ESP32 Forum

Hi,
I am trying to implement a tiny PCB using a ESP32-S3FN8, along with an IMU and a Compass.
The ESP is supposed to use a chip antenna. Range doesn't have to be amazing, a couple meters is more than sufficient.

I have attached the schematic and pcb as pdfs, which should contain all the information necessary.

Please keep in mind that I do not have a degree in EE and have never done a RF design before, so it might contain massive misstakes.
The PCB is designed to be manufactured using JLCPCB's JLC04081H-7628 stackup (4 layer, 0.8mm thickness).

I am mostly worried about the RF part and entirely unsure if the wifi will work at all.

I am open for any improvements.

You didn't connect DP2/DN2 on your USB-C connector. That means the USB connector only will work when plugged in in one orientation. Short them to DP1/DN1 and USB-C works as you'd expect. Also add a 5.1K resistor to ground for CC2, for the same reason.

Aside from that, it looks like a decent design and layout. I'm not a RF magician, so I can't say for sure this'll work, but I think you'll have a good chance it will.

You didn't connect DP2/DN2 on your USB-C connector.

I know, this is intentional. Its an addon board (so from whatever its plugged into it looks like a cable). You only need to connect both pins on a device or host. I have used this setup before and it works fine. I think I'll add two zero ohm resistors to allow connecting them just in case though.

I'm not a RF magician, so I can't say for sure this'll work, but I think you'll have a good chance it will.

The RF Magic is actually the thing I really care most about. I have already done a previous revision of this board and while I could receive perfectly fine, I couldn't get the chip to transmit a single packet. Unfortunately I don't have a VNA or SDR (yet) so I can't verify if it doesn't transmit at all or just in a completly wrong frequency. In retrospect its not a surprise the first revision didn't work correctly because I made major misstakes in the RF part, which I hope are now solved (following the design guide for s3, which I should have read more closely in the first place, because the board I got inspired from appearently had even less clue than me).