CrowPanel Advanced ESP32-S3 based Displays with WiFi6, Thread, LoRa Wireless Modules Support

 Elecrow has introduced the CrowPanel Advance series, ESP32-S3-based WiFi and BLE displays ranging from 2.8 inches to 7 inches. These displays offer modular wireless expansion with support replaceable modules for Thread, Zigbee, Matter, WiFi 6, 2.4GHz, and LoRa (Meshtastic) connectivity, making them a versatile choice for IoT applications.

These new CrowPanel Advance displays are upgrades from the basic CrowPanel models released last year. They come with an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 chip attached, and they have headers that can connect to additional wireless modules, including the ESP32-H2, ESP32-C6, a LoRa transceiver (SX1262), or a 2.4GHz wireless MCU (nRF2401).

Specifications:

Wireless Module: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8

• System on Chip (SoC): ESP32-S3
• CPU: Dual-core LX7 processor, clocked up to 240 MHz
• Memory:
• 512 KB SRAM
• 8 MB PSRAM
• Storage: 384 KB ROM
• Flash Storage: 16MB
• Wireless Connectivity:
• Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)
• Antenna: PCB antenna
• MicroSD Card Slot for additional storage

Display:

• Size: 7.0" IPS capacitive touchscreen display 
• Resolution: 800x480 pixels
• Display Driver: SC7277
• Viewing Angle: 178°
• Brightness: 400 cd/m² (Typical)
• Color Depth: 16-bit
• Active Area: 156 x 87 mm

Audio:

• Built-in microphone
• Speaker connection available

Wireless Expansion Modules:

• ESP32-H2: 802.15.4 radio (Zigbee, Thread, and Matter support)
• ESP32-C6: Wi-Fi 6 and 802.15.4 radios
• Semtech SX1276: LoRa connectivity (compatible with Meshtasic firmware for messaging)
• nRF2401: Low-power 2.4GHz connectivity

Expansion Ports:

• 2x UART output connectors
• 1x UART input connector
• I2C connector
• USB port, SD card slot
• Battery socket
• Speaker and microphone ports
• DIP function switch (for multiplexing features such as audio or microSD card)

Miscellaneous Features:

• RTC with coin-cell backup battery
• Buzzer for audio alerts
• Reset and Boot buttons
• Power and charging status LEDs

Power Supply:

• 5V/2A via USB-C or UART input
• 2-pin battery connector

Dimensions:

• 181.26 x 108.36 x 16 mm

Operating Temperature Range:

• Operating: -20°C to 70°C
• Storage: -30°C to 80°C

The CrowPanel Advance displays are mainly designed to work with the Arduino IDE, and Elecrow offers simple online setup guides. For more advanced projects, you can also use MicroPython and the ESP-IDF framework. The displays work well with the LVGL graphics library and Square Studio, which helps you create custom user interfaces. You can see the difference between each models in the table below:

Size	2.4"	2.8"	3.5"	4.3"	5.0"	7.0"
Resolution	320*240	320*240	480*320	480*272	800*480	800*480
Touch Type	Resistive	Resistive	Resistive	Resistive	Capacitive	Capacitive
Main Processor	ESP32- WROOM- 32-N4	ESP32- WROOM- 32-N4	ESP32- WROVER-B	ESP32-S3- WROOM-1- N4R2	ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N4R8	ESP32-S3- WROOM-1- N4R8
Frequency	240 MHz	240 MHz	240 MHz	240 MHz (Dual Core)	240 MHz (Dual Core)	240 MHz (Dual Core)
Flash	4MB	4MB	4MB	4MB	4MB	4MB
SRAM	520KB	520KB	520KB	512KB	512KB	512KB
ROM	448KB	448KB	448KB	384KB	384KB	384KB
PSRAM	/	/	8MB	2MB	8MB	8MB
Display Driver	ILI9341V	ILI9341V	ILI9488	NV3047	ILI6122  & ILI5960	EK9716BD3 & EK73002ACGB
Screen Type	TFT	TFT	TFT	TFT	TFT	TFT
Interface	1*UART0 1*UART1 1*I2C 1*GPIO 1*Battery	1*UART0 1*UART1 1*I2C 1*GPIO 1*Battery	2*UART0 1*I2C 1*GPIO 1*Battery	1*UART0 2*UART1 2*GPIO 1*Battery	2*UART0 2*GPIO 2*I2C 1*Battery	2*UART0 2*GPIO 2*I2C 1*Battery
Speaker Jack	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
TF Card Slot	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Active Area in mm (W*H)	36.72*48.96	43.2*57.6	48.96*73.44	95.04*53.86	108*64.8	153.84*85.63

Elecrow also highlights the possibility of adding "AI" features, such as voice recognition and speech synthesis, using the ESP32-S3 chip’s special instructions. These features are likely powered by Espressif ESP-SR speech recognition framework. You might find example code for these functions in a file called “ESP32S3_120M,” but it's not available on wiki.

The CrowPanel Advance series can be found on AliExpress, with prices between $25.99 and $54.19, depending on the model and any extra wireless modules. You can also buy them directly from company official store.