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ARTMMA: Development Board Selection

  • Writer: katielg980
    katielg980
  • Sep 30
  • 3 min read

ESP-WROOM-32 vs Raspberry Pi Pico vs Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W


Objective

Determine which development board is best suited for the project.


Priorities in order of weight

  1. Wifi capabilities

  2. Processor

  3. Low price



ESP-WROOM-32


ree

Raspberry Pi Pico

ree

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W

ree

Price

$15.99 on Amazon for 3

$19.98 on Amazon  for 4

$32.62 on Amazon  for 4

Dimensions

30 x 52 mm

21 x 51 mm

21 x 51 mm

Pins

25 GPIO

8 PIO, 26 GPIO

12 PIO, 26 GPIO

Wifi

Built-in 2.4GHz

N/A

Built-in 2.4GHz

RAM

512 MB

264 KB

520 KB

Storage Capacity

2 MB

2 MB

4 MB

Processor

Dual core Tensilica LX6

Dual core Arm Cortex-M0+


Dual core Arm Cortex-M33 and dual core Hazard3 RISC-V

CPU Speed

2.4E + 2 MHz

133 MHz

150 MHz

Bonus Specs (not needed for this project)

Bluetooth (classic & low energy)

1 extra

Bluetooth 5.2, 1 extra


Analysis

  1. Wifi capabilities

    1. Immediately upon analysis, the Raspberry Pi Pico has been eliminated for not having onboard WiFi capabilities.

    2. The ESP-WROOM and Pi Pico 2 W both have similar WiFi capabilities.

  2. Processor

    1. Dual-core Tensilica LX6 (ESP-WROOM)

      1. Versatile and configurable, allowing for tailored performance and power usage for niche applications

      2. Popular for IoT applications

      3. RISC processor

    2. Dual-core ARM Cortex-M33 and dual-core Hazard3 RISC-V (PI PICO 2 W)

      1. Cortex-M33 is ideal for IoT and embedded applications

      2. Cortex-M33 achieves an optimal blend between real-time determinism, energy efficiency, software productivity, and system security

      3. Cortex-M33 has a more standardized, fixed architecture for general use

      4. Hazard RISC-V is free and open-source, unlike ARM

    3. Conclusion: Either processor would work well for this project, and both are capable of handling much more than I will be throwing at them. The versatility of the Pi Pico 2 W is what has made it the industry-standard and go-to option.

  3. Low price

    1. The approximate price per board for the ESP-WROOM is $5.33.

    2. The approximate price per board for the Pi Pico 2 W is $8.16.

    3. Conclusion: The price per board is considerably higher for the Pi Pico 2 W. I also only need 3, so I would have an extra unused Pi Pico 2 W.


What about the onboard temperature sensors?

The onboard temperature sensor on the boards measures the internal temperature of the processor package, with the intention of monitoring for overheating. The purpose of a temperature sensor in this project is to monitor the ambient temperature of the room, not the processing board. The onboard temperature sensor is neither accurate enough nor far enough removed from the board’s heat to produce an accurate reading of the temperature in the room. Further, the temperature sensor on the boards is less accurate than the DHT22 sensor. 


In summary, the onboard temperature sensor on the boards will be insufficient to measure room temperature in this project.


Other considerations

There are more resources and guides for Raspberry Pi products. They are the go-to for projects like this.


Final product selection

TBD... Before finishing this analysis, I received a package in the mail from a family member with miscellaneous boards that I need to check out and see if they could be used in this project. Using the boards I already have at my disposal would save me some money.


Takeaways and next steps

The ESP-WROOM is cheaper, but the Pi Pico 2 W is the standard selection for projects like this. I likely won't stray from that trend. First, I need to see which boards I have recently received and how many of each I have. I will report back.


References

  1. ESP32 Amazon listing for image and specifications https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D5ZD528/?coliid=I2DKQLDD8KF2XM&colid=3R7U1CHYQJK23&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1 

  2. Raspberry Pi Amazon listing for image and specifications https://www.amazon.com/KEYESTUDIO-Raspberry-Microcontroller-Pre-soldered-High-Performance/dp/B0D4V1S1SK/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1KRRTS33D0BVV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pKahr-0sbI4OhxoMucyg6qXlUn3M1qAhXamfEflEJ0-UZ4kS7d4c2CnSi5R2ogB0gdsQoqn3Fg3ur9qiKG0kBTZNvbmAJlrn43jCHgpW56Tn859fROPl-RDSHJAWJkGPomwbm8kcvkNXCiuuqGjOmEy9ym5fgn5D2pzFHBxVEz5EXcSgYPVPAm0jt6bypulxuw1L2_m5YjT81c__GdOtP-fbrr06aHgEjEHP2amor6U.K-tE6X6rJ2e4F4BlaWlEG9q4APo4tmIloVC6Rb3M5kg&dib_tag=se&keywords=raspberry+pi+pico+pre-soldered&qid=1756860119&sprefix=raspberry+pi+pico+pre-soldiered%2Camazon-devices%2C162&sr=8-5&xpid=sInuvJBprjXiH 

  3. Raspberry Pi 2 W Amazon listing for image and specifications https://www.amazon.com/Pico-Pre-Soldered-Compatible-Microcontroller-Dual-Architecture/dp/B0DP54FWX1/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1KXP6SXRO64LA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XyH52Ondq2MJyv52GKcmQt5V_Nfp8xORk7PTkHs8pH4hVdNoZudHKuzqSLPvlvsES89cDCPlhzo2Gw7q2VQzDp0iZPZpaocrFr7yiC1aGAd3KMTLC2vwPtO-lkIbvkBX-BKV5p1piFPFRj6w1cNCtDBlM5QVfD-Lwqpz9BHVuICGVzAJFZ9Kjoy47wPxPgWunWlMK6ASCr2dez1SiRPEQBGCUSQX2SbWRKJOpGSDREo.whUo48PewBLytLdmqyBKlVJ_I4HCBIPrjtpRrlMS4Ns&dib_tag=se&keywords=raspberry+pi+pico+pre-soldered+wifi&qid=1756860646&sprefix=raspberry+pi+pico+pre-soldered+wifi%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-3 

  4. Cortex-M33 specifications https://developer.arm.com/Processors/Cortex-M33

  5. Raspberry Pi Pico’s onboard temperature sensor forum discussion https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=349902 

 
 
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