Rabbit-Labs EU has developed the Flipper Zero ESP32-C5 multi-board, an expansion board for the Flipper Zero based on the ESP32-C5 dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) microcontroller. It incorporates a TI CC1101 sub-GHz transceiver, a GPS module, an SD card slot, and a USB-C port for power and programming.
In a recent article, we explored the ESP32 Marauder 5G Apex 5 module, another ESP32-C5-based add-on for the Flipper Zero featuring dual-band Wi-Fi 6, two sub-GHz radios, an NRF24 radio, and a GPS module, making it rather bulky. In contrast, Rabbit Labs’ multi-board is a more compact and simplified alternative.
Specifications of the ESP32-C5 multi-board include:
- Main module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-1U
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5
- CPU
- Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz
- Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz for power-sensitive applications
- Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip
- Storage – 320 KB ROM
- Connectivity
- Dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) 802.11ax WiFi 6, with backward compatibility to 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4
- WiFi modes: Station mode, SoftAP mode, SoftAP + Station mode, and promiscuous mode
- Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (LE) with Mesh support, up to 2Mbps data rate
- 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0, Thread 1.3, and Matter up to 250 Kbps
- CPU
- External antenna connector (U.FL, MHF I, or AMC connector)
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5
- Storage – MicroSD card slot for logs and data storage
- Wireless
- Dual-band WiFi 6, BLE 5, and 802.15.4 radio via ESP32-C5 as described above.
- TI CC1101 transceiver module
- Operates in the 855–925 MHz range
- Optimized packet handling and interrupt timing for stability
- Enhanced FIFO/timeout recovery to prevent hangs
- SMA connector for external antenna
- Integrated GPS module with antenna