The Walter is an upcoming embedded device equipped with the ESP32-S3 microcontroller along with a GM02SP module for NB-IoT, LTE-M and GPS protocols. The board will also be CE and FCC certified to accelerate customers’ product development.

The ESP32-S3 has been seen in various different products last year, for example, the Bee Motion S3, the T-SIMCAM, the Banana Pi BPI-PicoW-S3, etc.) 

• ESP32-S3 – Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual core (up to 240MHz); 2MB PSRAM (Quad SPI), 16MB Flash memory (Quad SPI)

ESP32-S3 SoC block diagram
(click images to enlarge)

The Walter board offers up to 24 GPIOs and it also includes test points for debugging located on the opposite side of the board as shown below. 

Walter board layout 
(click image to enlarge)

According to the datasheet, the ESP32-S3 and the Sequans GM02SP module interface each other (UART0) using AT commands. The Walter board also seems to integrate a software-controllable MOSFET transistor to switch its peripheral power pin in case users need to remove attached devices as sensors or other external devices. 

 
Walter board
(click images to enlarge)

For documentation, the developer company has included a preliminary datasheet which can be found here or on the product page. A representative from the company mentioned that they are still testing their libraries which will include support for NB-IoT, LTE-M and GPS.

The relevant libraries and additional documentation will be available on a GitHub repository before their crowdfunding campaign starts. Additionally, the product page mentions that “the schematics will be released under the GPLv3 license.”

Preliminary specifications listed for the Walter board include: 

• Connectivity: 
  • Cat M1 (Cat M1 up to 590 kbps DL & 1.1 Mbps UL)
  • Cat NB1/NB2 (up to 120.7 kbps DL and 160 kbps UL)
  • GPS, GNSS support
  • BLE 5.0, Bluetooth mesh (up to 2Mbps)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11/b/g/n (up to 150Mbps)
• I/O Interfaces:
  • 24x GPIO pins
  • 3x Power pins, 1x Strapping pin
• Other Features:
  • 23x Testing points for debugging
• Software:
  • MicroPython
  • Arduino, ESP-IDF
  • JavaScript
• Power:
  • 3.3V (via USB-C port or VIN-pin)
  • DC-DC Converter (TI LM3281YFQR)
• Dimensions:
  • 55 x 24.8mm

 Further information

A QuickSpot representative mentioned that the Walter board will be launched soon on Kickstarter.com. However, the company has listed preliminary prices on their website. 

The Walter module alone will cost ~€49.95. There is a Connected bundle that costs ~€69.95 which includes the module, an LTE antenna and a GPS antenna.

The Developer bundle is similar to the Connected bundle, although it includes a USB-C cable, a 100Mb prepaid SIM card and up to 30 min of engineering support. This bundle will be available for €250. For more information, see the product page on QuickSpot.io.