ESP32 and USB-HS (ULPI)

[Axent1987]

Hello everyone.

I started research for USB HS (480 Mbit/s) implementation with ESP32.
As I know such chips as ESP32-S3 supports only USB-FS. I am able to attach such additional things as EZ-USB-FX3 platform, that provides USB-HS. But this solution is expensive enough and occupies much size on PCB.
I also has USB3300 ULPY - USBHS bridge, that is more simplest way. But it requires ULPI interface.
And as I know ESP32 doesn't support ULPI interface (unlike STM32, TI chips and etc).
I think this is a serious omission.
I tried to implement ULPI in ESP32 with some other ways, but it requires 60 MHz clk synchro pin, the way that I cannot solve.

Does Espressif plans to implement ULPI support in future?
What the easiest way (and cheap) for connection with USB-HS and ESP32?
Others platforms from STM, TI , Microchip supports this, but ESP still not, that is sad omission .

Thanks.

[ESP_Dazz]

Hi @Axent1987, we're aware that USB-HS is something we don't have right now and we are looking into the possibility of including it in future chips. But unfortunately we don't have anything concrete to announce at this point.

I tried to implement ULPI in ESP32 with some other ways, but it requires 60 MHz clk synchro pin, the way that I cannot solve.

I think that probably won't be feasible. Most protocols that exceed 1MHz will probably be too fast to be bit banged by the CPU (i.e., emulated).

Do you have a particular use case in mind that our current USB-FS cannot fulfill?

[Axent1987]

Do you have a particular use case in mind that our current USB-FS cannot fulfill?

Right.
I planned to connect ESP32 with SIM7600 GSM module, that supports up to 50Mbit/s in 'upload'. SIM7600 goes concept, that supposes grabbing data from SD card or USB (SIM7600 provides USB-HS for high speed download data). But ESP32-S3 not.

Thanks

[ESP_Dazz]

I planned to connect ESP32 with SIM7600 GSM module, that supports up to 50Mbit/s in 'upload'. SIM7600 goes concept, that supposes grabbing data from SD card or USB (SIM7600 provides USB-HS for high speed download data). But ESP32-S3 not.

I'm not too familiar with the SIM7600 GSM. But if it's a USB2.0 compliant device, then it should still be able to connect to FS only USB Host (such as the ESP) albeit with slower data transfer.

W.r.t 50Mbit/s, Even if the ESP supports USB HS, there are likely other bottle necks to operating at 50Mbit/s. RAM size, CPU speed, and speed of other peripherals on the ESP will also need to be considered when you are generating/processing/parsing a 50Mbit/s data stream.

[Axent1987]

Hello.

I'm not too familiar with the SIM7600 GSM. But if it's a USB2.0 compliant device, then it should still be able to connect to FS only USB Host (such as the ESP) albeit with slower data transfer.

Yes. My idea was to communicate through USB, but this task that goes to some quest.
Still I switched on the SPI periph in SIM7600, that supports up to 26 MHz data rate. This is still enough for my task, I think.
And it's very cool that ESP32-S3 has strapping pin 45, that allows to operate with 1.8 volts on SPI bus (SIM7600 periph based on 1.8 levels) and make connection directly. But for UART I need the level shifter.
Another way that I supposed - emulate ESP32-S3 through SDIO as external SD card. But this slot is busy now.

I think my question is closed, due I decided to try SPI.
Thanks.