LILYGO T-Camera S3 ESP32-S3 Board with 5MP OV5640, PIR & OLED

Specifications

• Microcontroller: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 (Dual-core, up to 240 MHz)

• Flash Memory: 16MB

• PSRAM: 8MB

• Camera Module: OV5640 (5 Megapixels)

• Display: SSD1306 I2C OLED (0.96-inch)

• Motion Sensor: PIR (Passive Infrared) Sensor

• Audio: Digital I2S Microphone

• Power Management: AXP2101 PMU

• Wireless: Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) & Bluetooth 5 (LE)

• Interfaces: USB Type-C, JST-GH 1.25mm (Battery), JST 2.0mm 5-Pin (Expansion)

• Dimensions: 69mm (L) x 28mm (W) x 11mm (H)

Key Applications and Projects

• High-Resolution Security Cameras: Utilizing the OV5640 to capture clear, identifiable photos of intruders triggered by the PIR sensor and pushing them to a secure cloud server.

• AI Automated Quality Control: Mounting the camera over an industrial conveyor belt to run localized machine learning models that identify defective parts using the 5MP sensor.

• Smart Wildlife Traps: Placing the board in a weatherproof enclosure, running off a battery, and logging high-res photos of passing animals to a remote server.

Unlock New Capabilities (Project Evolution) The AI Face-Recognizing Doorbell: Evolve this hardware beyond a simple streaming camera! Mount the T-Camera S3 in a 3D-printed enclosure near your front door. Train a lightweight facial recognition model using the ESP-WHO framework. You can program the board to sleep until the PIR sensor detects someone approaching. It wakes up, snaps a crisp 5MP photo, and runs it through the facial recognition model. If it recognizes you, it sends an HTTP request to Home Assistant to unlock the smart deadbolt; if it's a stranger, it sends an alert and a photo to your smartphone!

PACKAGE INCLUDED

• 1 x LILYGO T-Camera S3 Board (with OV5640, PIR, OLED)

• 1 x JST 1.25mm Battery Pigtail Cable

• 1 x JST 2.0mm 5-Pin Expansion Cable

• 2 x Male Header Pins (Unsoldered)

Downloads & Links

• LilyGo-Cam-ESP32S3 Github Link

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

1. What is the difference between this board and the standard T-Camera S3? This specific variant features the upgraded OV5640 camera module, which boasts a 5-Megapixel resolution (2592×1944) compared to the standard 2-Megapixel OV2640.

2. What microcontroller drives this board? It is powered by the Espressif ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module, which features vector instructions specifically optimized for AI and machine learning tasks.

3. Does this board have PSRAM for 5MP image buffering? Yes! It features 8MB of PSRAM, which is absolutely critical for capturing and processing high-resolution 5MP images without running out of memory.

4. How does the PIR sensor work? The PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor detects changes in infrared radiation caused by moving warm bodies. It is wired to IO17 and acts as a digital trigger (HIGH/LOW) when motion is detected.

5. Can I use the microphone for audio recording? Yes. The board features a digital I2S microphone (wired to DOUT IO41, SCLK IO40, WS IO42). You can use this for recording audio clips or wake-word detection.

6. What is the AXP2101 chip used for? The AXP2101 is an advanced Power Management Unit (PMU). It safely charges an attached LiPo battery and allows your software to individually turn power rails to the camera, screen, and sensors on or off to save battery.

7. Crucial: Why is my camera or screen not working out of the box? Because power is routed through the AXP2101 PMU, you must initialize the PMU in your code and command it to turn on the power rails for the camera and OLED. If you skip this step, the peripherals will remain unpowered.

8. What are the pins for the OLED display? The SSD1306 OLED uses the I2C bus, mapped to SDA (IO07) and SCL (IO06). These are the exact same I2C pins used to communicate with the AXP2101 PMU.

9. How do I connect a battery? There is a JST-GH 1.25mm connector located between the PIR sensor and the USB port. A matching cable is included. Ensure your battery polarity matches the board markings (+/-).

10. What is the 5-pin port on the bottom for? This is a JST 2.0mm 5-PIN expansion port breaking out 5V, GND, 3V3, IO16, and IO15. It is highly useful for attaching external serial sensors or relays.

11. How do I put the board into bootloader mode manually? Hold down the "Boot" button, press and release the Reset button (located under the edge of the screen/camera module), and then release the "Boot" button.

12. Does it support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth? Yes, the ESP32-S3 features native 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE).

13. What settings should I use in the Arduino IDE? Select the "ESP32S3 Dev Module". Ensure you set "USB CDC On Boot" to Enabled, Flash Size to 16MB, and PSRAM to "OPI PSRAM".

14. Can I use the ESP32-CAM example sketch in Arduino? Yes, but you must select the custom camera pin definitions matching this specific board, and you must add the AXP2101 initialization code to the setup() block before calling esp_camera_init(). You must also change the camera model definition to OV5640.

15. Is there a MicroSD card slot on this board? No. Due to the high integration of components, there is no physical space for an SD card slot. Images should be processed locally or sent over Wi-Fi.

16. What are the exact dimensions? The board measures 69mm in length, 28mm in width, and 11mm in thickness (measured from the PCB to the top of the PIR dome).

17. Why is the camera ribbon cable folded? The OV5640 module sits directly on top of the OLED display, so the flexible Kapton ribbon cable is folded backwards to connect to the FPC socket on the PCB beneath it. Be very careful not to crease or tear this cable.

18. Can I stream high-resolution video from this board? You can run a web server that streams MJPEG video, but be aware that streaming 5MP video over Wi-Fi requires significant bandwidth and will have a lower framerate than lower resolutions.

19. What logic voltage do the GPIO pins use? Like all ESP32 chips, the GPIO pins operate strictly on 3.3V logic.

20. Can I replace the camera lens? The standard OV5640 module usually comes with a fixed lens. While technically possible to swap if you purchase a different OV5640 ribbon module, it is generally intended to be used as-is.