French hardware manufacturer Morpheans has released its latest development board, the MorphESP 240.

It's among the first development boards to feature the ESP32-S2 system chip, initially announced in 2019.

MorphESP 240: ESP32-S2 for the Masses

MorphESP isn't the first ESP32-S2 development board available, but it does have some features that set it aside. The onboard SPI-driven, 240 x 240-pixel ST7789 display is high resolution for its size. The board also features a single user-programmable WS2812B RGB LED and exposes 24 headers for general purpose input/output (GPIO), power, and communication.

The new board also makes use of the fact that the ESP32-S2 has native USB support and requires no additional onboard chip for programming.

Arduino IDE and CircuitPython Support

One aspect of the MorphESP that will be welcome to makers and educators is Arduino IDE support and CircuitPython. The Arduino IDE is so widely known in the hobby embedded community that development boards supporting it can be a deciding factor when making a purchase.

CircuitPython, a Python compiler designed to work on microcontrollers, is among the simplest ways to start coding with hardware. Perfect for teaching younger learners the basics of real code, it's used in the Doctor Who themed HiFive learning kit among many others.

MorphESP 240 is currently being funded on Crowd Supply, where a pledge of $39 will secure a fully assembled development board provided the project meets its goal.

MorphESP 240: The Specifications

The MorphESP 240 specifications are split into the chipset and the rest of the development board.

MorphESP 240 specs

ESP32-S2 WROOM

  • 240 MHz single-core microcontroller
  • 128 KB of ROM
  • 320 KB of SRAM
  • 802.11 b/g/n/ 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

MorphESP 240 board

  • On-board, SPI-driven, 240 x 240 pixel ST7789 display
  • 1 x WS2812B RGB LED
  • 1 x JST-connected battery with a USB charging module
  • A 5 V to 3.3 V regulator to feed additional modules
  • Plenty of GPIOs to play with

Embracing Open-Source Hardware

Morpheans is following in Arduino's footsteps along with many other hardware manufacturers by completely open-sourcing all of the hardware and software design involved with the MorphESP 240 and making it available on GitHub.

Not only can you build your own MorphESP 240 using these plans, Morpheans even sell unpopulated PCBs in their online store [French], designed to be easy to put together with a regular soldering iron.

More Love for the ESP32-S2

It's nice to see another board featuring the ESP32-S2. The chipset from Espressif, designed to sit somewhere between the ESP8266 and the ESP32, had a rocky beginning. Initially announced in 2019, its production run was halted due to Covid-19.

Now it seems the ESP32-S2 is being embraced, though it does lack a few features like Bluetooth connectivity and Ethernet support. Even so, a fast, Wi-Fi enabled microcontroller paired with a color screen and easy to use development board is sure to be a favorite of DIY Internet of Things tinkerers and makers alike.