# DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3

> Coin-sized ESP32-C3 RISC-V IoT development board with WiFi, BLE 5.0, integrated LiPo charging, 13 GPIO pins, and USB-C in a 25x20.5mm form factor.

## Quick Facts

- **Brand:** DFRobot
- **Price:** ~$7.9
- **Product Readiness:** Consumer Ready
- **CPU:** RISC-V single-core @ 160MHz, HW crypto (AES/SHA/RSA)
- **CPU Architecture:** RISC-V 32-bit
- **CPU Cores:** 1
- **RAM:** 400KB SRAM
- **Flash:** 4MB
- **USB:** USB-C (native USB 2.0)
- **Power:** 5V USB-C / LiPo battery (BAT pin) / 5V external (VIN)
- **Operating Voltage:** 3.3V
- **Operating Temp:** -40°C to 105°C
- **Dimensions:** 25 × 20.5mm
- **Weight:** 17g
- **Battery:** LiPo (user-supplied, 1.25mm JST)
- **Antenna:** Built-in PCB antenna

## Connectivity

- **Wifi:** 802.11 b/g/n
- **Bluetooth:** BLE 5.0

## Use Cases

- compact-iot-node
- battery-powered-sensor-node
- smart-home
- wearable
- e-textiles

## Components

- **ESP32-C3** (mcu): Espressif ESP32-C3 RISC-V single-core processor at 160MHz with 400KB SRAM, 4MB flash, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, BLE 5.0, and hardware crypto acceleration. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espressif.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fdocumentation%2Fesp32-c3_datasheet_en.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3&source=md-export)
- **TP4057** (battery-charger): Linear lithium battery charger with up to 400mA programmable charge current for safe LiPo/Li-Ion charging. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fdlnmh9ip6v2uc.cloudfront.net%2Fdatasheets%2FPrototyping%2FTP4056.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3&source=md-export)

## Protocols

- **SPI** (SPI0): SCLK: GPIO4, MOSI: GPIO6, MISO: GPIO5, CS: GPIO7
- **I2C** (I2C0): SDA: GPIO21, SCL: GPIO22
- **UART** (UART0): RX: GPIO20

## GPIO Map

| Pin | Name | Type | Functions |
|-----|------|------|-----------|
| GPIO0 | ADC1_CH0 / SD Card CS | SPI/ADC | digital-input, digital-output, adc |
| GPIO1 | ADC1_CH1 | ADC | digital-input, digital-output, adc |
| GPIO2 | ADC1_CH2 | ADC | digital-input, digital-output, adc |
| GPIO3 | ADC1_CH3 | ADC | digital-input, digital-output, adc |
| GPIO4 | SPI SCLK / ADC1_CH4 | SPI | digital-input, digital-output, adc, pwm |
| GPIO5 | SPI MISO / ADC2_CH0 | SPI | digital-input, digital-output, adc, pwm |
| GPIO6 | SPI MOSI | SPI | digital-input, digital-output, pwm |
| GPIO7 | SPI CS | SPI | digital-input, digital-output, pwm |
| GPIO8 | Digital I/O | GPIO | digital-input, digital-output, pwm |
| GPIO9 | BOOT Button | GPIO | digital-input, digital-output, strapping |
| GPIO10 | Onboard LED | GPIO | digital-input, digital-output, pwm |
| GPIO20 | UART RX | UART | digital-input, digital-output |
| GPIO21 | I2C SDA | I2C | digital-input, digital-output |

## Description

## Overview

The DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3 is an ultra-compact IoT development board built around the Espressif ESP32-C3 RISC-V single-core processor running at 160MHz. At just 25x20.5mm, it delivers dual-mode wireless connectivity with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.0 LE with Mesh support, making it one of the smallest WiFi+BLE boards available.

The board integrates a TP4057 lithium battery charger IC supporting up to 400mA charge current, enabling portable battery-powered projects. It breaks out 13 digital I/O pins including 6 ADC channels, 6 PWM channels, SPI, I2C, dual UART, I2S, and IR transmit/receive — a surprisingly rich I/O set for its tiny footprint.

Version 2.0.0 adds dedicated BOOT and RST buttons for easier programming. The board includes an 18-pin GDI display connector for direct connection to compatible TFT/OLED screens. It supports Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, and MicroPython, making it versatile for rapid prototyping, wearable electronics, compact sensor nodes, and space-constrained IoT deployments.

## Where to Buy

- [DFRobot](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dfrobot.com%2Fproduct-2566.html&ref=openhardware.directory&product=dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3&source=md-export) — $7.90

## Resources

- [product](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dfrobot.com%2Fproduct-2566.html&ref=openhardware.directory&product=dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3&source=md-export)
- [wiki](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwiki.dfrobot.com%2FSKU_DFR0868_Beetle_ESP32_C3&ref=openhardware.directory&product=dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3&source=md-export)
- [datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espressif.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fdocumentation%2Fesp32-c3_datasheet_en.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3&source=md-export)
- [schematics](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fdfimg.dfrobot.com%2Fnobody%2Fwiki%2F30b31d7cbf66fc9dbe38928552106295.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3&source=md-export)

## Images

![DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3/1581e0803aa3.jpg)
![DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3/c953f4d476fe.jpg)
![DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3/99390c236578.jpg)
![DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3/641d3678b065.jpg)
![DFRobot Beetle ESP32-C3](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/dfrobot-beetle-esp32-c3/519f397b6d1c.jpg)

> **Battery Powered:** Li-Po

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