Enter the Wemos D1 mini ESP32

I really, and I mean really, like the Wemos D1 mini. Part of this is because I can get them for under two pounds each, but I do reckon that they make the best connected embedded platform you can get.

Unless you need Bluetooth, or want to talk using secure sockets. Or you fancy writing a MicroPython program longer than a few lines. Then you need an ESP32. Up until recently my weapon of choice for ESP32 applications was the DOIT platform. It’s cheap, it works and it has lots of pins. However, it does have one really annoying limitation. You have to press the program button, or the reset button, or some horrid combination of them each time you want to deploy a program to it.

The Wemos D1 Mini ESP32 doesn’t have this limitation. You can deploy programs and it just works. It has lots of pins but you don’t have to use all of them. It is very similar in size to the original D1 Mini (above on the right), and the pins have been arranged so that you can connect original shields and make them work. It’s a bit more expensive than the original, but well worth the money I reckon.