The World's Largest Arduino!

This is how I define this board that I’m introducing today, as it is basically a "clone" of Arduino Uno. It has the "face" of the Arduino Uno and is programmed with Arduino IDE. But the best feature is that its 32 bits and dual core make it much more powerful. Thus, you have an ESP32 chip in the casing of an Arduino Uno.

I'm going to show a platform compatible with the Arduino Uno that’s based on ESP32. We’ll also put together an example of code "Blink.”

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Step 1: Power and Simplicity

The ease of use of Arduino platforms for system prototyping is indisputable, not to mention that the Arduino Uno is one of the most common basic models available.

Esp32 has more processing capacity and memory. It even has the possibility of WiFi communication and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

When combining all these features, we have what I would define as an "Arduino Monster.”

Step 2: The Best of Both Worlds...

There are several features of each platform that, when used by themselves, would justify their use. But why not have the best of both worlds?

This is the thought process of various hardware developers, which has given rise to platforms like the Espduino and Wemos D1 R32.

Step 3: The Espduino and the Wemos D1 R32

There are no tremendous physical differences between the Spduino and the Wemos "TTGo" D1 R32, but the most apparent is the USB connector.

The costs are compatible and both reasonably comparable to the cost of an Arduino Uno.

Step 4: Wemos - Features and Pinning

In our example, we will use TTGo Wemos D1 R32.

According to the manufacturer's data, it has:

5 to 12V power supply
WiFi
Bluetooth
4MB Flash
Compatible with shields for Uno, with the exception of analog ports.
1 Analog input (max 3V2)

I’ll show a more detailed example in a later post.

Step 5: Order of Pins

Step 6: Preparing the Arduino IDE

Before we start programming, we will need to prepare the Arduino IDE to work with the ESP32 core.

However, the process can be executed according to the instructions contained in Espressif's own repository: https://github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/blob/master/docs/arduino-ide/windows.md

We have already explained how to do this in the following video: How to install ESP32 in the Arduino IDE.

Step 7: Blink Source Code

The source code of "Blink" is the same as in the Arduino examples. We just changed the pin to use the IO25 and re-read the comments to make it clearer.

void setup() {
  pinMode(25, OUTPUT); //justando o IO25 como saída
}
 
void loop() {
  digitalWrite(25, HIGH); //alterando o nivel do pino para ALTO
  delay(1000);            //aguarda 1000ms(um segundo)
  digitalWrite(25, LOW);  //alterndo o nível do pino para BAIXO
  delay(1000);            //aguarda 1000ms(um segundo)
}

The circuit used is also quite simple, as it is only a LED and a current limiting resistor (270R).

The cathode of the LED is connected to the GND of the board, while the anode is connected to the IO25 through a resistor.

Step 8: Writing the Code in Wemos

To write the code in Wemos, we must proceed as in any other project using Arduino, selecting the port and board, and clicking on UPLOAD.

If the installation of the ESP32 core occurred correctly, it should be possible to choose the following board in the "Tools" menu:

Step 9: Files

Download the PDF

Introduction: The Greatest Arduino UNO in the World