ESP32 DevKit V1 (30-pin)

Tested on real hardware

Runs the project’s own yard: bridge and prop boards, the mesh, sequences, triggers, schedule, floods and over-the-air updates.

Chip	ESP32-WROOM-32
Dimmers, servos & motors	16 PWM channels (a motor takes 2)
LED strips (WS2812)	up to 8
Battery	no built-in sense; power it from USB or a 5 V supply, or add a two-resistor divider to read a battery (Battery props)
Firmware	esp32-devkit-v1, install it from your browser

Pinout

Green pins are good for anything they can do. Amber pins work but have a quirk, so read the note below before putting a relay or motor on one. Red pins are taken by the board itself. Gray pins are power and control (GND, 3V3, EN and so on).

The seller-style pinout with photos: randomnerdtutorials.com.

Which pin for what

The console marks these with ★ when you assign pins. They are advice. Any pin that can do a job is allowed.

To connect…	Use	Why
Servo	D25 D26 D27 D13 D4	Quiet at power-up, so nothing twitches while the board boots.
DC motor (H-bridge IN1/IN2)	D19 D18	A quiet pair side by side for IN1 / IN2 — a motor never lurches at boot.
Relay / on-off output	D23 D22 D21	Quiet at power-up, so a relay never clicks on during boot.
LED strip (WS2812)	TX2 RX2	Any output can drive a strip; these keep strips together. Use a 74AHCT-type level shifter for 5 V strips.
LED dimmer (PWM)	D14 D12 D5 D2 D15	The boot-quirk pins — a flicker at power-up doesn’t matter for a light, and it keeps the quiet pins free. D2 is the onboard blue LED.
Sensor / button input	VP VN D34 D35 D32 D33	Input-only pins don’t use up outputs. VP / VN / D34 / D35 have no pull resistor — fine for PIR and beam sensors, which drive their own output. Buttons go on D32 / D33, which have internal pull-ups.

Every pin

Pin	GPIO		Can be	Note
VP	36	✅ good	input, analog, wakes from sleep	input only, no internal pull — a button here needs an external resistor
VN	39	✅ good	input, analog, wakes from sleep	input only, no internal pull — a button here needs an external resistor
D34	34	✅ good	input, analog, wakes from sleep	input only, no internal pull — a button here needs an external resistor
D35	35	✅ good	input, analog, wakes from sleep	input only, no internal pull — a button here needs an external resistor
D32	32	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, analog, wakes from sleep
D33	33	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, analog, wakes from sleep
D25	25	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, wakes from sleep
D26	26	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, wakes from sleep
D27	27	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, wakes from sleep
D14	14	⚠️ caution	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, wakes from sleep	pulses briefly at power-up — a relay or motor here may twitch on boot
D12	12	⚠️ caution	output	STRAPPING: must be LOW at power-up or the board will not boot. Outputs only, and nothing that pulls it high (many relay modules do)
D13	13	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, wakes from sleep
D23	23	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down
D22	22	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down
TX0	1	⛔ reserved		USB serial — the console and the flasher live here
RX0	3	⛔ reserved		USB serial — the console and the flasher live here
D21	21	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down
D19	19	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down
D18	18	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down
D5	5	⚠️ caution	output	STRAPPING: pulled high and pulses at power-up — fine for an LED or strip, not for a relay or motor
TX2	17	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down
RX2	16	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down
D4	4	✅ good	input, output, pull-up, pull-down, wakes from sleep
D2	2	⚠️ caution	output	STRAPPING + the onboard blue LED. Outputs only; anything holding it high blocks flashing
D15	15	⚠️ caution	output	STRAPPING: pulled high and pulses at power-up — fine for an LED or strip, not for a relay or motor