5 ms·
I've always been a little amused when I see an entire ESP32/ESP8266 or similar module just sitting on top of boards instead of being a part of it. I presume it
by Namidairo 4y ago
I've always been a little amused when I see an entire ESP32/ESP8266 or similar module just sitting on top of boards instead of being a part of it.
I presume it's cost/complexity, but it's a weird thing that ends up as a common solution.
- picture 4y agoThere are some reasonable reasons, like how it may speed up passing regulations. I believe RPi used some integrated WiFi modules that had certification done separately. And yeah, there's a lot of passives in those modules that I would not want to manually assemble
- svnt 4y agoThe search term you want is modular certification. The volumes necessary to justify the cost, time, risk, and specialized skill set necessary to achieve both regulatory and standards certification of a WiFi device are significant.
- ranger_danger 4y agoCost. You can easily get the premade ESP8266 boards for a quarter at scale. Laying out your own design for an ESP32 costs a lot more in time that's unnecessary usually.
- underpickled 4y agoIf you're referring to the module on those boards, I can tell you it's because the actual IC was impossible to source. Only modules were readily available.