The Espoir is a Power over Ethernet (PoE+) board built around the ESP32-MINI-1 microcontroller and it includes a mikroBUS socket for additional peripherals. This tiny device is OSHWA certified and it was designed for applications such as gardening, home automation, etc.

The Espoir is a four-layer board that features the ESP32-MINI-1 which is a dual core processor with maximum frequency of 240MHz. This ESP32 microcontroller includes 4MB of flash and 520KB of SRAM. For connectivity, there is one GbE LAN port in addition to the 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 support.  

Espoir layout
(click images to enlarge)

The ethernet connector also supports PoE (37V – 57V) with 2250V isolation and jumper-selectable PoE Class 2, 3 and 4. 

The mikroBUS socket provides support for ADC, SPI, I2C, PWM, UART and JTAG. See the pinout image below for reference. The USB Type-C port provides power and can be used to program the device. When the USB is connected, the voltage on the 5V rail is 4.6V, also the 3.3V rail is obtained from the 5V supply. 

Espoir pinout
(click image to enlarge)

For software development, the device supports Arduino, MicroPython. The Wiki found here, mentions it will include support ESPHome and Tasmota soon . For additional details regarding schematics and other documentation refer to the GitHub which can be found here.

There are two modules compatible with the Espoir. The first is an I/O One mikroShield which provides a temperature/humidity sensor, a PMOD I2C connector and up to nine signal-voltage-ground (SVG) connectors. The I/O One mikroShield can be used for gardening applications that involve smart watering, valve control, servo control, pump control, etc. The other add-on offered is a Pmod compatible mikroShield that can be used to connect additional sensors.

Specifications listed for the Espoir include:

• Processor System:
  • ESP32-MINI-1, single or dual core 32-bit processor (up to 240 MHz)
• Memory/Storage:
  • 520KB SRAM
  • 4MB Flash
• Connectivity:
  • 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi 
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Ethernet 10/100-Base-T (80+ mbps)
• USB:
  • 1x USB 2.0 Type-C 
• I/O Interfaces:
  • 1x mikroBUS socket w/ 2x GND, 1x 5V, 1x 3.3V and 12x I/Os
  • Extension header w/ 2x GND, 4x input-only pins and MCU reset (optional)
• Power:
  • Input – PoE+ 37V to 57V w/ 2,250 isolation
  • Input – 5V via USB-C 
  • Output – 5V at 3A (15W)
  • Output – 3.3V at 0.7A (2.3W)
• Operating Temperature:
  • -40°C to 85°C
• Dimensions:
  • 50.8 x 61.0mm

Further information

The Espoir will be available through CrowdSupply and the product page can be found here, although there is no info regarding pricing.