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Help Needed: Developing PCB for ESP32-WROOM-32UE-N8 - Missing Technical Details

Posted: Sat Oct 26, 2024 12:51 pm
by Maxime
Hello ESP32 Community,

I’m currently working on a PCB design that integrates the ESP32-WROOM-32UE-N8 module, but I'm facing some challenges due to incomplete or unclear technical documentation.

In the resources I've found so far, several components are listed with vague or "TBD" values, and there isn’t a clear reference on how to properly connect everything for this specific module. For example:
  • Capacitors (C1, C2, C14, C15) have undefined values, and it’s not clear what values would work best with the crystal oscillator and other parts of the board.
    Other components like R2 are marked as variable, depending on the PCB board, without specific recommendations.
    Furthermore, I can't find any information on the USB-to-Serial interface. I’m planning to use a CP2102 or similar USB-to-Serial converter, but it’s unclear how to wire it correctly with the ESP32-WROOM-32UE.
I’d appreciate it if anyone could share a more comprehensive document or reference design specifically for the ESP32-WROOM-32UE-N8. I’m looking for guidance on:

A complete list of components needed to get the module fully operational.
Recommended values for the "TBD" components.
Detailed connection instructions, especially for integrating a USB-to-Serial converter like the CP2102.
Any help or shared resources would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Best regards,
Maxime

Re: Help Needed: Developing PCB for ESP32-WROOM-32UE-N8 - Missing Technical Details

Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 12:57 am
by ESP_Sprite
I imagine you're referring to the hardware design guidelines?

In that case, C1 and C2 depends on which crystal you use, plus the PCB layout that you create. See e.g. here for an indication how it works.

C14, L2 and C15 are values that depend on both the antenna you're using as well as the PCB layout you create. Ideally, you'd guesstimate some values first, then you use the RF test tool combined with a VNA to tweak them until you get optimal antenna response.

In other words: we cannot give values for those components.

However I see now that you want to use a module rather than a bare ESP32. If you do, you don't need to worry about these components. They're already integrated on the module, specifically because it is fairly complicated to obtain the correct values for them.

If you're working from a module, you can simply take the schematics of one of our devboards as a reference for how to connect things. For the ESP32-Wroom32 you want the ESP32-DevkitC schematics as a reference.