A WiFi microcontroller board built on the ESP8266 chip, with micro-USB built in. For makers ready to set up a board in the desktop IDE and put a project on their network.
Price: $19.97 · In stock
Rated 4.3 out of 5 from 13 customer reviews.
The ESP8266 is a microcontroller with WiFi built into the chip. This board can join your home network, or start a network of its own that a phone can connect to, so a build can serve a web page, send a reading somewhere, or take commands without a cable.
It's programmed in C++, the same language as the HERO Board, but it's a different chip: it runs at 3.3 V, has one analog input, and is set up in the desktop IDE rather than in the browser.
| Chip | ESP8266, on an ESP8266MOD WiFi module |
|---|---|
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz |
| Security | WPA and WPA2 |
| WiFi modes | Station, access point, or both at once |
| Networking | Built-in TCP/IP stack, up to 5 TCP client connections |
| USB | Micro-USB, with a CH340G USB-to-serial chip |
| Power | Micro-USB or the VIN pin, with an onboard 3.3 V regulator |
| Logic level | 3.3 V |
| Pins | D0 to D8, RX, TX and A0 (one analog input), plus 3V, VIN, GND, EN and RST |
| Buttons | Reset and flash |
| Headers | Pre-soldered |
| Firmware updates | Over the air (OTA) |
| Programming | C++ with the ESP8266 board package in the desktop IDE, or Lua with the NodeMCU firmware |
Both are programmed in C++. They do different jobs.
| HERO Board + USB Cable | NodeMCU ESP8266 V3 WiFi Development Board | |
|---|---|---|
| WiFi | No | Yes, 2.4 GHz |
| Chip | ATmega328P | ESP8266 |
| Logic level | 5 V | 3.3 V |
| Analog inputs | 6 | 1 |
| USB | USB-B | Micro-USB |
| Upload from the browser | Yes, in Chrome or Edge | No, desktop IDE |
| In the browser simulator | Yes | No |
| CraftingTable courses | 30 Days Lost in Space, Cogsworth City and more | None |
No. None of our courses use it, and it isn't in the browser simulator or the browser upload, which support the HERO Board, HERO XL and Pico. It's for makers comfortable setting up a board in the desktop IDE on their own.
Add the ESP8266 board package to the desktop IDE, choose the NodeMCU 1.0 (ESP-12E Module) board, and upload over a micro-USB cable. It can also run the Lua-based NodeMCU firmware instead.
A micro-USB cable that carries data. A charge-only cable powers the board but can't upload code.
No. The kit lessons are written for the HERO Board's chip and pins. Think of this as a second board for WiFi projects.
Ships to the US, Canada, the UK and Australia: $12.35 flat shipping in the US, $18 to Canada, the UK and Australia. Send any physical order back within 30 days of delivery and we refund it when it arrives. Opened and used is fine; it just needs all of its parts. The customer pays return shipping, and the original shipping charge isn't refunded. Questions: support@craftingtable.com.
Sold by CraftingTable (formerly Inventr.io). All kits