LILYGO T-01 C3

Overview

The LILYGO T-01 C3 is an ultra-compact and affordable ESP32-C3 development board aimed at engineers, students, and makers who need a minimal Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE node. The ESP32-C3 uses a RISC-V 32-bit core running at 160 MHz, offering modern security features including hardware AES, RSA, and ECC acceleration.

Available in two variants — soldered pin (H534) and non-soldered pin (H534-01) — the T-01 C3 can be integrated directly into custom PCBs or used on a breadboard. The native USB interface on the ESP32-C3 means no external USB-to-UART bridge is required for programming.

At $3.99, the T-01 C3 is one of LILYGO's most accessible boards, making it an economical choice for volume deployments of simple sensor nodes, smart home devices, or Wi-Fi relay modules.

Firmware Compatibility

The T-01 C3 supports the Arduino IDE with ESP32 Arduino core v2.x (required for C3 support). ESP-IDF, MicroPython, Tasmota, and ESPHome are all compatible. The RISC-V architecture is fully transparent to Arduino sketches. LILYGO's T-01C3 GitHub repository provides pinout diagrams and example code.

Flashing Guide

1. Connect via USB Type-C to your computer.
2. In Arduino IDE, install the ESP32 board package (v2.0+).
3. Select "ESP32C3 Dev Module" as the board.
4. Set "USB CDC On Boot" to "Enabled" for serial monitor output.
5. Open an example sketch and click Upload.
6. If not recognized, hold BOOT and press RESET to enter download mode.