Find a Retailer SHOP PRODUCT MENU BLOG find products, tutorials, etc... HOME / P R O D U C T C A T E G O R I E S LEARN 0 SUPPORT Need Help? LOG IN REGISTER EDUCATION FORUM / ESPRESSIF (ESP) / SPARKFUN ESP8266 THING - DEV BOARD (WITH HEADERS) SparkFun ESP8266 Thing - Dev Board (with Headers) W R L - 1 3 8 0 4 ROHS 5 DESCRIPTION FEATURES DOCUMENTS This is the SparkFun ESP8266 Thing Dev Board -- a development board that has been solely designed around the ESP8266, with an integrated FTDI USB-toSerial chip. The ESP8266 is a cost-effective and very capable WiFi-enabled microcontroller. Like any microcontroller, it can be programmed to blink LEDs, trigger relays, monitor sensors or automate coffee makers. With an integrated WiFi controller, the ESP8266 is a one-stop shop for almost any internetconnected project. To top it all off, the ESP8266 is incredibly easy to use firmware can be developed in Arduino and uploaded over a simple serial interface. The ESP8266 Thing Development Board breaks out all of the module's pins with pre-soldered headers, and the USB-to-serial converter means you don't need any peripheral components to program the chip. Just plug in a USB cable, download the Arduino board definitions, and start IoT-ing. Why the name? We lovingly call it the "Thing" due to it being the perfect foundation for your Internet of Things (IoT) project. The Thing does everything from turning on an LED to posting data with phant.io, and can be programmed just like any microcontroller. You can even program the Thing through the Arduino IDE by installing the ESP8266 Arduino add-on. images are CC BY 2.0 SHARE The ESP8266 Thing Development Board is a relatively simple board. The pins are broken out to two parallel, breadboard-compatible rows. The USB connector sits next to an optional power supply input, and an ON/OFF switch -- controlling power to the ESP8266 -- sits next to that. And LEDs toward the inside of the board indicate power, charge and status of the IC. The ESP8266's maximum voltage is 3.6V, so the Thing has an onboard 3.3V regulator to deliver a safe, consistent voltage to the IC. That means the ESP8266's I/O pins also run at 3.3V you'll need to level shift any 5V signals running into the IC. If your project requires a power source other than USB, the Thing Dev Board includes footprints for a 2-pin JST, 2-pin 3.5mm screw terminal, or a simple 0.1"-pitch 2pin header. Unlike the original ESP8266 Thing, the ESP8266 Thing Dev Board does not have a built-in LiPo charger. The Thing Dev Board even includes a PCB trace antenna as a default WiFi antenna. It's cost-effective and works really well! If you need to connect a more sensitive antenna, or need to route outside an enclosure, a U.FL connector is also available on the board. Some soldering will be required to get the U.FL connector functioning, but instructions can be found in the Hookup Guide we have written for the dev board. Note: We've provided a few Example Sketches to experiment with on your SparkFun ESP8266 Thing Development Board. These sketches can be found in the Hookup Guide in the Documents section below! GET STARTED WITH THE ESP8266 THING DEV GUIDE Tags DEVELOPMENT ESP8266 ESPRESSIF HEADER IOT THING SparkFun ESP8266 Thing - Dev Board (with Headers) Product Help and Resources TUTORIALS VIDEOS SKILLS NEEDED WIFI WIRELESS ESP8266 Powered Propane Poofer LED Cloud-Connected Cloud MARCH 15, 2016 FEBRUARY 22, 2016 ESP8266 Thing Development Board Hookup Guide Internet of Things Experiment Guide NOVEMBER 23, 2016 NOVEMBER 5, 2015 Learn how Nick Poole built a WiFi controlled fire-cannon using the ESP8266 Thing Dev Board! COMMENTS 4 Make an RGB colored cloud light! You can also control it from your phone, or hook up to the weather! REVIEWS An overview of SparkFun's ESP8266 Thing Development Board - a development board for the Internet of Things. 5 Customer Reviews 4.4 out of 5 Based on 5 ratings: 5 star 4 4 star 0 3 star 0 2 star 1 1 star 0 Currently viewing all customer reviews. 0 of 1 found this helpful: From bag to server in no time about 7 months ago by Brad10 verified purchaser It was no trouble to open the bag the Thing came in, download the Thing plugin for Arduino's IDE, program it via the Arduino IDE, and see it serving a "hello" message in my PC's web browser. The library is so much easier/better to use than the old AT command set interface to the ESP8266 - now I see why people love this chip. 0 of 1 found this helpful: Great! about 6 months ago by Member #882925 verified purchaser Very useful micro controller. A weak ESP8266 board about 2 months ago by Member #741077 verified purchaser The flash size on the board was far too small. A blank Arduino sketch used up 52% of the flash. Because of the insufficient flash size I was unable to flash firmware over the air, which is important for the product I am developing. You can add a battery connector to use a lithium battery, but the board lacks the capability to charge a connected battery or easily check the state of charge. The SparkFun ESP8266 Thing Dev Board is a powerful development platform that lets you connect your hardware projects to the Internet. In this guide, we show you how to combine some simple components to remotely log temperature data, send yourself texts and control lights from afar. The reset switch is very cumbersome and a button would have been much more appropriate, because of how often I had to hard reset the esp8266. This board is good for tinkering but not at all appropriate for creating IoT products with potential end users. Great for prototyping direct ESP8266 implementations about a month ago by Member #692604 verified purchaser Was the perfect board for me to jump from the functionality of the "bare" WiFi module (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13678) to the full capability of the ESP8266 with all GPIO available. START SOMETHING. SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER In 2003, CU student Nate Seidle blew a power supply in his dorm room and, in lieu of a way to order easy replacements, decided to start his own company. Since then, SparkFun has been committed to sustainably helping our world achieve electronics literacy from our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to over 2,000 open source components and widgets, SparkFun offers curriculum, training and online tutorials designed to help demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics. 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