sparkfun ESP8266 - User Manual

Introduction
Over the past year, the ESP8266 has been a growing star among IoT or WiFi-related projects.
It’s an extremely cost-effective WiFi module, that – with a little extra effort – can be
programmed just like any microcontroller. Unfortunately, the ESP8266 has mostly only been
available in a tiny, modular form, which, with limited I/O and a funky pin-out, can be difficult to
build a project around.
The original ESP8266 WiFi module. Great for piggybacking onto an Arduino, hard to build a
project around.
SparkFun’s new development board for the ESP8266 breaks out all of the module’s pins, and
comes equipped with a LiPo charger, power supply, and all of the other supporting circuitry it
requires. We lovingly call it the Thing – it’s the perfect foundation for your Internet of Things.
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sparkfun ESP8266 Specifications

General

Brand	sparkfun
Model	ESP8266
Category	Wireless Router
Language	English

Summary

Hardware Overview and Pinout

The Pinout Details

Details the pin configurations for serial programming and I/O on the Thing board.

Board Features and Powering

Unpopulated Parts and Powering Methods

Electrical Characteristics and Ratings

Details voltage regulation, input voltage limits, and current ratings.

Programming and Hardware Assembly

Programming the ESP8266 Thing

Explains how to program the ESP8266 using a serial converter.

Hardware Assembly Guide

Guides on soldering headers for programming and project integration.

Software Setup and Examples

Installing the ESP8266 Arduino Addon

Step-by-step guide to adding ESP8266 support to Arduino IDE.

Example: Posting Data to Phant

Example: AP Web Server

Example: Sleep Mode for Power Saving

Advanced ESP8266 Usage

Using the Arduino Addon Features

Pin Mappings and Yielding Concepts

ESP8266 WiFi Class Functions

Serial Communication Methods