SparkFun ESP8266 Thing

The SparkFun ESP8266 Thing is a development board for the ESP8266 WiFi SoC, a leading platform for Internet of Things (IoT) or WiFi-related projects. This product is inexpensive, user-friendly, and can be integrated with the Arduino IDE in just a few steps. SparkFun has simplified the ESP8266 by breaking out all of the module’s pins, adding a LiPo charger, power supply, and all the necessary supporting circuitry.

The SparkFun ESP8266 Thing, affectionately referred to as the "Thing", is the ideal base for any Internet of Things project. It can perform a wide range of tasks, from activating an LED to posting data with datastream, and can be programmed like any microcontroller. The Thing can also be programmed through the Arduino IDE by installing the ESP8266 Arduino addon.

The layout of the SparkFun ESP8266 Thing is straightforward. The pins are broken out to two parallel, breadboard-compatible rows. USB and LiPo connectors at the top of the board provide power, controlled by the nearby ON/OFF switch. LEDs towards the inside of the board indicate power, charge, and status of the IC. The ESP8266’s maximum voltage is 3.6V, so the Thing includes an onboard 3.3V regulator to deliver a safe, consistent voltage to the IC. This means the ESP8266’s I/O pins also run at 3.3V, requiring level shifting for any 5V signals running into the IC. A 3.3V FTDI Basic is needed to program the SparkFun ESP8266 Thing, but other serial converters with 3.3V I/O levels should work just fine. The converter will need a DTR line in addition to the RX and TX pins.

Features of the SparkFun ESP8266 Thing include all module pins broken out, an on-board LiPo charger/power supply, 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct (P2P), soft-AP, an integrated TCP/IP protocol stack, an integrated TR switch, balun, LNA, power amplifier and matching network, integrated PLLs, regulators, DCXO and power management units, an integrated low power 32-bit CPU that could be used as an application processor, and a +19.5dBm output power in 802.11b mode.

For additional information, consider looking at the schematic, Eagle Files, Hookup Guide, ESP8266 Powered Propane Poofer, Graphical Datasheet, and the GitHub Hardware Repo.