stepSENSE32 – ESP32-C3/C6 Modular Sensor Carrier Board

Available

stepSENSE32

ESP32-C3 / C6 Modular Sensor Carrier Board

ESP32-C3 / C6Hammond 1551V32.54mm modulesUSB-CI²C + SPI6–28V DCESPHomeArduinoRS485 / CAN / Ethernet

Compact carrier board for swappable stepSENSE sensor modules. Fits in a Hammond 1551V3 enclosure. Available in EVAL (CH341 USB-UART) and PRO (native USB, screw terminals, 6–28V) variants. Full ESPHome, Arduino and PlatformIO support.

MCUESP32-C3 or ESP32-C6

Sensor connector2.54mm — I²C + SPI + 4× GPIO

USBUSB-C

Power input5V USB-C or 6–28V DC

EnclosureHammond 1551V3 (60 × 35 × 20 mm)

MountWall / ceiling

📩Request Quote ⚡ESPHome Config

Overview EVAL vs PRO MCU Options Pinout ESPHome Modules

Overview

stepSENSE32 is the core building block of the stepSENSE platform — a small carrier board that:

Accepts any stepSENSE sensor module via a standard 2.54mm pin header
Fits neatly into a Hammond 1551V3 wall or ceiling enclosure
Runs ESPHome, Arduino, or any custom ESP-IDF firmware
Supports Wi-Fi, BLE, CAN, RS485, or Ethernet depending on variant
Is available in EVAL (lab/prototyping) and PRO (field deployment) configurations

It is suitable for:

Rapid sensor prototyping and firmware development
Sensor manufacturer evaluation on ESP32 hardware
Home automation and smart building sensor nodes
Light industrial monitoring with RS485 / Modbus or CAN bus
Any application requiring a clean, enclosure-ready ESP32 sensor node

EVAL vs PRO

stepSENSE32 EVAL

Designed for development, prototyping, and sensor evaluation.

Parameter	Value
MCU	ESP32-C3 or ESP32-C6
USB	USB-C via CH341 serial converter
Sensor connector	2.54mm pin header
Power input	USB-C 5V or 6–28V DC
Enclosure	Hammond 1551V3
Mount	Wall / ceiling

Intended for: firmware development, lab use, sensor manufacturer evaluation, maker projects.

The CH341 converter means you plug in a USB-C cable and the board appears as a standard COM port — no drivers, no bootloader dance. Boot and reset buttons are accessible from outside the enclosure.

stepSENSE32 PRO

Designed for real-world installation and production deployment.

Parameter	Value
MCU	ESP32-C3 or ESP32-C6
USB	USB-C native (direct to ESP32)
Service connector	JST — emergency serial for recovery flashing
Cable connection	Screw terminal block
Sensor connector	2.54mm pin header
Power input	6–28V DC
Enclosure	Hammond 1551V3
Mount	Wall / ceiling
Certification	CE (orders 500+ units)

Intended for: production deployments, field installations, industrial environments.

The JST service connector allows connecting an external USB-UART adapter for emergency recovery if the device cannot be flashed over USB — useful for PRO units installed in hard-to-reach locations.

MCU Options

ESP32-C3

Single-core RISC-V @ 160 MHz
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n 2.4 GHz) + BLE 5.0
400 KB SRAM, 4 MB flash
Lower power, simpler peripheral set
Ideal for: standard sensor nodes, high-volume deployments

ESP32-C6

Single-core RISC-V @ 160 MHz
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) + BLE 5.0 + Zigbee / Thread (802.15.4)
Improved range and throughput in congested Wi-Fi environments
Native Thread support for mesh sensor networks
Ideal for: smart building deployments, Thread/Matter mesh, dense Wi-Fi environments

Zigbee and Thread

The ESP32-C6 variant can run as a native Zigbee end device or Thread node — no coordinator hardware required. This opens stepSENSE32 to Zigbee2MQTT and Matter ecosystems alongside Wi-Fi and ESPHome.

Communication Variants

Model	Interfaces	Notes
stepSENSE32-W	Wi-Fi + BLE	Standard, all use cases
stepSENSE32-E	Wi-Fi + Ethernet	Wired LAN, reliable uptime
stepSENSE32-C	Wi-Fi + CAN bus	Machinery, automotive
stepSENSE32-R	Wi-Fi + RS485	Modbus RTU, SCADA, BMS
stepSENSE32-X	All interfaces	Gateway / flagship

All variants include Wi-Fi as the base layer. Additional interfaces are added on a dedicated sub-board or via onboard transceiver depending on variant.

Sensor Connector Pinout

The 12-pin 2.54mm sensor connector exposes:

Pin	Signal	Description
1	VCC	3.3V power to sensor module
2	GND	Ground
3	SDA	I²C data
4	SCL	I²C clock
5	MOSI	SPI data out
6	MISO	SPI data in
7	SCK	SPI clock
8	CS	SPI chip select
9	IO1	GPIO — analog input / interrupt / PWM
10	IO2	GPIO — analog input / interrupt / PWM
11	IO3	GPIO — 1-Wire / UART TX / PWM
12	IO4	GPIO — 1-Wire / UART RX / PWM

info

Modules using only I²C leave SPI and GPIO pins unconnected. The connector is mechanically keyed to prevent reverse insertion.

Power

EVAL

USB-C 5V — bench and lab use
6–28V DC — onboard DC/DC converter, 3.3V rail for MCU and sensor module

PRO

6–28V DC only — field and industrial use
Reverse polarity protection
TVS transient suppression on input
Efficient synchronous buck converter — low heat at wide input range

ESPHome

Every stepSENSE sensor module ships with a tested ESPHome YAML file. The base board configuration:

esphome:
  name: stepsense32-node

esp32:
  board: esp32-c6-devkitc-1
  framework:
    type: esp-idf

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password
  ap:
    ssid: "stepSENSE32 Fallback"
    password: "12345678"

logger:
api:
ota:

Add a sensor module YAML on top. Example with stepSENSE-CO2 (SCD40):

sensor:
  - platform: scd4x
    co2:
      name: "CO2"
    temperature:
      name: "Temperature"
    humidity:
      name: "Humidity"
    update_interval: 30s

Example with stepSENSE-RTD (PT100 via MAX31865):

sensor:
  - platform: max31865
    name: "Process Temperature"
    cs_pin: GPIO8
    reference_resistance: 430
    rtd_nominal_resistance: 100
    update_interval: 5s

Example with stepSENSE-420 (4–20 mA input):

sensor:
  - platform: adc
    pin: GPIO4
    name: "Process Value"
    unit_of_measurement: "mA"
    update_interval: 1s
    filters:
      - lambda: |-
          return (x / 3.3) * 16.0 + 4.0;

Full YAML files for all modules available at github.com/inovaea.

Arduino

Install the stepSENSE board manifest in Arduino IDE:

https://inovaea.com/arduino/package_stepsense_index.json

Example with stepSENSE-TH (SHT41):

#include <stepSENSE_TH.h>

stepSENSE_TH env;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  env.begin();
}

void loop() {
  Serial.print("T: "); Serial.println(env.temperature());
  Serial.print("RH: "); Serial.println(env.humidity());
  delay(5000);
}

All sensor libraries follow the same unified API: begin(), read(), toJSON().

Compatible Sensor Modules

All modules in the stepSENSE catalog are compatible with stepSENSE32:

Module	Sensor	Interface	Category
stepSENSE-TH	SHT41 / SHT45	I²C	Environmental
stepSENSE-CO2	SCD40 / SCD41	I²C	Environmental
stepSENSE-IAQ	SGP41	I²C	Environmental
stepSENSE-PM	SPS30	I²C / UART	Environmental
stepSENSE-BAR	BMP390	I²C	Environmental
stepSENSE-LUX	VEML7700	I²C	Environmental
stepSENSE-420	—	Analog	Industrial input
stepSENSE-RTD	MAX31865	SPI	Industrial input
stepSENSE-TC	MAX31856	SPI	Industrial input
stepSENSE-CNT	—	GPIO pulse	Industrial input
stepSENSE-1W	—	1-Wire	Industrial input
stepSENSE-PWR	INA226	I²C	Electrical
stepSENSE-VIB	ICM-42688	SPI	Motion

Use Cases

🔌 Plug & Prototype

EVAL + ESPHome

→USB-C in, YAML flash, sensor in Home Assistant
→Swap sensor modules without soldering
→CH341 — works on any OS, no driver install
→Ready YAML + library for every module

🏭 Sensor Eval

For sensor manufacturers

→Ready-made ESP32 carrier for your sensor IC
→I²C, SPI, GPIO on standard 2.54mm footprint
→Wi-Fi + BLE for wireless data capture
→Open firmware, open schematics

⚙️ Industrial Monitoring

PRO + RS485 or CAN

→4–20 mA and PT100 process inputs
→RS485 / Modbus RTU to SCADA or BMS
→6–28V DC, screw terminals, Hammond enclosure
→CE certified at volume

🏠 Smart Building

PRO + C6 variant

→CO₂, IAQ, temperature nodes per room
→Zigbee / Thread mesh with ESP32-C6
→Wall-mounted in Hammond 1551V3
→ESPHome + Home Assistant native

Comparison

Parameter	stepSENSE32	Seeed XIAO ESP32C3	DFRobot FireBeetle 2	Wemos D1 Mini ESP32
MCU	ESP32-C3 / C6	ESP32-C3	ESP32-S3	ESP32
Sensor interface	I²C + SPI + 4× GPIO	Breakout pins	Breakout pins	Breakout pins
Enclosure	Hammond 1551V3	—	—	—
Power input	5V / 6–28V DC	5V USB only	5V / LiPo	5V USB only
RS485 / CAN	Yes (variant)	No	No	No
Ethernet	Yes (variant)	No	No	No
Screw terminals	Yes (PRO)	No	No	No
ESPHome YAML	Per sensor module	Manual	Manual	Manual
Arduino library	Per sensor module	Generic	Generic	Generic
CE certification	Yes (PRO, volume)	No	No	No
Wall mount	Yes	No	No	No

Downloads

Datasheet PDF (coming soon)
3D model STEP file (coming soon)
Sensor connector pinout diagram (coming soon)
KiCad sensor module template (coming soon)
ESPHome YAML library — github.com/inovaea
Arduino library bundle — github.com/inovaea

Ordering

	EVAL	PRO
Minimum order	1 unit	10 units
Volume pricing	On request	On request
CE certification	—	Orders 500+ units
Custom sensor module development	On request	On request
Lead time	Stock / 2–4 weeks	4–8 weeks

Contact: hello@inovaea.com

Support

GitHub

Libraries, YAML configs, schematics

github.com/inovaea →

ESPHome Docs

Full YAML component reference

esphome.io →

B2B Orders

Pricing, volume, custom modules

hello@inovaea.com →

stepSENSE32

Overview​

EVAL vs PRO​

stepSENSE32 EVAL​

stepSENSE32 PRO​

MCU Options​

ESP32-C3​

ESP32-C6​

Communication Variants​

Sensor Connector Pinout​

Power​

EVAL​

PRO​

ESPHome​

Arduino​

Compatible Sensor Modules​

Use Cases​

Comparison​

Downloads​

Ordering​

Support​