LILYGO T-TWR Plus

Overview

The LILYGO T-TWR Plus is a sophisticated wireless development board targeting amateur radio enthusiasts, APRS operators, and IoT developers requiring long-range radio communication. It combines the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 microcontroller with an SA868 UHF or VHF transceiver module, enabling walkie-talkie-style voice and data communication over licensed amateur radio frequencies.

The board features the L76K GNSS module with support for GPS, BeiDou, and GLONASS positioning systems, with a built-in LNA, SAW filter, AGNSS support, and 1PPS output. A 1.3-inch SH1106 OLED display (128x64) provides user feedback, and a WS2812 RGB LED adds programmable status indication. The AXP2102 PMU handles power management for both USB and battery operation — supporting 21700 or 18650 batteries via spring connectors.

Four buttons (PPT+Boot, Power, Reset) enable device control and firmware upload. The board is compatible with the OpenRTX open-source radio firmware (version 2.0 only), SoftRF Ham Edition, ESP32APRS, and ArcticTracker projects.

Firmware Compatibility

• Arduino: Supported via Espressif Arduino core for ESP32-S3.
• ESP-IDF: Native framework for full hardware access.
• OpenRTX: Open-source radio firmware — currently supports T-TWR Plus version 2.0 only. See openrtx.org for details.
• SoftRF Ham Edition: Digital radio networking firmware.
• ESP32APRS: APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) firmware.

Repository: T-TWR GitHub.

Flashing Guide

1. Connect the T-TWR Plus via USB-C cable.
2. Press PPT+Boot and RESET simultaneously, release RESET first, then release PPT+Boot to enter download mode.
3. Select ESP32S3 Dev Module in Arduino IDE with 16MB flash and OPI PSRAM.
4. Upload the firmware and press RESET to start.
5. For OpenRTX: follow the specific flashing instructions on openrtx.org for version 2.0 hardware.
6. Attach the appropriate antenna (U-band 400-480 MHz or V-band 134-174 MHz) before transmitting.

Note: This product is not available for sale in mainland China.