While there are plenty of ESP32 development boards, and prices have recently plummeted, getting a case for your project can still be a problem especially if you plan to use it outdoor, as you need to protect your hardware from rain and dust. Hornbill project offers two ESP-WROOM-32 based boards, a prototype board, and an IP67 certified case that could be useful for outdoor use.

Hornbill ESP32 Development Boards

Let’s start by checking the boards available starting with ” Hornbill ESP32 Dev” board with the following specs:

ESP-WROOM-32 module with WiFi, Bluetooth LE, FCC, CE, IC, MIC (Telec), KCC, and NCC certifications



I/O headers 2x 19-pin headers with GPIOs, I2C, UART, SPI, ADC, DAC, touch interface, VN/VP, 5V, 3.3V and GND Breadboard-friendly

Debug – Built-in CP21XX USB-to-serial

Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port, battery header + single cell LiPo charger

Dimensions – TBD

ESP32 Minima is also based on ESP-WROOM-ESP32 module, but is designed for wearables with its round PCB, it only includes a header for battery power, and is limited to 16 large pads with through holes for I/Os, as well as 6 pins for programming and debugging the board.

Finally, the company has also designed Hornbill ESP32 Proto board where you can solder ESP32 Dev board, and add whatever components you may need for your project. The Proto board also includes a microSD card slot, an RGB LED, an SHT 31 humidity and temperature sensor, as well as footprints for 6x IR transmitters and 1x IR Receiver.

Hornbill Weather Proof Case and Kits

Beside the boards, the developers also provide an IP67 case for it, as well as kits leveraging the case:

Hornbill OUR (Open Remote Control) – Bluetooth (BLE) to Infrared (IR) bridge to control IR devices with your smartphone

Hornbill Lights – Control RGB LED strips over Bluetooth Smart

Hornbill IDL (Industrial Data Logger) – Logs power and temperature values, and upload them securely to the cloud.

There’s also Hornbill Makers Kit without the case, but with Hornbill ESP32 Dev and plenty of modules to play with, such as relays, various sensors, LEDs, a buzzer, an OLED display, a mini breadboard and so on… You’ll find ESP32 firmware and Android app source code for all kits on ExploreEmbedded github account.

Hornbill project has just launched on CrowdSupply with the goal of raising at least $2,000. A $12 pledge is asked for Hornbill ESP32 Dev or Hornbill Minima, $15 for the case, and the kits go from $39 (Hornbill ESP32 Dev + Proto board + Case) to $79 for Hornbill Lights with a WS2812 LED strip. Worldwide shipping is included in the price, and delivery is scheduled for June 2017. Noe that this is not the first project from ExploreEmbedded, as they previously launched Explorer M3 board based on NXP LPC microcontroller. However, since CrowdSupply do not show backers’ comments, I could not check whether backers are happy, or the project shipped on time.