The ESP32-C6 is the most recent model of the RISC-V based mostly ESP32 wi-fi microcontrollers. Like all of the ESP chips, it helps WiFi and Bluetooth (on this case, WiFi 6 and BT 5), however the C6 packs an additional punch — help for 802.15.4-based protocols, like Thread, Matter, and Zigbee. These use the identical 2.4GHz ISM band, however use completely completely different protocols to facilitate low-power, short-range mesh networks. This compact USB-based ESP32-C6 dev board makes it simple to rise up and operating shortly, but in addition has castellated pads to combine it right into a long-term challenge if wanted!
With a built-in energy regulator, direct USB connection and small kind issue, it’s an effective way to get accustomed to the ESP32-C6. I2C, UART, and a collection of GPIO are damaged out to castellated pads, however the focus of the design is on compactness and ease of use — it’s as simple to plug in to a laptop computer as it’s a Raspberry Pi with out taking over an excessive amount of room. Programming is definitely executed over USB with esptool, and ESP-IDF has full help for this chip.
One other good function of the C6 is the ultra-low energy co-processor – a a lot smaller RISC-V core that has entry to a subset of peripherals and may stay operating whereas the primary processor and/or radio subsystem sleeps, giving enormous energy financial savings with out sacrificing low latency response to exterior occasions or timers. Should you’ve ever wished to play with 802.15.4-based protocols, or simply wish to toy with the most recent and best ESP32, this USB dongle is an ideal place to start out!
