.. zephyr:board:: heltec_wireless_tracker

Overview

The Heltec Wireless Tracker V1.1 is a development kit based on ESP32-S3FN8. It integrates both SX1262 LoRa transceiver and UC6580 GNSS chip to provide fast GNSS solution for IoT. [1]_

.. note::

This board support package targets the Heltec Wireless Tracker V1.1. In this revision, the GNSS power-control pin has changed: GPIO3 must be driven HIGH to enable the GNSS module. For additional hardware differences between versions, refer to the official hardware revision logs.

Hardware

The main hardware features are:

ESP32-S3FN8 low-power MCU-based SoC (dual-core Xtensa® 32-bit LX7 microprocessor, five stage pipeline rack Structure, main frequency up to 240 MHz).
Semtech SX1262 LoRa node chip
UC6580 GNSS chip with L1 + L5/L2 dual-frequency multi-system support (GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo, NAVIC, QZSS)
0.96-inch 160×80 dot matrix LCD display (ST7735) for debugging information, battery power, and other information
Type-C USB interface with a complete voltage regulator, ESD protection, short circuit protection, RF shielding, and other protection measures
Onboard SH1.25-2 battery interface, integrated lithium battery management system (charge and discharge management, overcharge protection, battery power detection, USB / battery power automatic switching)
Integrated WiFi and Bluetooth interfaces with 2.4GHz metal spring antenna and reserved IPEX (U.FL) interface for LoRa and GNSS use
Good RF circuit design and low-power design

.. include:: ../../../espressif/common/soc-esp32s3-features.rst :start-after: espressif-soc-esp32s3-features

Supported Features

.. zephyr:board-supported-hw::

Connections and IOs

.. table:: HelTec Wireless Tracker Pinout :widths: auto

+--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | Header | Function| Description | +========+=========+=============================+ | J2.1 | 5V | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.2 | GND | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.3 | 3V3 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.4 | GND | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.5 | 3V3 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.6 | GND | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.7 | Vext | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.8 | GND | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.1 | RST | Reset Switch | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.2 | GPIO0 | User Switch | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.3 | ADC1_CH0| Battery Voltage Measurement | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.4 | GPIO2 | ADC Control | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.5 | GPIO3 | Vext Control | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.6 | GPIO19 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.7 | GPIO20 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.8 | GPIO21 | TFT Backlight Control | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.9 | GPIO26 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.10 | GPIO48 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.11 | GPIO47 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.12 | GPIO33 | UART2 GNSS RX | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.13 | GPIO34 | UART2 GNSS TX | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.14 | GPIO35 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.15 | GPIO36 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J2.16 | GPIO37 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.1 | GPIO18 | PWM LED Control | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.2 | GPIO17 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.3 | GPIO16 | XTAL_32K N | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.4 | GPIO15 | XTAL_32K P | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.5 | GPIO7 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.6 | GPIO6 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.7 | GPIO5 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.8 | GPIO4 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.1 | GPIO46 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.2 | GPIO45 | | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.3 | GPIO44 | UART0 RX | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.4 | GPIO43 | UART0 TX | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.5 | GPIO14 | LoRa DIO1 | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.6 | GPIO13 | LoRa Busy | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.7 | GPIO12 | LoRa RST | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.8 | GPIO11 | LoRa MISO | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.9 | GPIO10 | LoRa MOSI | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.10 | GPIO9 | LoRa SCK | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.11 | GPIO8 | LoRa NSS | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.12 | GPIO42 | TFT_SDIN (MOSI) | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.13 | GPIO41 | TFT_SCLK | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.14 | GPIO40 | TFT_RS (DC) | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.15 | GPIO39 | TFT_RES (RST) | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+ | J3.16 | GPIO38 | TFT_CS | +--------+---------+-----------------------------+

Key Pin Assignments

GNSS (GPS) Module:

GNSS_TX (MCU UART2 TX): GPIO 34 (connects to GNSS RX)
GNSS_RX (MCU UART2 RX): GPIO 33 (connects to GNSS TX)
GNSS_Power_Control (VEXT): GPIO 3 (V1.1 specific - set to HIGH to enable GNSS)

.. note::

VEXT (GPIO 3) is automatically configured in board initialization code to be active at boot, ensuring the GNSS module is powered on startup.

LoRa Module (SX1262):

LoRa_DIO1: GPIO 14
LoRa_Busy: GPIO 13
LoRa_RST: GPIO 12
LoRa_MISO: GPIO 11
LoRa_MOSI: GPIO 10
LoRa_SCK: GPIO 9
LoRa_NSS: GPIO 8

TFT Display (ST7735) - Optional:

TFT_SDIN (MOSI): GPIO 42
TFT_SCLK: GPIO 41
TFT_RS (DC): GPIO 40
TFT_RES (RST): GPIO 39
TFT_CS: GPIO 38
TFT_LED_K (Backlight): GPIO 21
TFT_VTFT_CTRL (Power): GPIO 3 (shared with GNSS power control)

UART Interfaces:

UART0: U0RXD (GPIO 44), U0TXD (GPIO 43) - Console
UART1: U1RXD (GPIO 18), U1TXD (GPIO 17) - General purpose
UART2: U2RXD (GPIO 33), U2TXD (GPIO 34) - GNSS module

Power and Control:

VEXT Control: GPIO 3 (GNSS and TFT power, active HIGH)
ADC Control: GPIO 37
User Button: GPIO 0
Reset Button: RST

System Requirements

.. include:: ../../../espressif/common/system-requirements.rst :start-after: espressif-system-requirements

Programming and Debugging

.. zephyr:board-supported-runners::

.. include:: ../../../espressif/common/building-flashing.rst :start-after: espressif-building-flashing

.. include:: ../../../espressif/common/board-variants.rst :start-after: espressif-board-variants

Debugging

.. include:: ../../../espressif/common/openocd-debugging.rst :start-after: espressif-openocd-debugging

Applications

This board is suitable for:

GPS tracking applications
IoT sensor monitoring with location data
LoRaWAN networks with positioning
LoRa mesh networks with positioning (e.g., Meshtastic)
Display-based user interfaces (optional)
Battery-powered tracking devices
Asset tracking and monitoring
Environmental monitoring with GPS coordinates

Specifications

.. table:: Heltec Wireless Tracker V1.1 Specifications :widths: auto

+----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Parameters | Description | +============================+=======================================================================================+ | Master Chip | ESP32-S3FN8 (Xtensa(R) 32-bit lx7 dual core processor) | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | LoRa Chipset | SX1262 | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | GNSS Chipset | UC6580 | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | LoRa Frequency | 470~~510MHz, 863~~928MHz | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Max. TX Power | 21+/-1dBm | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Max. Receiving Sensitivity | -134dBm | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n, up to 150Mbps | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Bluetooth LE | Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth mesh | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Hardware Resource | 10xADC1 + 10xADC2; 12xTouch; 3xUART; 2xI2C; 2xSPI; etc. | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Interface | Type-C USB; 2x1.25 lithium battery interface; LoRa ANT(IPEX1.0); 2x18x2.54 Header Pin | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Battery | 3.7V lithium battery power supply and charging | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Operating Temperature | -20 ~ 70 degrees C | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Dimensions | 65.48 × 28.06 × 13.52mm | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

References

.. target-notes::

Heltec Wireless Tracker Official Page <https://heltec.org/project/wireless-tracker/>_
Heltec Wireless Tracker Hardware Update Log <https://docs.heltec.org/en/node/esp32/wireless_tracker/hardware_update_log.html>_ (Important for V1.1 changes)
Heltec Wireless Tracker FAQ <https://docs.heltec.org/en/node/esp32/wireless_tracker/frequently_asked_questions.html>_
ESP-IDF Programming Guide <https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32s3/api-reference/index.html>_
esptool documentation <https://github.com/espressif/esptool/blob/master/README.md>_
OpenOCD ESP32 <https://github.com/espressif/openocd-esp32/releases>_
Community Repository <https://github.com/jhiggason/lorawirelesstracker>_

.. [1] https://heltec.org/project/wireless-tracker/