LilyGo T-Dongle S3
A USB dongle-style ESP32-S3 development board, providing a compact solution for USB-based applications.
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 |
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 minutesBoard: Lilygo T Dongle S3
USB CDC On Boot: Enabled
Flash Size: 16MB · DIO
Upload Speed: 921600
// blink
pinMode(8, OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(8, LOW); // on (often inverted)[env:lilygo_t_dongle_s3]
platform = espressif32
board = esp32-s3-devkitc-1
framework = arduino
monitor_speed = 115200
upload_speed = 921600esp32:
board: esp32-s3-devkitc-1
variant: lilygo_t_dongle_s3
framework:
type: esp-idf
# blink - GPIO8
output:
- platform: gpio
pin: 8
id: led_out
light:
- platform: binary
name: "LED"
output: led_outesptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port /dev/ttyACM0 \
write_flash 0x0 firmware.binSpecifications
ESP32-S3 · 58 × 18 mmAbout 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 21 - 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 pricesResources
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