Heltec ESP32 LoRa V3 Dev Board Gets an Open-Sourced Library Thanks to Rop Gonggrijp

Developer Rop Gonggrijp has developed an “unofficial library” specifically for Heltec Automation’s popular development boards based on the Espressif ESP32-S3 chip, addressing the challenges developers face with the original software.

According to Heltec documentation, this board is internally known as HTIT-WB32LA and commercially as WiFi LoRa 32(V3) or ESP32 LoRa v3. It’s a very versatile board and features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a 128×64 pixel OLED display, and an SX1262 863-928MHz LoRa Radio. But even with all this hardware’s features, Gonggrijp found the provided software lacking in clarity, organization, and documentation, with some parts requiring significant adjustment.

In his GitHub Repository, he mentions –

The hardware is cool, but the software that comes with it is not so much to my taste. There are multiple GitHub repositories, and it’s initially unclear what is what, they use some radio stack of unknown origin, code-quality, and documentation varies, some examples need tinkering and what could be a cool toy could easily become a very long weekend of frustration before things sort of work.

Gonggrijp’s library incorporates a modified version of RadioLib for the HTIT-WB32LA and its Wireless Stick(V3) variant which has a smaller 64×32 OLED display. It facilitates easy management of the display, buttons, onboard LED, battery charging functionality, and the CPU’s deep-sleep modes.

Heltec ESP32 LoRa Dev Board Specifications:

• Heltec ESP32 LoRa v3 Board: Features Espressif ESP32-S3, WiFi, Bluetooth, 128×64 OLED, and SX1262 radio.
• Variants: Wireless Stick(V3) with 64×32 OLED and Wireless Stick Lite(V3) without display.
• Specs: 2.4 GHz WiFi, BT 5 LE, 512 MB SRAM, 8 MB SPI flash.
• Connectivity: USB-C, CP2102 USB serial chip, Semtech SX1262 transceiver.
• Power: 3.7V LiPo battery charging circuit.
• Rop Gonggrijp’s Library: Unofficial library with tested sample code for easier development.
• RadioLib Fork: Includes RadioLib for radio control, display, buttons, LED, and power management.
• Custom Board Definitions: Simplifies Arduino IDE setup with correct partition table configurations.
• Energy Efficient: Deep sleep modes and LED brightness control for power saving.
• Developer Support: Installation guide, examples, and GitHub repository for support and updates.

Gonggrijp notes, however, that his library for the Heltec ESP32 LoRa Dev Board is tailored for these specific boards and might not be directly compatible with other devices, even those from Heltec. Nevertheless, developers could adapt the library or use parts of its code for other projects. The library is freely available on GitHub under the MIT license, offering a resource for developers, to quickly get started with these boards without the initial frustration.

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