Earlier announced in March with the unveiling of the ESP32-S31 SoC, Espressif has now launched the ESP32-S31-Korvo-1 multimedia development board, while documentation additionally references the ESP32-S31-Function-CoreBoard-1 connectivity-oriented board. Both platforms are built around the ESP32-S31-WROOM-3 module and target multimedia, audio, display, and connected IoT applications.

The ESP32-S31 is Espressif’s latest dual-core RISC-V SoC featuring Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 with LE Audio support, Bluetooth Classic, and IEEE 802.15.4 connectivity for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread 1.4 applications. The processor operates at up to 320MHz and integrates multimedia accelerators including JPEG processing, LCD and DVP camera interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet support, and hardware intended for graphical HMI applications.

Memory support includes concurrent flash and PSRAM access, with ESP32-S31-WROOM-3 integrating 16MB SPI flash and 16MB PSRAM. To showcase the platform, Espressif introduced two development boards with different target applications.

ESP32-S31 block diagram

The ESP32-S31-Korvo-1 integrates dual microphones with support for near- and far-field wake-up functions, stereo speaker outputs, an ES8389 stereo codec connected through I2S and I2C, and dual NS4150B Class-D audio amplifiers.

Documentation indicates each speaker output can drive a 4Ω, 3W speaker. Four onboard buttons are also provided for playback and volume control.

ESP32-S31-Korvo-1 V1.1 architecture diagram

For display and imaging applications, the Korvo board includes connectors for an external LCD daughterboard and camera module. Supported accessories include the OV3660 camera module and ESP32-S3-LCD-EV-Board-SUB3 expansion display.

ESP32-S31-Korvo-1 V1.1 top view

Additional storage is available through a microSD card slot operating in 4-bit SDIO mode, while optional SPI NAND flash support is present on the PCB footprint but remains unpopulated by default.

According to the wiki documentation, the platform supports JPEG-based video streaming intended for connected audio/video applications.

ESP32-S31-Korvo-1 V1.1

The ESP32-S31-Function-CoreBoard-1 integrates Gigabit Ethernet through an RJ45 interface, USB 2.0 Type-A host connectivity using the ESP32-S31 high-speed USB OTG interface, onboard microphone support, an ES8311 mono codec, RGB LED, and speaker output through an NS4150B audio amplifier.

Most available module GPIOs are routed to expansion headers for external interfacing.

ESP32-S31-Function-CoreBoard-1

Software support centers around ESP-IDF with development options including command-line workflows, Espressif-IDE based on Eclipse CDT, and Visual Studio Code integration through the ESP-IDF extension.

ESP32-S31-Function-CoreBoard-1 bottom view

Additional frameworks include ESP-Matter, ESP-GMF multimedia components, Bluetooth audio APIs supporting Bluetooth Classic and LE Audio, and ESP Video Components for image and video processing.

ESP32-S31-Function-CoreBoard-1 top view

The Korvo platform additionally supports ESP-Brookesia for graphical interfaces and smart display applications.

Further Information