Hardware Kit

ESP32

Wi-Fi/BLE-enabled MCU for connected autonomy nodes. Great for comms-heavy deployments while keeping deterministic control paths in FreeRTOS tasks.

Wi-Fi/BLE Dual-core MCU 3.3V

Compute

Xtensa or RISC-V @ 160-240 MHz

Memory

520 KB SRAM + optional PSRAM

OS/RTOS

FreeRTOS (ESP-IDF)

Toolchain

xtensa-esp32-elf, ESP-IDF

Power

3.3V with Wi-Fi current spikes

Typical Boards

ESP32 DevKit / WROOM modules
ESP32-S3 for AI/vision peripherals
Custom boards with PSRAM for buffers

Toolchain + Build Profile

ESP-IDF (CMake-based)
Serial bootloader + esptool
JTAG for deeper debug

cmake .. -DTARGET=esp32
cmake --build .

Pin-Level + Electrical

3.3V logic only; never drive 5V
Strapping pins affect boot mode (avoid hard-wiring)
I2C/SPI/UART via GPIO matrix
ADC non-linearity; calibrate if used

Sensors + Peripherals

IMU over I2C/SPI
GPS via UART
Analog sensors (calibrated ADC)

Comms + Networking

Wi-Fi and BLE built-in
UART and SPI for radios (LoRa)

Real-Time + Determinism

Pin control loops to a core and set task priorities
Disable Wi-Fi for tight latency if needed

Recommended Vault Modules

Offline Mesh Protocol Serial Link Layer Flight Data Recorder Scheduler + Watchdog PID + LQR Toolkit MPPT + Battery SOC

Pitfalls + Mitigations

Wi-Fi tasks can starve control loops
Strapping pins cause boot failures
PSRAM availability varies by module

Field Checklist

Verify 3.3V rail and decoupling
Check strapping pins and boot mode
Set FreeRTOS priorities and watchdog