I had a meeting with Armando Calcina, where I shared the activities we need to complete. I updated him on my progress and explained the tasks he needs to work on to catch up with the academy, as I am a bit more advanced.
For this group project, I have reviewed two microcontrollers, the RP2040 and the ESP32-C, conducting a detailed comparison to identify their differences, potential, and architectures.
Here you can view and download the data sheet.
The Xiao RP2040 board is a compact development board based on the RP2040 microcontroller from Raspberry Pi. It is designed to offer high performance in a small form factor, ideal for low-power electronics projects.
This board features a dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller running at 133 MHz, and provides 264 KB of SRAM for fast and efficient data storage. The external flash memory of 16 MB allows for additional storage for larger projects.
With 26 GPIO pins (digital input/output), it supports various functions such as PWM, SPI, I2C, and UART, making it highly versatile for controlling and communicating with other devices. It also includes a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for reading analog signals.
The Xiao RP2040 is especially designed to simplify programming and is compatible with development environments like Arduino and MicroPython, allowing users to easily and quickly create applications. The board is perfect for applications in robotics, automation, Internet of Things (IoT), and other projects that require an efficient and small microcontroller.
(This data is taken from ChatGPT.)
This is the typical workflow for developing with the RP2040, making it easier to program and load firmware onto its integrated architecture.
| Item | Value |
| CPU | Dual-core ARM Cortex M0+ processor up to 133MHz |
| Flash Memory | 2MB |
| SRAM | 264KB |
| Digital I/O Pins | 11 |
| Analog I/O Pins | 4 |
| PWM Pins | 11 |
| I2C interface | 1 |
| SPI interface | 1 |
| UART interface | 1 |
| Power supply and dowloading interface | Type-C |
| Power | 3.3V/5V DC |
| Dimensions | 21x17.8x3.5mm |
from machine import Pin, Timer
ledAzul = Pin(25, Pin.OUT)
ledRojo = Pin(17, Pin.OUT)
ledVerde = Pin(16, Pin.OUT)
Counter = 0
Fun_Num = 0
def fun(tim):
global Counter
Counter = Counter + 1
print(Counter)
ledVerde.value(1)
ledRojo.value(1)
ledAzul.value(Counter%2)
tim = Timer(-1)
tim.init(period=1000, mode=Timer.PERIODIC, callback=fun)
Next, I will provide a code to control the LEDs on the Xiao RP2040.
Now, I’m running a test for blinking LED lights using multiple lights connected to specific pins. In this case, I have three LEDs: one blue, one red, and one green, and the code is designed to make the blue LED blink periodically.
Here you can view and download the data sheet.
Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 is an IoT mini development board based on the Espressif ESP32-C3 WiFi/Bluetooth dual-mode chip. ESP32-C3 is a 32-bit RISC-V CPU, which includes an FPU (Floating Point Unit) for 32-bit single-precision arithmetic with powerful computing power. It has excellent radio frequency performance, supporting IEEE 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth 5 (BLE) protocols. This board comes included with an external antenna to increase the signal strength for your wireless applications. It also has a small and exquisite form-factor combined with a single-sided surface-mountable design. It is equipped with rich interfaces and has 11 digital I/O that can be used as PWM pins and 3 analog I/O that can be used as ADC pins. It supports four serial interfaces such as UART, I2C and SPI.
This workflow enables efficient development and uploading of projects to the ESP32-C3, whether for IoT applications or embedded systems.
This summary highlights the essential components of the XIAO ESP32-C3, making it ideal for IoT and embedded projects.
from machine import Pin
from time import sleep
# Intentar con el pin GPIO 0 (puede ser otro dependiendo de la placa)
led = Pin(10, Pin.OUT)
while True:
led.value(1) # Encender el LED (1 = HIGH)
sleep(1) # Esperar 1 segundo
led.value(0) # Apagar el LED (0 = LOW)
sleep(1) # Esperar 1 segundo
With the help of ChatGPT, I have created a code to activate an LED using GPIO pin 10 on the XIAO ESP32-C3 microcontroller.
Now, with the programming, I'm doing a simple test to see how to turn an LED on and off.
| Aspect | RP2040 (XIAO RP2040) | ESP32-C3 |
| Architecture | ARM Cortex-M0+ (Dual Core, 133 MHz) | RISC-V 32-bit (160 MHz) |
| Connectivity | USB, UART, SPI, I2C | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, UART, SPI, I2C |
| Development Environment | Arduino IDE, Thonny (MicroPython) | Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, MicroPython |
| Toolchain | Arduino Core for RP2040, MicroPython | Espressif IDF, Arduino Core, MicroPython |
| Programming Method | USB drag-and-drop (BOOTSEL), Thonny IDE | USB/UART flashing tools |
| Typical Use Case | Low-power, compact IoT projects | Wireless IoT, more advanced networking |
| Beginner-Friendliness | High – very user-friendly | Moderate – requires extra setup |