Product description
SparkFun ESP8266 Thing Dev Board is a development board based on the ESP8266, a powerful and very popular microcontroller with built-in WiFi. With it, you can control relays, motors, read sensors and transducers, automate equipment such as coffee machines, heating and ventilation, etc. - all connected to the Internet or a local network! As the name suggests, the ESP8266 Thing Dev is intended for the development of Internet of Things (IoT) projects.
On the board is an FTDI chip for USB serial communication, which facilitates the use of the ESP8266 enormously. Simply programme in the Arduino IDE, and upload over a USB cable just like normal.
All connectors from the ESP8266 are available on pin or socket strips (not included), compatible with connector decks.
On the board there are holes to mount external power supply, in the form of a suitable 2.54mm connector or screw terminal with 3.5mm pin spacing (max input voltage: 6V). A power switch is also provided, as well as LEDs for indication (on/off, RX, TX, pin 5).
The ESP8266 cannot tolerate voltages higher than 3.6V, so a built-in 3.3V regulator ensures that USB power can be used. For logic levels of 5V, voltage converters are required.
An inbuilt circuit board connector provides basic connectivity to WiFi networks, but for even better connectivity and range there is a U.FL connector for connecting an external antenna. Some soldering is required to use the U.FL antenna, see SparkFun's Hookup Guide for details.
