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ESP32-C3-Zero Pro Development Board Pinout and Technical Specifications

Code name: ESP32C3_DEV

ESP32-C3-Zero Pro development board is based on esp32c3 microcontroller and uses riscv32 architecture. This development board has a maximum CPU frequency of 160 MHz and a flash size of 4MB.


πŸ”— Quick Links

ESP32-C3-Zero Pro imageESP32-C3-Zero Pro imageESP32-C3-Zero Pro imageESP32-C3-Zero Pro image

πŸ›’ Price

Normally, the ESP32-C3-Zero Pro costs around $3 per unit.
The prices are subject to change. Check current price:
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πŸ“ ESP32-C3-Zero Pro Description

ESP32-C3-Zero Pro is an upgraded version of the ESP32-C3-Zero, featuring a better ceramic antenna and an IPEX antenna mount for improved wireless performance. It is based on the Espressif ESP32-C3 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth dual-mode chip, with a 32-bit RISC-V single-core processor running at up to 160 MHz. It comes with 400 KB SRAM, 384 KB ROM, and 4 MB of onboard flash memory.

This board supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE), making it ideal for low-power IoT applications and wireless wearable devices. πŸ“Ά

Compared to the ESP32-C3-Zero, the Zero Pro offers enhanced signal strength due to its dual-antenna design, making it more reliable for applications requiring strong wireless connectivity. It retains the same ultra-compact footprint (22.52 Γ— 18 mm) while adding more connectivity options.

For user convenience, it includes both a RESET button and a BOOT button to facilitate development and debugging. πŸš€

The board provides 11 digital I/O pins configurable as PWM outputs and 4 analog I/O pins for ADC inputs. It supports multiple serial interfaces, including 1Γ— I2C, 1Γ— SPI, and 2Γ— UART, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of peripherals. βš™οΈ

πŸ“Š ESP32-C3-Zero Pro Specs

Below you can find the specifications of ESP32-C3-Zero Pro, such as features, connectivity options, and ESP32-C3-Zero Pro technical specs.

✨ Features

  • Improved wireless performance: Better ceramic antenna + IPEX antenna mount
  • Ultra-small size: 22.52 Γ— 18 mm
  • Ultra-low power consumption: deep sleep current approximately 43 ΞΌA
  • Onboard blue LED connected to GPIO8
  • 11 digital IO pins
  • 22 external interrupt pins
  • 4 analog input pins
  • 11 PWM pins

πŸ›°οΈ Connectivity

  • WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz)
  • Bluetooth: 5.0
  • BLE: 5.0

πŸ“ Technical specs

Microcontrolleresp32c3
Clock Speed160 MHz
Flash size4MB
Architectureriscv32

πŸ”Œ ESP32-C3-Zero Pro Pinout

The ESP32-C3-Zero Pro pinout is designed for versatility in a compact form factor. Key power pins include 5V, 3.3V, and GND, ensuring stable power delivery for various peripherals.

The board provides multiple communication interfaces:

  • UART: TX, RX
  • I2C: SDA, SCL
  • SPI: SCK, MISO, MOSI, SS

For analog input, it offers ADC pins suitable for reading sensor data or voltage levels.

⚠️ Pins to Avoid or Use with Caution

Some pins are reserved for critical functions like bootstrapping, JTAG debugging, USB communication, and flash memory operations. Misusing these pins may lead to boot failures, programming issues, USB conflicts, or disruptions in flash storage. Below is a list of pins to avoid or use with caution, categorized for clarity:

PINLabelReasonFunction
IO2GPIO2Must be held high during boot (if low on reset, normal flash boot may fail)πŸ› οΈ Strapping
IO4MTMSUsed during boot; JTAG TMS for debugging; acts as Quad-SPI flash IO (hold data line) in internal-flash variantsπŸ”— JTAG
IO5MTDIUsed during boot; JTAG TDI for debugging; acts as Quad-SPI flash IO (write-protect data line) in internal-flash variantsπŸ”— JTAG
IO6MTCKUsed during boot; JTAG TCK for debugging; provides flash clock in internal-flash variantsπŸ”— JTAG
IO7MTDOUsed during boot; JTAG TDO for debugging; acts as Quad-SPI flash IO (data line) in internal-flash variantsπŸ”— JTAG
IO8GPIO8Must be held high during reset (if low, UART flashing/boot may not work)πŸ› οΈ Strapping
IO9GPIO9Controls boot mode on reset (HIGH for normal flash boot, LOW enters serial download mode)πŸ› οΈ Strapping
IO20U0RXDUsed as UART0 receive (console/bootloader); repurposing may disable serial programming and debug logsπŸ“‘ UART
IO21U0TXDUsed as UART0 transmit (console/bootloader); repurposing may disable serial console output and printingπŸ“‘ UART

πŸ“Œ Key Takeaway:

βœ… Pins Safe to use

For general GPIO usage, these are the safest and most flexible choices πŸš€:
  • πŸ”Ή IO0
  • πŸ”Ή IO1
  • πŸ”Ή IO3
  • πŸ”Ή IO10

Unlike restricted pins, these GPIOs are not tied to essential system functions like πŸ› οΈ bootstrapping, πŸ”Œ USB communication, πŸ”— JTAG debugging, or ⚑ SPI flash memory, making them the best choices for custom applications and general use.

Why Are These Pins Safe?
  • Not involved in bootstrapping β†’ These GPIOs do not affect the device’s boot mode or system startup.
  • Not linked to flash memory or PSRAM β†’ They won’t interfere with storage or memory access.
  • Not dedicated to USB or JTAG β†’ They remain free for general use without affecting debugging or programming.
  • No special hardware connections β†’ Unlike some pins that are internally wired to system functions, these remain freely assignable.

πŸ—ΊοΈ ESP32-C3-Zero Pro External Pins Mapping Functions

Below you can find the ESP32-C3-Zero Pro pinout. This development board provides 11 digital IO pins, out of which 22 can be used as an external interrupt pins , 4 as analog input pins and 11 pins have Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) .

PinFunctionESP PinInput/OutputDescription
15V5VPOWER INPUT5V power input for the board
2GNDGNDPOWER GROUNDGround connection
33V33.3VPOWER OUTPUT3.3V power output
4IO0GPIO0BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, ADC, PWM
5IO1GPIO1BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, ADC, PWM
6IO2GPIO2BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, ADC, PWM
7IO3GPIO3BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, ADC, PWM
8IO4GPIO4BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, ADC, SPI SCK, PWM
9IO5GPIO5BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, ADC, SPI MISO, PWM
10IO6GPIO6BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, SPI MOSI, PWM
11IO7GPIO7BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, SPI SS, PWM
12IO8GPIO8BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, I2C Data line, PWM
13IO9GPIO9BIDIRECTIONALGPIO, I2C Clock line, PWM
14IO10GPIO10BIDIRECTIONALGPIO
15IO20TXBIDIRECTIONALGPIO, UART Transmit
16IO21TXBIDIRECTIONALGPIO, UART Transmit
Function - Pin Function
ESP Pin - Pin on ESP32
Input/Output - Input or Output Pin
Description - Pin Description

πŸ› οΈ Default Tools

Bootloader toolesptool_py
Uploader toolesptool_py
Network uploader toolesp_ota
Bootloader address0x0
Flash modeqio
Boot modeqio
PSRAM type
Maximum upload size
1280 Kb
(1310720 B)
Maximum data size
320 Kb
(327680 B)

The ESP32-C3-Zero Pro development board by default uses esptool_py uploader tool, esp_ota network uploader tool for Over-the-air (OTA) uploads and esptool_py bootloader tool. The bootloader starts at address "0x0". Flash mode and boot mode for ESP32-C3-Zero Pro development board by default is qio and qio respectively.