Seed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 (XIAO ESP32C3)

Development Board

Code name: XIAO_ESP32C3

Seed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 (XIAO ESP32C3) is a development board based on the ESP32C3 microcontroller using RISCV32 architecture.

This board features a maximum CPU frequency of 160 MHz and 4MB flash memory.

About XIAO ESP32C3

The XIAO ESP32C3 is a compact and versatile development board based on the ESP32-C3 RISC-V chip. With built-in WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 5 (LE), it is ideal for IoT applications requiring wireless communication. 📡

Its small form factor makes it suitable for wearable projects, DIY automation, and more. The board features a USB-C port for easy programming and power supply. It supports multiple communication interfaces, including UART, I2C, and SPI. 🚀

The XIAO ESP32C3 also includes a reset button and a bootloader mode button, simplifying development and debugging.⚡

Where to Buy XIAO ESP32C3

Starting from

10$ per unit

Amazon.com Ships worldwide

View Price

Amazon.de Ships to EU

View Price

AliExpress Best value

View Price

Prices are subject to change. We earn from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate.

Technical Specifications

Complete technical specification details for XIAO ESP32C3

USB

Type USB-C

Serial Chip Internal

Connectivity

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz)

Bluetooth 5.0

BLE 5.0

Microcontroller

Model esp32c3

Clock Speed 160 MHz

Flash Size 4MB

SRAM 400KB

Architecture riscv32

✨ Features & Pins

Digital IO 11

Analog Input 3

PWM 11

Interrupts 11

• Ultra-small form factor (20x17.5 mm)
• Low power consumption with deep sleep support

Download Full Datasheet

Quick Setup

Copy-paste configs for XIAO ESP32C3 - auto‑generated from this board's exact hardware specs.

ESP32C3 160 MHz 4MB QIO RISC-V

In Arduino IDE 2 select Xiao Esp32c3 from the esp32 by Espressif package. In PlatformIO use board = esp32-c3-devkitm-1. ESP32C3 · 160 MHz · 4MB · QIO · RISC-V.

Tools menu settings

Board (select in Arduino IDE) Xiao Esp32c3

CPU Frequency 160 MHz

Flash Size 4MB

Flash Mode QIO

Upload Speed 921600

Architecture RISC-V

In Arduino IDE 2, open Boards Manager, search "esp32" by Espressif and install it. Then go to Tools → Board and select "Xiao Esp32c3" for the XIAO ESP32C3.

platformio.ini


[env:XIAO_ESP32C3]
platform  = espressif32
board     = esp32-c3-devkitm-1
framework = arduino

; Exact hardware config for XIAO ESP32C3
board_build.mcu        = esp32c3
board_build.f_cpu      = 160000000L
board_build.flash_size = 4MB
board_build.flash_mode = qio
board_upload.flash_size = 4MB

The board value is a close generic match - check PlatformIO board registry for an exact fit.

esp32: block (YAML)


esp32:
  board: esp32-c3-devkitm-1
  framework:
    type: arduino   # or "esp-idf"

# XIAO ESP32C3 - 160 MHz ESP32C3
# Flash: 4MB | USB: USB-C

Paste into your device's .yaml. See ESPHome ESP32 docs for full options.

esptool.py - flash command


esptool.py \
  --chip esp32c3 \
  --baud 921600 \
  write_flash \
    --flash_mode qio \
    --flash_size 4MB \
    0x0 bootloader.bin \
    0x8000    partitions.bin \
    0xe000    boot_app0.bin \
    0x10000   firmware.bin

Install: pip install esptool - replace firmware.bin with your binary - bootloader at 0x0

XIAO ESP32C3 Pinout Diagram

Complete pin reference for XIAO ESP32C3

The XIAO ESP32C3 pinout is optimized for maximum functionality in a tiny package. It includes essential power pins like 5V, 3.3V, and GND for stable power delivery.

It supports multiple communication protocols, with dedicated pins for UART (RX and TX), I2C (SDA and SCL), and SPI (SCK, MISO, MOSI, and SS).

Analog input pins are labeled A0 to A3, making them ideal for sensor integration. Despite its small size, the XIAO ESP32C3 provides flexible connectivity for a variety of applications.

Safe Pins to Use

These pins are safe for general GPIO usage without boot or system conflicts

IO3

IO10

Why Are These Pins Safe?

✓ No boot sequence involvement

✓ No flash/PSRAM connections

✓ No USB or JTAG conflicts

✓ Freely assignable without issues

Pins to Avoid or Use with Caution

Reserved for critical functions. Misuse may cause boot failures, programming issues, or system conflicts.

Strapping Pins

Boot behavior & flash voltage

JTAG Debugging

Low-level debugging interface

USB Pins

USB Serial/JTAG communication

Flash/SPI Pins

Memory & PSRAM connections

UART Serial

Debugging & firmware uploads

PIN	Label	Why Avoid	Type
IO2	GPIO2	Must be held high during boot (if low on reset, normal flash boot may fail)	🛠️ Strapping
IO4	MTMS	Used during boot; JTAG TMS for debugging; acts as Quad-SPI flash IO (hold data line) in internal-flash variants	🔗 JTAG
IO5	MTDI	Used during boot; JTAG TDI for debugging; acts as Quad-SPI flash IO (write-protect data line) in internal-flash variants	🔗 JTAG
IO6	MTCK	Used during boot; JTAG TCK for debugging; provides flash clock in internal-flash variants	🔗 JTAG
IO7	MTDO	Used during boot; JTAG TDO for debugging; acts as Quad-SPI flash IO (data line) in internal-flash variants	🔗 JTAG
IO8	GPIO8	Must be held high during reset (if low, UART flashing/boot may not work)	🛠️ Strapping
IO9	GPIO9	Controls boot mode on reset (HIGH for normal flash boot, LOW enters serial download mode)	🛠️ Strapping
IO20	U0RXD	Used as UART0 receive (console/bootloader); repurposing may disable serial programming and debug logs	📡 UART
IO21	U0TXD	Used as UART0 transmit (console/bootloader); repurposing may disable serial console output and printing	📡 UART

Useful Links

Datasheets and resources for XIAO ESP32C3

Board Datasheet

Technical specifications

ESP32C3 Datasheet

Microcontroller reference

XIAO ESP32C3 Custom Pin Mapping

Pin configuration and GPIO mapping for XIAO ESP32C3

Digital I/O Pins

Interrupt Pins

Analog Inputs

PWM Pins

Pin	Function	ESP Pin	I/O Type	Description
1	5V	5V	POWER INPUT	5V power input
2	GND	GND	GROUND	Ground connection
3	3V3	3.3V	POWER OUTPUT	3.3V power output
4	IO2	A0	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, ADC
5	IO3	A1	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, ADC
6	IO4	A2	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, ADC
7	IO5	A3	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, ADC
8	IO6	SDA	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, I2C Data
9	IO7	SCL	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, I2C Clock
10	IO8	SCK	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, SPI Clock
11	IO9	MISO	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, SPI Data
12	IO10	MOSI	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, SPI Data
13	IO20	RX	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, UART Receive
14	IO21	TX	BIDIRECTIONAL	GPIO, UART Transmit

Legend

Function Pin role

GPIO ESP32 pin

I/O Direction

# Pin number

Pin Mappings

Complete pinout and GPIO mapping for XIAO ESP32C3

Digital I/O Pins

Interrupt Pins

Analog Inputs

PWM Pins

Pin	Analog	Other
2	A0
3	A1
4	A2
5	A3
6		SDA
7		SCL
8		SCK
9		MISO
10		MOSI
20		RX SS
21		TX

Legend

A0 Analog input

T0 Touch sensor

PWM PWM capable

RX/TX Serial pins

LED Built-in LED

# Pin number

Default Tools & Configuration

Build and upload settings for XIAO ESP32C3

Setting	Value
Bootloader tool	esptool_py
Uploader tool	esptool_py
Network uploader tool	esp_ota
Bootloader address	`0x0`
Flash mode	qio
Boot mode	qio
Maximum upload size	1280 KB (1310720 bytes)
Maximum data size	320 KB (327680 bytes)