On a quiet November day, a small company in the long tradition of hobbyist electronics put a new board into the world: the ESP32-S31-Zero, a card barely larger than a thumbnail that carries a surprising amount of capability. It belongs to a familiar human pattern, in which makers have always asked how much can be packed into less space, and here the answer is a dual-core processor, generous memory, and radios for nearly every wireless language of the modern home. Its real meaning lies less in the specifications than in the promise it makes to builders who want to shrink their ideas without shr
Waveshare's ESP32-S31-Zero Packs RISC-V Power, Wi-Fi 6 and Up to 32MB PSRAM Into a 28×18 mm Board
It's still small enough to fit into almost any embedded project.
Mark
What's the headline here? It's just a small board.
Mimi
The size against the spec sheet. It's 28 by 18 millimeters and carries a 320 MHz dual-core RISC-V chip, Wi-Fi 6, and up to 32 MB of PSRAM.
Mark
Why does the PSRAM matter so much?
Mimi
It's what lets a board this small think about graphical interfaces or heavier data processing, which usually pushes people toward bigger hardware.
Mark
And the radios?
Mimi
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 LE and Classic, plus 802.15.4 for Zigbee and Thread. That covers most smart home setups.
Luke
Worth saying that's all spec-sheet material. The reporting doesn't include any benchmarks or power measurements, so how it performs in practice is unknown.
Mark
What about the Gigabit Ethernet mention?
Luke
That's a caveat. It's possible through a custom expansion module, but the board doesn't support it directly as shipped.
Mimi
Right, so it's an option you'd have to build, not a feature you get.
Mark
And the software?
Luke
This matters most. The ESP32-S31 is a preview target in ESP-IDF, so support is still maturing. Nothing here says when it will be finished, and there's no price or availability detail in the piece either.
Der Puls
- A board the size of a postage stamp arrives carrying a 320 MHz dual-core chip, and makers are already asking how far it can be pushed.
- Its memory options of up to 32 MB of PSRAM invite ambitious graphical and data-heavy projects that small microcontrollers could never attempt.
- Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 radios converge on one tiny footprint, pulling smart home and sensor builders toward a single platform.
- The ESP32-S31 remains a preview target in ESP-IDF, so builders are navigating shifting tooling while the software support slowly hardens.
On a quiet November day, a small company in the long tradition of hobbyist electronics put a new board into the world: the ESP32-S31-Zero, a card barely larger than a thumbnail that carries a surprising amount of capability. It belongs to a familiar human pattern, in which makers have always asked how much can be packed into less space, and here the answer is a dual-core processor, generous memory, and radios for nearly every wireless language of the modern home. Its real meaning lies less in the specifications than in the promise it makes to builders who want to shrink their ideas without shrinking their ambitions, even as the software that will carry those ideas is still finding its footing.
Waveshare has released a development board measuring just 28 by 18 millimeters, and it is called the ESP32-S31-Zero. At a time when boards keep growing as features are added, this one moves in the opposite direction, small enough to slip into nearly any embedded project.
At its heart is Espressif's new ESP32-S31 microcontroller, with a dual-core 32-bit RISC-V processor running at up to 320 MHz. A separate low-power core takes on lighter work so the main cores do not drain the battery on tasks that do not need them. Memory is where the board punches above its size: buyers can choose 16 or 32 MB of PSRAM alongside matching flash storage, enough to make graphical interfaces and heavier data work practical.
The wireless range is wide, covering 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy and Classic, and IEEE 802.15.4 for Zigbee and Thread. A ceramic antenna sits on the board, and an IPEX-4 connector lets users swap in an external one. Fifteen GPIOs run along castellated edges for direct soldering onto custom boards, and a 40-pin connector opens the way to displays, touchscreens, and SD card readers. A USB-C port handles power and programming, with a WS2812 RGB LED for quick feedback.
Waveshare provides documentation and examples, and development runs through ESP-IDF. The caveat is that the ESP32-S31 is still a preview target in that framework, so anyone building on the board should expect the tools to keep changing as support matures.
Waveshare has released a development board that measures 28 by 18 millimeters, and the company has fitted a good deal of hardware inside that footprint. It is called the ESP32-S31-Zero. Boards tend to get bigger as makers add features, and this one goes the other way: it is small enough to tuck into almost any embedded project.
The board is built around Espressif's new ESP32-S31 microcontroller. The chip has a dual-core 32-bit RISC-V processor that runs at up to 320 MHz. A separate low-power RISC-V core handles lighter tasks so that batteries are not drained by work that does not need the main cores. The chip carries 512 KB of SRAM, a further 32 KB of low-power SRAM, and 320 KB of ROM.
Memory is where the board stands out for its size. Depending on the configuration, buyers get either 16 MB or 32 MB of PSRAM, paired with 16 MB or 32 MB of SPI flash storage. That is generous for a device this small. It puts graphical interfaces, data processing, and other jobs that outgrow a typical microcontroller within reach.
The wireless side is broad. The board supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy, and Bluetooth Classic. It also supports IEEE 802.15.4, the radio standard behind Zigbee and Thread networking. An onboard ceramic antenna comes built in, and an IPEX-4 connector lets users attach an external antenna instead. That combination suits smart home devices, wireless sensors, and other IoT work.
For expansion, 15 GPIOs are exposed along castellated edges. Those edges let the board be soldered straight onto a custom PCB. Waveshare also sells versions with headers already soldered on, which makes prototyping easier.
A 40-pin connector adds more options. It can take extra hardware such as LCD displays, touchscreens, and SD card readers, and it also gives access to USB signals. Gigabit Ethernet is possible through a custom expansion module, though the board as shipped does not directly support it. A USB-C port handles power, programming, and debugging. There are BOOT and RESET buttons and a programmable WS2812 RGB LED.
Waveshare supplies documentation, schematics, and examples that cover everything from GPIO and UART to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Development runs through Espressif's ESP-IDF framework. There is a caveat, though: the ESP32-S31 is currently a preview target in that framework, so software support is still maturing. Anyone planning a project around the board should expect the tooling to keep changing as that support develops.
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