ESP32 Thing Plus (USB-C) Hookup Guide

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Contributors: santaimpersonator, Brudnerd
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Introduction

Note: This guide is specific to the ESP32 Thing Plus (USB-C) board variant. For the variants with the USB micro-B connector, please refer to the ESP32 Thing Plus hookup guide.

The SparkFun ESP32-WROOM Thing Plus (USB-C) enjoys all the features of our previous ESP32 Thing Plus (Micro-B) boards, but with a few improvements. For this variant, we have included a SD card slot, upgraded to a USB-C connector, integrated a RGB status LED and battery fuel gauge, and provided two voltage regulators; offering separate 700mA current sources for the board and Qwiic connector. The board still retains its standardized 28-pin Feather footprint, 2-pin JST battery connector, and Qwiic connector like our other Thing Plus boards.

SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C)

SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C)

WRL-20168
$24.95
3

The ESP32-WROOM module on the board provides a rich set of peripherals, ranging from capacitive touch sensors, SD card interface, Ethernet, high-speed SPI, UART, I2S, and I2C. With Espressif's ESP32 comprehensive development platform and Bluetooth low-energy support (i.e BLE, BT4.0, Bluetooth Smart) these boards are jam packed with possibilities!

Note: The CH340C serial-to-UART bridge is used on this board. Therefore, a different driver installation is required from previous versions of the ESP32 Thing Plus.

Not Yet Implemented: The Arduino core for the ESP32 microcontroller are still a work in progress. There are a handful of peripherals and features that have yet to be implemented, including:

The peripherals are available (if, also, still in their infancy) in the IoT Development Framework for the ESP32. If your application requires any of the features above, consider giving the ESP-IDF a try! (Updated: June 2022.)

Required Materials

To get started, users will need a few items. Now some users may have a few of these items, feel free to modify your cart accordingly.

  • SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C)
  • USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot - The USB interface serves two purposes: it powers the board and allows users to upload programs. (*If your computer doesn't have a USB-A slot, then choose an appropriate cable or adapter.)
  • Computer with the an operating system (OS) that is compatible with all the software installation requirements.
SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C)

SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C)

WRL-20168
$24.95
3
USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

CAB-14743
$5.50
4

Click the buttons above to toggle the additional materials based on the options you
wish to use. Feel free to modify the items in your cart to fit your needs.


Li-Po Battery

For mobile applications, users will want to pick up a single-cell LiPo battery from our catalog. Below, are a few available options:

Lithium Ion Battery - 400mAh

Lithium Ion Battery - 400mAh

PRT-13851
$5.50
11
Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

PRT-13855
$13.95
9
Lithium Ion Battery - 110mAh

Lithium Ion Battery - 110mAh

PRT-13853
$5.50
4

Lithium Ion Battery - 1Ah

PRT-13813
8 Retired

Jumper Modification

To modify the jumpers, users will need soldering equipment and/or a knife.

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

TOL-09325
$9.95
8
Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen  - 10mL

Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen - 10mL

TOL-14579
$8.95
4
Hobby Knife

Hobby Knife

TOL-09200
$3.50
2

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

TOL-14228
2 Retired

New to jumper pads? Check out our Jumper Pads and PCB Traces Tutorial for a quick introduction!

How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces

April 2, 2018

Handling PCB jumper pads and traces is an essential skill. Learn how to cut a PCB trace, add a solder jumper between pads to reroute connections, and repair a trace with the green wire method if a trace is damaged.

Headers & Accessories

Headers are great for development purposes, letting users swap parts with just a set of jumper wires. If you would like to add headers to your board, check out some of the options for the Thing Plus or Feather form factor boards below. For a full selection of our available Headers or Soldering Tools, click on the associated links.

Break Away Headers - Straight

Break Away Headers - Straight

PRT-00116
$1.75
20
Feather Stackable Header Kit

Feather Stackable Header Kit

PRT-15187
$1.75
Header - 8-pin Female (PTH, 0.1")

Header - 8-pin Female (PTH, 0.1")

PRT-11895
$0.75
Female Header - 12-Pin

Female Header - 12-Pin

PRT-14321
$0.75

SparkFun Beginner Tool Kit

TOL-14681
Retired

New to soldering? Check out our Through-Hole Soldering Tutorial for a quick introduction!

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

September 19, 2013

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Suggested Reading

As a more professionally oriented product, we will skip over the more fundamental tutorials (i.e. Ohm's Law and What is Electricity?). However, below are a few tutorials that may help users familiarize themselves with various aspects of the board.

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Serial Communication

Asynchronous serial communication concepts: packets, signal levels, baud rates, UARTs and more!

Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)

SPI is commonly used to connect microcontrollers to peripherals such as sensors, shift registers, and SD cards.

Pulse Width Modulation

An introduction to the concept of Pulse Width Modulation.

Installing Arduino IDE

A step-by-step guide to installing and testing the Arduino software on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Logic Levels

Learn the difference between 3.3V and 5V devices and logic levels.

I2C

An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.

Analog vs. Digital

This tutorial covers the concept of analog and digital signals, as they relate to electronics.

How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces

Handling PCB jumper pads and traces is an essential skill. Learn how to cut a PCB trace, add a solder jumper between pads to reroute connections, and repair a trace with the green wire method if a trace is damaged.

ESP32 Thing Plus Hookup Guide

Hookup guide for the ESP32 Thing Plus (Micro-B) using the ESP32 WROOM's WiFi/Bluetooth system-on-chip in Arduino.

How to Install CH340 Drivers

How to install CH340 drivers (if you need them) on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Installing Board Definitions in the Arduino IDE

How do I install a custom Arduino board/core? It's easy! This tutorial will go over how to install an Arduino board definition using the Arduino Board Manager. We will also go over manually installing third-party cores, such as the board definitions required for many of the SparkFun development boards.

Qwiic Connect System

One of the new, advanced features of the board is that it takes advantage of the Qwiic connect system. We recommend familiarizing yourself with the Logic Levels and I2C tutorials. Click on the banner above to learn more about Qwiic products.