What's Metro-shaped and has an ESP32-S3 WiFi module? What has a STEMMA QT connector for I2C devices and a Lipoly charger circuit? What has your favorite Espressif WiFi microcontroller and lots of memory for your next IoT project?
That's right - it's the new Adafruit Metro ESP32-S3! With native USB and a load of octal PSRAM, this board is perfect for use with CircuitPython or Arduino to add low-cost WiFi while retaining shield compatibility.
The ESP32-S3 is a highly integrated, low-power, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi/BLE System-on-Chip (SoC) solution that has built-in native USB as well as some other interesting new technologies like Time of Flight distance measurements and AI acceleration. With its state-of-the-art power and RF performance, this SoC is an ideal choice for a wide variety of application scenarios relating to the Internet of Things (IoT), wearable electronics, and smart homes.
The Metro ESP32-S3 has a dual-core 240 MHz chip, so it is comparable to ESP32's dual-core. However, there is no Bluetooth Classic support, only Bluetooth LE. This chip is a great step up from the earlier ESP32-S2! This ESP32-S3 WROOM module we are using on the Metro comes with massive 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM, as well as lots of 512KB of SRAM so it's perfect for use with CircuitPython support or any time massive buffers are needed: for fast memory access use SRAM, for slower-but-roomier access use PSRAM. It's also great for use in ESP-IDF or with Arduino support.
Revision History
As of 7th March 2024 - We've fixed this hardware to be revision B which has changed the NeoPixel pin and the SPI/SD card pins to no longer use the same pins as the octal PSRAM. This means that the hardware now works correctly when PSRAM is activated!
Features
ESP32-S3 Dual Core 240MHz Tensilica processor - the next generation of ESP32-Sx, with native USB so it can act like a keyboard/mouse, MIDI device, disk drive, etc!
WROOM module has FCC/CE certification and comes with 16 MByte of Flash, 8 MByte Octal PSRAM
LiPoly battery monitor - MAX17048 chip actively monitors your battery for voltage and state of charge/percentage reporting over I2C
Reset and DFU (BOOT0) buttons to get into the ROM bootloader (which is a USB serial port so you don't need a separate cable!)
JTAG 2x5 Header for more intense debugging
Serial debug output pins (optional, for checking the hardware serial debug console)
STEMMA QT connector for I2C devices, with switchable power, so you can go into low power mode.
On/Charge/User LEDs + status NeoPixel with pin-controlled power for low power usage
Low Power friendly! In deep sleep mode, we can get down to ~100uA of current draw from the Lipoly connection. Quiescent current is from the power regulator, ESP32-S3 chip, and Lipoly monitor. Turn off the NeoPixel and external I2C power for the lowest quiescent current draw.
Skip to content
