Adafruit
Adafruit AirLift Bitsy Add-On – ESP32 WiFi Co-Processor
Give your ItsyBitsy project WiFi connectivity with the Adafruit AirLift Bitsy Add-On. This compact daughterboard uses an ESP32 as a WiFi co-processor, handli...
Give your ItsyBitsy project WiFi connectivity with the Adafruit AirLift Bitsy Add-On. This compact daughterboard uses an ESP32 as a WiFi co-processor, handling all the heavy lifting of network connections and TLS/SSL encryption so your main microcontroller can focus on your application logic.
The ESP32 communicates over 8 MHz SPI for high-speed data transfer, requiring just an SPI bus and 2 control pins. It comes pre-programmed with WiFi co-processor firmware (a variant of Arduino WiFiNINA) and has root certificates pre-burned in for secure HTTPS connections. A tri-state chip on MISO allows sharing the SPI bus with other devices.
Key Features
- ESP32 WiFi Co-Processor – Handles WiFi networking and TLS/SSL encryption
- 8 MHz SPI Interface – High-speed communication with just SPI + 2 control pins
- Pre-Programmed Firmware – Ready to use out of the box with Arduino and CircuitPython
- TLS/SSL Support – Root certificates pre-burned for secure connections
- Shared SPI Bus – Tri-state MISO allows sharing with other SPI devices
- ItsyBitsy Form Factor – Designed to stack directly on top of ItsyBitsy boards
Compatibility
- Arduino – Works with ItsyBitsy M0, M4 and similar 3V logic boards (recommended: M4 or higher for best results)
- CircuitPython – Requires ItsyBitsy M4 or equivalent SAMD51/Cortex M4 minimum
- Not compatible with ItsyBitsy 32u4 5V (wrong voltage level)
Also Available
- AirLift ESP32 WiFi Breakout – Universal breakout version for any microcontroller
Ideal For
- Adding WiFi to ItsyBitsy projects
- IoT data logging and cloud connectivity
- Web API integrations
- Secure HTTPS communication
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit AirLift Bitsy Add-On (assembled and tested)
- 1× Header strip
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- API
- An API is a software interface that lets a program control hardware or features provided by the operating system. In this product, API support matters if you want your software to adjust display settings such as brightness or contrast automatically.
- breakout
- A breakout is a small circuit board that makes a tiny or hard-to-solder component easier to connect to with standard pins. It matters because this OLED module can be wired into a microcontroller project without needing to solder directly to the display’s fine contacts.
- CircuitPython
- A beginner-friendly version of Python designed to run directly on microcontroller boards. If a product supports CircuitPython, you can often program it by copying code files onto the board rather than setting up a more complex toolchain.
- ESP32
- ESP32 is a family of microcontroller modules with built-in wireless features such as Bluetooth and WiFi. Knowing this product uses an ESP32-based module helps explain how it provides wireless serial communication and firmware update features.
- IoT
- Short for Internet of Things, meaning physical devices that connect to networks or the internet to send data or be controlled remotely. It matters if you want projects such as connected sensors, remote controls or classroom data-logging activities.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
- SAMD51
- A family of 32-bit microcontroller chips used to run the main program on a board. In this kit it handles the display-driving work, so it matters for performance when showing animations and graphics on an LED matrix.
- SPI
- A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.
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Brands
Connectivity
Related Tutorials
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