Choose Your Board¶
SpoolSense supports two ESP32 board variants.
ESP32-WROOM DevKit (Recommended)¶
The most common and beginner-friendly option.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Board | Freenove ESP32-WROOM (recommended) |
| Chip | ESP32-D0WD-V3, dual-core 240MHz |
| Flash | 4MB |
| USB | USB-C |
| GPIO | 30+ available pins |
| Status LED | External SK6812 RGBW (optional wiring) |
| Price | ~$3-5 (2-pack available) |
Pros:
- Widely available, well-documented
- Plenty of GPIO for all peripherals (LCD + keypad + NFC reader)
- Cheaper
Cons:
- Larger form factor
- No onboard RGB LED
ESP32-S3-Zero / S3-Zero-M (Waveshare)¶
A compact option with USB-C and onboard RGB LED. Available in two variants:
- ESP32-S3-Zero — requires soldering pin headers yourself
- ESP32-S3-Zero-M — comes with pre-soldered pin headers (ready to use with dupont wires)
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Chip | ESP32-S3 |
| Flash | 4MB |
| USB | USB-C |
| GPIO | Limited (USB uses GPIO 19/20) |
| Status LED | Onboard WS2812 RGB (no wiring needed) |
| Price | ~$6-8 |
Pros:
- Very small form factor
- Onboard RGB LED (always available, no wiring)
Cons:
- Fewer available GPIO pins
- LCD + keypad together is not recommended (pin conflicts)
- Slightly more expensive
Which Should I Choose?¶
| If you want... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Simplest build, most GPIO | ESP32-WROOM |
| LCD + keypad + NFC reader | ESP32-WROOM |
| Smallest possible scanner | ESP32-S3-Zero |
| Onboard LED (no wiring) | ESP32-S3-Zero |
Note
Both boards run the same firmware binary. The installer handles board selection automatically.
Have a different ESP32?
If you have a different ESP32 board and want it supported, open an issue with the board name and specs. Most ESP32 variants can be added with just a pin mapping update.