ESP32 C6 Review - RISC-V SoC with Thread & Zigbee Support!

The ESP32 C6 is a WiFi, Bluetooth, Thread and Zigbee enabled RISC-V microcontroller that was announced by Espressif all the way back in early 2021 but sample units are now making their way into general availability! In this review we focus on the ESP32 C6 DevKit-C1. This microcontroller has clearly been aimed at the IoT and smarthome markets with all this connectivity.

There is 2.4GHz WiFi 6 802.11ax with b/g/n backwards compatibility. It has Bluetooth 5 LE and is Bluetooth 5.3 certified. And we have support for the 802.15.4 specification which includes Thread 1.3 and Zigbee 3.0 support. It’s like an esp32 c3 with extra radio functionality.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:14 Pricing
01:51 Brilliant
02:50 Dimensions
03:45 ESP32 C6 Specs
06:46 Dev Kit Specs
07:51 Pinout
08:03 Thread & Zigbee
10:55 Zigbee Demo
12:45 Software Support
16:46 Power Consumption
18:19 Conclusion

-- Equipment we use regularly --
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This video was sponsored by Brilliant.

[deterdamel]

The high current draw in deep sleep is due to the additional components on the pcb. Other dev.-boards has this 'issue' too.

[MegaScott]

Finally, someone who knows that it's pronounced as "RISC Five" and not "RISC Vee". lol Good job. Nice and Very informative Video.

[kwahlman]

This helped me get my ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 up and running, so I can learn how to work with ESP32.

[hughbreivik]

Would be very good to see a practical example of using ESP32 C6 utilising the thread programming aspect in conjunction with existing thread network ie Apple HomeKit ecosystem… I expect others would be interested in this also!

[majorjoel]

4:40 that is not a typo on the datasheet. The 22pin has 4mb flash and the 30pin had no flash and needs an external flash chip which is 8mb for the module

[propheteyebert]

The module itself draws 5 uA in deep sleep, but the board has components such as the regulator, which draws 5 mA. If low power is needed, the board must be modified.

[NicksStuff]

18:02 Spec is for the module, you measured the dev board. You can measure the module consumption by removing the jumper (and putting your ammeter between the pins)

[abishvijayan]

I just checked the schematic. The 3.3V LDO Output is connected to CP2102's Regulator Input Pin. This has also been the case with the Pico Kit D4 Board as well.

Removing CP2102 from the board and testing the sleep current can get you the right result. I did measure 5uA range in deep sleep by removing the LDO and CP2102 in the Pico Kit D4 Board.

[bluestek]

I would be very interested in a thread/matter example! It would be amazing if there was a straight forward matter on thread or wifi example that could be used as a starting point for custom iot devices. If the deep sleep works with the wake on thread I would be ecstatic. I've been using the nRF52840, but it's community seems much smaller then the esp32 community and getting things running on it has taken weeks with a lot of pain points.

[EngineeringVignettes]

The C/C++ Extension Pack has the C/C++ extension in it...
along with CMake, CMake Themes and C/C++ Themes.

[iamthereforeimustbe]

Great video and exactly what I needed. Did the dedicated video on zigbee ever materialise? I can’t seem to find it.

[garrox]

Thnx for the review. Found it interesting and usefull. Nice Job!

[akay]

Hi, just curious about the power measurement. Can you sometimes make a video about how to measure microcontrollers power? Or maybe using other tools? Thanks, appreciate your great explanation video!

[MorrWorm]

we need a T-PicoC3 video next. that thing is cool..

[awebuser]

There are two _completely different_ versions of the C6, one has 4MB of Flash _on the die itself_ and a much lower pin-count, the other has *zero* Flash on-die and requires and external Flash device and has the exposed pins for that purpose (higher pin-count).

The C3 had a similar execution, albeit with the same pin-counts, where one version has 4MB Flash on-die and others have none.

[Ultranium]

Great video! BTW, could please share what kind of breadboard you use at 11:25? I am struggling to find a board with 6 holes in a row, like yours has. I checked the links in the description, but those are for standard 5 holes per row boards.

[cornebistouille]

i'd like to use one of those to make my little Electric appliance intelligent and contrôolable via zigbee. first on my list : my automated coffee machine (check the water, binger and coffee levels before sleep, distance wake up (the wake-up takes 3 annoying minutes) display the number of cup before running up of water, coffee and binge ect..) and of course display on home assistant the state, the number of coffee per day etc... for this i will have to "reverse enginer the coffed maker mother board, and that's my goal for now...

[osmanpasha_diy]

I am looking for ESP32-H2 review, that was announced to come several weeks after this, is it available?

[LorenzoClemente]

5mA in deep sleep is a lot! way too much for battery operated projects; possibly the on-board voltage regulator has a high quiescent current

[GarenafreefireBangladesh-sabd]

ESPRESSIF ESP32-C6-DEVKITC-1-V1.2 N8 Wifi Jammer Buildable