I’m throwing all this down before Fab Academy nails me to a wall with work. No updates here after this—just gonna link back to this page for context if I need to.
ESP32-C3 Board Shenanigans
Why
So why’d I even bother? I wanted my own microcontroller board, and the ESP32-C3 is the best. I’m a total Espressif fan. a dollar for a chip that’s fast, has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and built-in flash? That’s absolutely goinkers. closest thing to it is the RP2040, but no wireless? It’s like moldy apples next to my crisp Espressif apples. I’ve always thought it’d be cool to whip up a board for some random project I’m hyped about instead of buying whatever’s on sale. Plus, I was screwing around with KiCad in my high school electrical engineering class at the same time, so I figured I could brag I can make a PCB. It’s not a work of art, but it gets the job done.
I was aiming for something I could slap on a breadboard and mess with for whatever dumb idea I’ve got next. Started cranking these out before Fab turned into a time vortex—mostly ‘cause I needed something to fiddle with. The 4th design’s my baby—it’s kinda L-shaped and I’m stoked about it. Next round, I hope to drop the module and go bare chip to shrink it down, but I dont think I got the time for that during fab, nor the skill at soldering.
How
How’d I make it happen? It’s all based on the ESP32-C3 module—Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and weird stuff like ESP-NOW, Thread, and Zigbee. If you’ve seen a legit ESP32-C3 board from some big-name maker, mine can probably hang with it. What’s dope about it is it fits on a breadboard without being a total pain. The USB-C side’s sized so it doesn’t eat the whole row, and there’s space left for whatever else you wanna plug in. Check the design files at the bottom—they’re basic enough you could tweak it for your own thing.
I used KiCad ‘cause that’s what we were messing with in class, and I found this lifesaver plugin called FreeRouter that autorouted everything. Traces were a disaster, but I patched them up as best I could. Going from the 1st to 4th version was me figuring stuff out—dumping Micro USB (it’s 2025, I’m not a Neanderthal), swapping the voltage regulator for one that can handle more than 0.3 amps (bumped it to 0.6), and making it actually work on a breadboard. The 4th one even drops some USB capacitors that weren’t pulling their weight. Might play with the ESP32-C61 or H2 later since they don’t burn through power like the C3, but this is where I’m at with the clock ticking.
what they can actually do
They’ve got the ESP32-C3, so Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and all those fancy protocols like ESP-NOW, Thread, and Zigbee. If a real board maker’s ESP32-C3 can do it, mine probably can too. The big win is it fits a breadboard nice—sure, it’s chunky in spots, but the USB-C half is made to play friendly. It’s also easy to figure out if you peek at the design files below and wanna rewire it for something specific.
Random Thoughts (Ignore This)
I’ve been into building my own ESP boards for a bit now. Espressif’s the king—$1 for a chip with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and flash is unreal. RP2040’s the only one even close, but no wireless? Trash tier.
I love the idea of making a board for a specific project I’m into.
Doing this while learning KiCad in class made me feel like I can actually pull off a PCB, even if it’s kinda janky.
Next time, I’ll probably try the raw chip instead of the module—dunno if it’ll save cash since modules are so cheap, but it’ll definitely save space.
I banged these out before Fab got crazy, just needed something to keep me busy. Planning to mess with the 4th design next—it’s that L-shaped one.
The Versions
4th
Yeah, the traces suck—I know. Not my fault, though. I found this FreeRouter plugin for KiCad while designing, and it was a game-changer. Made life so much easier, even if I had to fix its sloppy work after.
This is my masterpiece, or whatever you call it. Pretty much the same parts as the 3rd, but I ditched those two USB signal capacitors—they weren’t doing much, and I saved space. Also fixed the spacing so it actually fits a breadboard right. I’m kinda proud of that—most ESP32 boards either don’t fit or hog everything. This leaves room for whatever else you need.
3rd
This one was solid, but I botched the pad spacing so it didn’t work on a breadboard. Was still learning USB rules too—like where the CC resistors go. Still a good board, though—I kept it ‘cause why toss it?
2nd
My second try, and the first one that actually worked. Total test run—figured out a bunch I had to change. Dropped the button for the 3rd, added a built-in USB-C port, and swapped the voltage regulator (that 5-pin thing up top) for one with double the juice—0.3 amps to 0.6. ESP32s suck power like crazy, so I’m eyeing the ESP32-C61 or H2 for future versions. C61’s just a better C-series, and H2’s built for low power—datasheet says it cuts wireless power to like 1/5 and idle to 1/3. Solid upgrades, same tricks.
1st
This one might’ve worked, but I never finished it. Designed it with just Fablab parts, then realized a giant button wasn’t worth it—better to drop $5 on DigiKey shipping. Also, Micro USB? Dead to me. Only upside is it’s 5 pins vs USB-C’s 12 for 2.0, and it’s cheap. I’m a cheapskate, but not cheap enough to use that garbage in 2025.
Design Files
Not dumping all the files here—just the latest one. Didn’t back up the early stuff, and a Windows reinstall wiped them out. Here’s the 4th version.
Made some custom libraries too—tweaked the ESP32-WROOM module to ditch pins I didn’t need, like the thermal pads underneath. Nobody’d want it, though—I just hacked the standard library and lost it anyway, so make your own.