XIAO ESP32-C5 Pre-Soldered Development Board 240MHz RISC-V Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5 LE Zigbee Thread 8MB Flash 8MB PSRAM

XIAO ESP32-C5 Pre-Soldered Development Board

The XIAO ESP32-C5 is a compact, pre-soldered wireless microcontroller development board based on the ESP32-C5HR8. It combines 2.4GHz and 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 LE and IEEE 802.15.4 connectivity with a 240MHz RISC-V processor, 8MB Flash and 8MB PSRAM. Its 21 × 17.8mm design is suitable for smart-home devices, industrial IoT, wireless sensors, wearables and battery-powered embedded applications.

Technical Specifications

• Product model: XIAO ESP32-C5, pre-soldered version
• Chipset: ESP32-C5HR8
• Main processor: 32-bit high-performance RISC-V single-core processor
• Main processor frequency: Up to 240MHz
• Low-power processor: 32-bit RISC-V core operating at up to 48MHz
• On-chip SRAM: 384KB
• On-chip ROM: 320KB
• External PSRAM: 8MB
• Flash memory: 8MB
• Wi-Fi: Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi 6
• Wi-Fi standards: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5 Low Energy and Bluetooth Mesh support
• IEEE 802.15.4 protocols: Zigbee and Thread
• Supported IoT applications: Matter, MQTT and compatible smart-home ecosystems
• GPIO: Up to 11 PWM-capable pins
• Analog inputs: Five ADC channels, including rear-side pads
• Communication interfaces: 1 × I²C, 1 × SPI, 1 × UART and 1 × low-power UART
• Debug interface: JTAG pads on the reverse side
• USB connector: USB Type-C
• Antenna connection: U.FL connector for an external RF antenna
• Onboard indicators: User LED and battery-charging LED
• Onboard controls: RESET button and BOOT button
• Security functions: Secure Boot, Flash encryption and hardware cryptographic acceleration
• Cryptographic support: AES-128/256, SHA, RSA, ECC and HMAC
• USB power input: 5V DC
• Battery power input: 3.7V
• Battery management: Onboard lithium-battery charging and voltage monitoring
• Typical USB-powered deep-sleep current: 375μA with specified low-power firmware
• Typical battery-powered deep-sleep current: 15μA with specified low-power firmware
• Recommended development environment: Arduino IDE
• Working temperature: 0°C to 85°C
• Dimensions: 21 × 17.8mm
• Header configuration: Pre-soldered

2.4GHz and 5GHz Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6

Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 enables the board to use both widely supported 2.4GHz networks and less congested 5GHz channels. Support for IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax makes it suitable for connected devices requiring flexible network compatibility, improved throughput and reliable wireless communication.

Bluetooth, Zigbee and Thread Connectivity

Bluetooth 5 LE supports low-power communication with mobile devices, gateways and nearby sensors. IEEE 802.15.4 connectivity enables Zigbee and Thread development, providing a flexible hardware platform for Matter devices, home-automation systems, sensor networks and IoT gateways.

High-Performance and Low-Power RISC-V Processing

The ESP32-C5 combines a high-performance RISC-V processor operating at up to 240MHz with a dedicated low-power RISC-V core. The main processor handles wireless protocols and application workloads, while the low-power resources support background monitoring and energy-efficient operation.

Expanded Memory for Connected Applications

With 384KB of on-chip SRAM, 8MB Flash and 8MB PSRAM, the board provides capacity for networking stacks, graphical interfaces, data buffering and scalable IoT firmware. Hardware security functions help protect firmware, stored data and device authentication.

Battery-Powered Embedded Design

The board accepts 5V power through USB Type-C or 3.7V battery power through its battery interface. Integrated charging and battery-voltage monitoring support portable sensors, wearables and remotely deployed IoT equipment. Battery-powered deep-sleep current can reach approximately 15μA when using the specified low-power firmware and test conditions.

GPIO and Peripheral Expansion

Eleven PWM-capable GPIOs, five ADC channels, I²C, SPI, UART and low-power UART resources support displays, sensors, actuators and communication peripherals. Pre-soldered headers allow immediate connection to breadboards and compatible expansion hardware.

Typical Applications

• Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 IoT devices
• Matter, Zigbee and Thread smart-home systems
• Industrial monitoring and automation
• Wireless environmental sensors
• MQTT data-acquisition nodes
• Wearable and battery-powered electronics
• Home-automation gateways and controllers
• Compact embedded wireless products