German manufacturer Würth Elektronik has introduced two 2.4GHz wireless modules – the freely configurable Orthosie-I and the Stephano-I variant with pre-installed firmware.

Both are based on the ESP32-C3 chipset and communicate according to IEEE 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth LE 5.0. The components have an integrated antenna and, thanks to their space-saving design, are flexible to use.

Wireless communication is now used in many areas – in blood glucose meters that transmit results to a smartphone, thermostats or lawn-mowing robots with a visual interface app, or in cordless power tools that automatically activate a Bluetooth-linked dust vacuum when they start up. Würth now offers suitable radio modules for these and other applications.

The modules have been optimised for energy-saving operation without compromising wireless range. Updating via wireless connection is also possible through FOTA, or firmware over the air. The developers at Würth have also managed to reduce the TX current consumption and form factor by 50 per cent compared with the ESP32-C3-Mini-1 module. In power-off mode, the modules, which measure 13 by 9.5 by 2mm, consume 1µA.

The communication components are based on a 32bit Risc-V single-core processor from Espressif (ESP32-C3), which can operate at a clock frequency of up to 160MHz. They have 4Mbyte of flash memory and 400kbyte of RAM. In addition, 15 freely configurable GPIO pins are available.

The Orthosie-I module (www.we-online.com/en/components/products/ORTHOSIE-I) is supplied without pre-installed firmware and can be individually programmed for the application. Various interfaces can also be implemented, such as uart, SPI, I²C and ADC.

Stephano-I (www.we-online.com/en/components/products/STEPHANO-I_WIFI) comes with pre-installed firmware, a complete TCP/IP stack, MQTT and HTTP. It can act both as a station and as a soft access point. In soft-access-point mode, the encryption modes WPAPSK, WPA2PSK and WPA/WPA2PSK are available. Up to three Bluetooth LE connections can be established simultaneously.

Würth’s Bluetooth LE Terminal app provides quick and easy testing as well as the basis for users’ own apps. This is available free of charge from the Google Play and Apple App stores, or as source code on GitHub.

Würth Elektronik (www.we-online.com) is a manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components for the electronics industry. It is one of the largest European manufacturers of passive components and is active in 50 countries. There are production sites in Europe, Asia and North America.

Würth Elektronik is part of the Würth Group, which employs 7900 people. In 2023, the Würth Elektronik group generated sales of €1.24bn.