We have developed a wearable product utilizing BLE radio communicating with a mobile phone.
Now we plan to move on to a newer device utilizing both BLE + WiFi capabilities and ESP32 is of course a candidate for such a project.
I was looking through the Espressif/ESP32 site and noticed the ESP32-PICO-D4 SiP.
Its form factor looks suitable for our requirements but I still wonder what other components we will have to add on our main board to make it a 'system'.
Specifically, I would like to undesrtand:
- The Sip is not EM shielded. What does it say regarding its radio and EMC certifications (I couldn't find any note for this)?
- Can/Is the SiP be debugged/flashed serially using a standalone USB->Serial converter (Not part of the designed PCB)?
- The datasheet denotes 22 IOxx pins out of which 9 (or 7 if disregarding 32K) are reserved. I'll appreciate if someone could confirm
- IO16, IO17 (+CMD, CLK, SD0, SD1) - used for the 4MB embedded flash
- IO32, IO33 - connected to external 32KHz xtal (?). Really required?
- IO0, IO2, IO5, IO12(MTDI), IO15(MTDO) - Strapping pins
- The following is a list of external components I understand need to be added to the design.
I'll appreciate if someone can confirm/comment/add to the list.- EM Shileding
- Power source
- Antenna
- 32Khz xtal. I couldn't find any reference to why (whether) it is needed
I'll appreciate if anyone could refer me to a miniature ESP32 based, 3rd party module, that includes shielding, antenna and is radio/EMC certified.
Any advise is highly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.