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LilyGo T-Dongle S3
A USB dongle-style ESP32-S3 development board, providing a compact solution for USB-based applications.
58 × 18 mm
ESP32-S3
MCU
240MHz
clock
16MB
flash
512KB
SRAM
2· Two 12-bit, 20 Channels ADC
GPIO
BLE 5.0+ WiFi
radio
Pinout
4 pins
| Pin | GPIO | Labels | Status | Capabilities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 3V33.3V | power | - | 3.3V output on the 4-pin JST SH connector (UART / QWIIC) |
| 2 | 43 | TXIO43U0TXD | strapping | uart · i2c · pwm | 4-pin JST SH connector (UART / QWIIC) - default UART0 TX; usable as I2C SDA |
| 3 | 44 | RXIO44U0RXD | strapping | uart · i2c · pwm | 4-pin JST SH connector (UART / QWIIC) - default UART0 RX; usable as I2C SCL |
| 4 | - | GND | ground | - | Ground on the 4-pin JST SH connector (UART / QWIIC) |
Fine - with a little care
sampled at boot or shared with debug/serial| Pin | Label | What to know | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | U0TXD (GPIO43) | Used for bootloader output and UART console logs. If repurposed, you will lose the default serial output (and programming via UART0). | Other |
| RX | 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 |
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 LilyGo T-Dongle S3 breaks out 4 pins in total: 2 GPIO for your project, with 3V3 and GND handling power. For peripherals, TX / RX on GPIO43 and GPIO44…
The LilyGo T-Dongle S3 breaks out 4 pins in total: 2 GPIO for your project, with 3V3 and GND handling power.
For peripherals, TX/RX on GPIO43 and GPIO44 cover serial logging and flashing.
On the analog side there are PWM on every GPIO.
2 of the exposed pins carry boot-time or system duties on the ESP32-S3 (TX and RX).
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 GPIO8 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: "16MB (128Mb)"▸
Flash Mode: "DIO"▸
PSRAM: "OPI PSRAM"▸
Partition Scheme: "16M Flash (3MB APP / 9.9MB FATFS)" (default)▸
Upload Speed: "921600"▸
▸ every other Tools option — leave at default
Board: ESP32S3 Dev Module USB CDC On Boot: Enabled Flash Size: 16MB (128Mb) Flash Mode: DIO PSRAM: OPI PSRAM Partition Scheme: 16M Flash (3MB APP / 9.9MB FATFS) Upload Speed: 921600
Find it: Tools ▸ Board ▸ ESP32 Arduino ▸ ESP32S3 Dev Module
// blink the onboard LED
void setup() {
pinMode(8, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
digitalWrite(8, HIGH); delay(500);
digitalWrite(8, LOW); delay(500);
}board to selectesp32-s3-devkitc-1⧉ copy
[env:lilygo_t_dongle_s3]
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: lilygo_t_dongle_s3
framework:
type: esp-idf
psram:
mode: octal
speed: 80MHz
# blink - GPIO8
output:
- platform: gpio
pin: 8
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 3145728 B · data 327680 B · DIO
Specifications
ESP32-S3 · 58 × 18 mmCompute
MCU
ESP32-S3
Clock
240 MHz
SRAM · Flash
512 KB · 16MB · 8MB (OPI) PSRAM
Radio
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
5.0 LE
Antenna
PCB
I/O
GPIO · ADC
2 · Two 12-bit, 20 Channels
UART · I²C · SPI
3 · 2 · 4
PWM
8 channels
Power
USB
-
Serial
Native (CDC)
Boot address
0x0
Display
Screen
LCD · 0.96" · 80x160
Driver
ST7735
Touch
No
Flashing
Upload · OTA
esptool_py · esp_ota
Flash · Boot mode
DIO · QIO
Sketch · Data
3 MB · 320 KB
58 × 18 mm
The LilyGo T-Dongle S3 uses esptool_py for firmware uploads, esp_ota for over-the-air (OTA) updates. Flash mode is DIO with QIO boot mode. The maximum sketch size is 3 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 $19.99 - less than the ~$30 most ESP32-S3 boards go for.
Only 2 GPIO are broken out, where most ESP32-S3 boards manage about 22 - worth checking the pinout covers what you need.
Onboard you'll find 8MB (OPI) PSRAM, an LCD 0.96" 80x160 display, a microSD slot, a Qwiic connector, a microphone (PDM MEMS), an addressable RGB LED (GPIO40), battery charging via MX1.25 2-pin and Boot buttons.
It flashes over native USB - no serial-converter driver needed, which isn't a given among ESP32-S3 boards.
- USB-A male plug (S3 native USB)
- APA102 addressable RGB LED (data GPIO40, clock GPIO39)
- PDM MEMS microphone (blow detection in factory firmware)
- microSD (TF) slot hidden inside the USB-A housing
- IPEX external-antenna connector on some variants
Where to buy
prices are typical street pricesLilyGo T-Dongle S3
$19.99per unit, typical
Resources
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