AWS IOT Click Board™

How Does The AWS IoT Click Board™ Work?

The AWS IoT Click Board™ is based on the ESP32-C3-MINI-1-N4-A, a general-purpose 2.4GHz WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth® 5 LE combo module from Espressif Systems that comes with an onboard PCB antenna. This module's core is the ESP32C3 series of SoC RISCV single-core 32-bit microprocessor (ESP32-C3FN4), a chip with an embedded flash of 4MB and a clock speed of up to 160MHz. Since flash is packaged in the ESP32-C3FN4 chip rather than integrated into the module, the ESP32-C3-MINI-1-N4-A has a smaller package size. Thanks to its rich set of features necessary to implement AWS IoT services, this Click board™ is ideal for smart homes, industrial automation, health care, consumer electronics, and generic IoT sensor hubs and data logger applications.

As the name suggests, this Click board™ is related to the AWS IoT platform (https://aws.amazon.com/iot/), a cloud-based platform provided by Amazon Web Services that enables secure and scalable IoT device connectivity, management, and data collection. The platform offers services and tools that allow IoT devices to connect and interact with other devices and cloud services securely. These services include a device gateway, management, data collection, rules engine, analytics, and security features such as device authentication, encryption, and access control. Now, with the AWS IoT Click board™, users can quickly and easily build IoT solutions that can connect to AWS IoT services and leverage the full capabilities of the AWS IoT platform.

The AWS IoT Click Board™ interfaces with a host MCU through UART communication, which involves sending AT commands using RX and TX pins operating at a rate of 115200bps. It is also equipped with a USB type C connector, which allows the board to be powered and configured by a personal computer (PC) using CP2102N, a compact USB to a serial UART interface bridge. The onboard LDO regulator, the NCP1117, supplies the necessary 3.3V power, during the standalone use-case, to the board obtained from the USB voltage. Alternatively, users can control the AWS IoT Click Board™ using the Start Quick Connect demo application.

NOTE: The Start Quick Connect demo application enables you to effortlessly establish a connection with AWS IoT in a matter of minutes, without any dependencies to install or download and build source code and without requiring an AWS account. For further details, please refer to our AWS IoT User Guide.

Besides the UART pins, the AWS IoT Click also employs other pins of the mikroBUS™ socket to enhance its functionality. For example, the WK pin is utilized as a module wake-up pin, the EVT pin detects significant events during operation, and the device enable pin RST offers a switch operation to turn ON/OFF the module. Moreover, the board features a RESET button that can be used to reset the device to its default settings, ensuring efficient and reliable operation.

Besides the reset button, this Click board™ also comes with a download button, labelled Boot, that allows users to download firmware through the serial port. To activate this feature, users need to hold down the BOOT button and then press the RESET button, which will initiate the Firmware Download mode. Alternatively, users can achieve the same result by setting the BT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket to a low logic state. This feature provides an easy and efficient way to download firmware onto the module, simplifying the development process and enabling faster iteration.

Also, on the left side of the board, it is possible to find an additional unpopulated header that offers full support for debugging and programming capabilities. With this header, the user can use a JTAG interface for programming and debugging, available through the JTAG interface pins (TDO, TCK, TDI, and TMS).

The AWS IoT Click Board™ can only be operated with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

SPECIFICATIONS

PINOUT DIAGRAM

This table shows how the pinout of the AWS IoT Click Board™ corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter is shown in the two middle columns).

ONBOARD SETTINGS AND INDICATORS

AWS IOT CLICK ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS