The Wemos Lolin S3 Mini development board is a board that integrates an ESP32-S3 in the usual form factor of the Wemos Mini.
The various “Mini” models from the manufacturer Wemos are among the most popular among electronics hobbyists. For example, the Wemos ESP8266 D1 Mini was very popular in its day.
This is due to its very good price and its small size. They are boards that are very pleasant and suitable for incorporating into our electronics projects. Personally, it’s one of my favorite form factors.
In this case, the Wemos S3 is the renewed version of the popular development board, with its heart updated to the latest version of the ESP32-S3.
At the heart of the Lolin S3 Mini we have the powerful dual-core Tensilica Xtensa LX7 processor running at up to 240 MHz. In terms of memory, it has 512 KB RAM, 4MB Flash, and 2MB of PSRAM.
In terms of connectivity, we find the usual compatibility of the ESP32-S3, offering 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 LE, with a maximum data rate of 2Mbps and support for Bluetooth Mesh.
Regarding expansion options, it has a wide variety of ports and headers, including up to 27 GPIOs. This allows the connection of ADC, DAC, I2C, SPI, UART sensors, among others. Additionally, it includes an RGB LED and an input button for greater versatility.
{ “CPU and Memory”: [ { “label”: “SoC”, “value”: “ESP32-S3” }, { “label”: “Processor”, “value”: “Xtensa LX7 dual core @240MHz” }, { “label”: “Memory”, “value”: [“512KB SDRAM”, “4MB SPI Flash”, “2MB PSRAM”] } ], “Connectivity”: [ { “label”: “Wi-Fi”, “value”: “IEEE 802.11 b/g/n” }, { “label”: “Bluetooth”, “value”: “BLE 5.0” } ], “Interfaces”: [ { “label”: “GPIO”, “value”: “27x” }, { “label”: “Interfaces”, “value”: [“ADC”, “DAC”, “I2C”, “SPI”, “UART”, “USB OTG”] } ], “Devices”: [ { “label”: “LED”, “value”: “1x RGB (IO47)” }, { “label”: “USB”, “value”: “Type-C programming/power” } ], “Power and Dimensions”: [ { “label”: “Size”, “value”: “34.3 x 25.4 x 40 mm” }, { “label”: “Weight”, “value”: “3 g” } ] }
The board is powered by a 5V voltage supply using the USB Type-C port, which is also used for programming and serial communication.
The Lolin S3 Mini comes preloaded with MicroPython, but it is also compatible with the usual alternatives for programming the ESP32-S3, such as the Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, or PlatformIO.
The Lolin S3 Mini and its variants are available from your favorite suppliers (AliExpress, etc.), at an approximate price of €3. This is another of the model’s great attractions.
Be careful which model you buy; make sure they don’t give you one with an ESP8266, or an ESP32, or an ESP32-S2. The most modern version is the ESP32-S3.
