Würth Elektronik Orthosie-I and Stephano-I 2.4 GHz radio modules

Würth Elektronik presents its latest wireless modules: the freely configurable Orthosie-I model and the Stephano-I variant with pre-installed firmware. Both are based on the ESP32-C3 chipset and communicate according to the IEEE 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth LE 5.0 standards. They feature an integrated antenna and, due to their space-saving design, are flexible to use.

The innovative communication components are based on a 32-bit RISC-V single-core processor from Espressif (ESP32-C3), which can operate at a clock frequency of up to 160 MHz. They have 4 MB of flash memory and 400 kB of RAM; in addition, 15 freely configurable GPIO pins are available. Updating via wireless connection is possible via firmware over-the-air (FOTA).

The modules have been specially optimised for energy-saving operation without compromising wireless range. The developers say they have managed to reduce the TX current consumption and form factor by 50% compared to the ESP32-C3-MINI-1 module. In power-off mode, the modules, which measure just 13 x 9.5 x 2 mm, consume only 1 µA.

The Orthosie-I module is supplied without pre-installed firmware and can be individually programmed for the specific application. Various interfaces can also be implemented, such as UART, SPI, I²C and ADC.

Stephano-I comes with high-quality, pre-installed firmware, a complete TCP/IP-Stack, MQTT and HTTP. The versatile module can act both as a station and as a soft access point. In soft-access-point mode, the encryption modes WPAPSK, WPA2PSK and WPA/WPA2PSK are available. Up to three Bluetooth LE connections can be established simultaneously. The WE Bluetooth LE Terminal app from Würth Elektronik offers a quick and easy testing option (available free of charge from Google Play Store and Apple App Store, or as source code on GitHub).