LILYGO T-Connect

Overview

The LILYGO T-Connect is an ESP32-S3 development board designed for industrial serial communication applications. Its key differentiator is the provision of multiple isolated RS485 ports — more than comparable boards in its class — making it suitable for Modbus RTU polling, BMS (Battery Management System) communications, and industrial sensor networks where electrical isolation is critical for noise immunity and equipment protection.

The board features an APA102 addressable RGB LED for visual status indication, BOOT and Reset buttons for firmware management, and full support for 2.4GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 5 LE. With 16MB flash and 8MB PSRAM on the ESP32-S3, it has ample resources for complex RS485 polling loops, data buffering, and WiFi/BLE communication bridges.

Customer reviews highlight its effectiveness as an RS485 hub and for BMS communication applications. The board is compatible with Arduino IDE and VS Code with ESP-IDF.

Firmware Compatibility

Compatible with Arduino IDE and ESP-IDF. The GitHub repository at https://github.com/Xinyuan-LilyGO/T-Connect provides example code for RS485 communication, Modbus RTU, and WiFi bridging.

Flashing Guide

1. Install the ESP32 board package in Arduino IDE or configure ESP-IDF.
2. Connect via USB-C cable.
3. Hold BOOT and press RESET to enter download mode if needed.
4. Select ESP32-S3 Dev Module with 16MB flash and 8MB OPI PSRAM.
5. Upload RS485 communication examples or your own industrial firmware.