LILYGO has recently announced its latest embedded product the the T-ETH-Lite. Based on a ESP32-S3 module this compact dev board includes an Ethernet port and a microSD card slot for convenient storage.
Like other LILYGO boards, this is also based on the ESP32-S3 microcontroller, featuring a 240MHz Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor, 16MB PSRAM, 16MB Flash, and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi/BLE 5.0 connectivity.
The GitHub repository for the T-ETH-Series provides information on the onboard ethernet chip, the WIZnet W5500. The official WIZnet page described this chip as
a Hardwired TCP/IP embedded Ethernet controller that enables easier internet connection for embedded systems using SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface).
The T-ETH-Lite features a MicroSD card slot, W550 Ethernet module, up to 23 GPIOs, 14 ADC, 8 touch interfaces, reset and boot buttons, powered by 5V DC, with dimensions of 59mm x 28mm x 11mm.
LILYGO also offers a compatible PoE module as shown above.
ESP32-S3 Internal Diagram
Specifications listed for the T-ETH-Lite include:
- Storage: MicroSD card slot
- Connectivity: Ethernet (10/100 Mbps, supports Wake on LAN)
- I/O: 23 GPIOs, 14 ADC channels, 8 touch sensors
- Features: Reset and Boot buttons
- Power: 5V DC input
- Dimensions: 59mm x 28mm x 11mm
The T-ETH-Lite with ESP32-S3 and PoE modules is available on AliExpress for $25.98. The development board costs $14.88, while the PoE module costs $11.43. For additional information or to purchase, visit the LILYGO online store.
It looks like the cheapest version is the “T-ETH-Lite ESP32” with a ESP32-WOVER-E instead of a ESP32-S3-WR0OM-1, no PoE, wired Ethernet via a much cheaper Realtek RTL8201 instead of the WIZnet W5500, and sd card support for $9.13 on AliExpress [1] (free 14 day shipping over $5.00), and $12.98 plus (who knows what) shipping on the LILYGO Store [2].
Or you could just buy a cheap ESP32 module, a sd card module, and a cheap SPI/Ethernet module (based on a RTL8201, DM9051, or ENC28J60 chip), and wire-up your own wired Ethernet plus SD card rats-nest contraption.
For example: According to the ESP32-S3 datasheet [3] there is no mention of direct on-chip wired Ethernet support, but there is plenty of native ESP32-S3 Ethernet support in the ESP-IDF for wired Ethernet [4] via SPI/Ethernet modules [5].
1. LILYGO “T-ETH-Lite ESP32” Development Board
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805835507288.html
2. T-ETH-Lite “ESP32[H673]”
https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-eth-lite?variant=43120880746677
3. ESP32-S3 Series Datasheet
https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp32-s3_datasheet_en.pdf
4. ESP32-S3 ESP-IDF Ethernet
https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32s3/api-reference/network/esp_eth.html#
5. ESP32-S3 ESP-IDF Ethernet > SPI-Ethernet Module
https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32s3/api-reference/network/esp_eth.html#spi-ethernet-module