Espressif Systems has announced today that its ESP32-C6 processor is now available. This new member of the ESP32 family incorporates Wi-Fi 6 communication at 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE), and 802.15.4 protocol in a single SoC.
The ESP32-C6 was introduced in April 2021 in this press release. It is now announced that it is finally available for purchase. It has also come with the surprise of being compatible with 802.15.4, making it an especially interesting SoC.
Among its specifications, we find a 32-bit high-performance Single-Core RISC-V processor up to 160 MHz and a low-power 32-bit RISC-V processor up to 20 MHz. It has 320KB of ROM, 512KB of SRAM, and the usual external flash memory.
In terms of connections, the ESP32-C6 has 30 (QFN40) or 22 (QFN32) programmable pins (GPIO). In addition, it includes the usual support in ESP32 for SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, RMT, TWAI, PWM, SDIO, and Motor Control PWM. The set is completed with a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a temperature sensor.
The ESP32-C6 stands out for its wireless connectivity. It is compatible with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 (BLE), and IEEE 802.15.4. This means that it can communicate via Zigbee or Thread, both widely used in the IoT field, being one of the most interesting features of the new SoC.
As for programming options, the ESP32-C6 will be compatible with ESP-IDF, the open-source development environment from Espressif. However, we will have to wait for its v5.1 version, which is currently in development. There is currently no information about future compatibility with the Arduino environment. Although, knowing Espressif, it will not be surprising if it is included at some point.
Currently, the ESP32-C6 module and its ESP32-C6 DevKitC-1 development board are available for purchase in the Espressif store. The ESP32-C6 DevKitC-1 board comes with 8Mb of flash memory, 23 accessible GPIO, two USB-C ports, two buttons, and an RGB LED.
It is possible to find the ESP32-C6 DevKitC-1 development board on AliExpress for an approximate price of 15€. However, it is expected that in the future, new development boards will be created that mount the ESP32-C6, and they will be available in stores such as Adafruit, Digikey, or Mouser.
In conclusion, the ESP32-C6 is a very interesting model that has been awaited for over a year. Its most interesting points are the 20 Mhz low-power core and, especially, the compatibility with WiFi6 and the 802.15.4 protocol (Zigbee and Thread).
More information in the press release from Espressif.