Adafruit

TinyPICO V3 USB-C with u.FL by Unexpected Maker

Name: TinyPICO V3 USB-C with u.FL by Unexpected Maker
Brand: Adafruit
SKU: AF-5750
Price: 55.1 AUD
Availability: InStock

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TinyPICO is the world’s smallest, fully-featured ESP32 development board, designed to unlock the power of the ESP32’s dual-core 240MHz and internet connecti...

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TinyPICO is the world’s smallest, fully-featured ESP32 development board, designed to unlock the power of the ESP32’s dual-core 240MHz and internet connectivity, in a package smaller than your thumb!

Please note: This is the u.FL version of the TinyPICO USB-C. Click here for the PCB antenna version. TinyPICO V2 with Micro-B is still available over here!

The developers behind UnexpectedMaker have filled every nook on this board, packing a massive 700mA 3.3V regulator, onboard battery management, an RGB LED, 4MB of extra PSRAM, and 14 GPIO!

TinyPICO is tuned for ultra-low current use, dropping as low as 20uA when in deepsleep.
Optimized power path and power management: TinyPICO has been designed with two isolated power paths: a 5V path and a 3.3V path. Any components that are not needed for operation via battery or via the 3.3 V power pin are isolated within the 5V power path and are totally shut down when no USB cable is plugged in. In fact, even the power & charge LEDs are shut down when no 5 V power source is present.
Deep sleep has been optimized for all development platforms, and though they have seen it go as low as 10 uA, their official current rating in deep sleep is 20 uA.
Built-in USB-to-Serial converter chip may be CP210x based or CH9102F depending on chip availability.

TinyPICO includes an onboard APA102 RGB LED that has a quiescent current of 1 mA. Thankfully there is a solution for deep sleep. GPIO13 controls the power to the APA102 using a P-Channel MOSFET via a high-side switch that can (along with smoother IO settings) shut down the power to the APA102 for you. It’s essential to do this before going into deep sleep to ensure the lowest current draw possible.

UM has created some helper functions for you in their TinyPICO MicroPython & Arduino helper libraries to make this easy. Please check the code in the platform you use to understand how to shut down the APA102 correctly as just pulling GPIO13 high is not enough.

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

3.3V regulator: A 3.3V regulator is a power circuit that provides a steady 3.3 volts for parts that need that supply voltage. On a breakout board, it can let the sensor run safely even when the connected microcontroller or power source uses a higher voltage.
deep sleep: Deep sleep is a low-power mode where the microcontroller turns off most functions while keeping just enough circuitry active to wake up later. It is important for battery-powered projects because it can greatly extend how long the device runs between charges.
ESP32: ESP32 is a family of low-cost microcontroller chips and modules from Espressif with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. They support programmable firmware and over-the-air updates, and are commonly programmed with toolchains such as the Arduino core and ESP-IDF.
GPIO: General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.
LED: A light-emitting diode (LED) is a small electronic component that emits light when current flows through it in the correct direction. Because it only conducts one way, its polarity matters, and a through-hole LED must be soldered the correct way around to light up.
MicroPython: A version of the Python programming language made to run on microcontrollers. It matters because it lets beginners write readable code to control LEDs, sensors, motors and displays without needing to start with lower-level languages.
PCB antenna: A PCB antenna is an antenna pattern built directly into the circuit board rather than a separate metal antenna. It matters because placement, nearby metal and enclosure design can affect wireless range.
Power path: A power path is the route electricity takes from one or more supplies to the circuit being powered. Understanding the power path helps you choose parts that can safely handle source selection, backup power, and supply switching.
RGB: Short for red, green and blue, the three primary colours of light that are mixed in varying amounts to make a wide range of colours. In electronics RGB can refer to an LED or pixel that blends these three colours, or to a colour signal or interface that carries separate red, green and blue channels.
u.FL: u.FL is a tiny snap-on antenna connector often used on compact wireless boards. A board with u.FL usually needs an external antenna, which matters if the product will be inside an enclosure or needs better antenna placement.
USB-C: USB-C is a small, reversible USB connector that can carry power, data and, on some devices, video over a single cable. The same connector can range from charging only to high-speed data, so the functions a given port actually supports vary.