assignable - no strapping, flash, USB or JTAG duties. Ideal first picks for buttons, sensors and LEDs.
Fine - with a little care
8 pins · 7 things to knowIO48IO47 Octal SPI differential clock legs (SPICLK_P/N_DIFF), used only by the 1.8 V octal flash/PSRAM variants Other
Only the 1.8 V octal parts (ESP32-S3R8V, ESP32-S3R16V) run the differential memory clock here, and on those the pin works at 1.8 V instead of 3.3 V. On the common 3.3 V modules it is a normal GPIO - several devkits drive their RGB LED from GPIO48.
- IO48Octal SPI differential clock negative leg (SPICLK_N_DIFF), used only by the 1.8 V octal flash/PSRAM variants
- IO47Octal SPI differential clock positive leg (SPICLK_P_DIFF), used only by the 1.8 V octal flash/PSRAM variants
IO44 UART0 receive pin (U0RXD), default serial console RX UART
Used for bootloader input (download mode via serial). If repurposed, you cannot use the default UART0 download mode for programming the chip.
IO43 UART0 transmit pin (U0TXD), default serial console TX UART
Used for bootloader output and UART console logs. If repurposed, you will lose the default serial output (and programming via UART0).
IO0 Bootstrapping pin (Chip boot mode selection) Strapping
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.
IO3 Bootstrapping pin (controls JTAG signal source) Strapping
Sampled at reset to select JTAG interface (USB Serial/JTAG controller vs. external pins). Improper use can disable external JTAG or alter debug interface.
IO45 Bootstrapping pin (selects VDD_SPI flash voltage) Strapping
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.
IO46 Bootstrapping pin (used with GPIO0 for boot mode; controls ROM log output) Strapping
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.
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 pin 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. 8 of the exposed pins carry boot-time or system duties on the ESP32-S3 (IO48, IO47, IO44 and 5 more).
Pinout notes The ESP32-S3-EYE provides access to various GPIOs and communication interfaces through its connectors. Key components include the camera interface, LCD…
Getting started
flash your first firmware in ~2 minutesBoard: 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
// toggle GPIO21 - wire an LED and resistor to it
void setup() {
pinMode(21, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
digitalWrite(21, HIGH); delay(500);
digitalWrite(21, LOW); delay(500);
}[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_PSRAMesp32-s3-devkitc-1 - or type it after board =.esp32:
board: esp32-s3-devkitc-1
variant: esp32s3
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_outesp32-s3-devkitc-1 (same ids as PlatformIO).esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port /dev/ttyACM0 \
--baud 921600 write_flash 0x0 firmware.bin--port = your /dev/tty* (macOS/Linux) or COMx (Windows).Specifications
ESP32-S3 · 60 × 30 mm · vs other ESP32 chips →Dimensions
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 ~$29 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 pricesResources
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