# Adafruit AirLift Bitsy Add-On – ESP32 WiFi Co-Processor

**Type:** Product page · **SKU:** ADA4363 · **Brand:** [Adafruit](https://core-electronics.com.au/brands/adafruit-australia)
**Page:** https://core-electronics.com.au/adafruit-airlift-bitsy-add-on-esp32-wifi-co-processor.html ([markdown](https://core-electronics.com.au/adafruit-airlift-bitsy-add-on-esp32-wifi-co-processor.html.md))

## Retired product

This product is retired and no longer available for purchase. Search the catalogue for an alternative.

## Description

Give your ItsyBitsy project a *lift* with the Adafruit AirLift Bitsy Add-On - a daughterboard that lets you use the powerful ESP32 as a WiFi co-processor. You probably have your favorite ItsyBitsy ([like the Itsy' M4](https://core-electronics.com.au/adafruit-itsybitsy-m4-express-featuring-atsamd51.html)) that comes with its own set of awesome peripherals and lots of libraries. But it doesn't have WiFi built in! So lets give that chip a best friend, the ESP32. This chip can handle all the heavy lifting of connecting to a WiFi network and transferring data from a site, even if its using the latest TLS/SSL encryption (it has root certificates pre-burned in).

Having WiFi managed by a separate chip means your code is simpler, you don't have to cache socket data, or compile in & debug an SSL library. Send basic but powerful socket-based commands over 8MHz SPI for high speed data transfer.

[You can use any ItsyBitsy with 3V logic](https://core-electronics.com.au/search/?q=itsybitsy) (that means the ItsyBitsy 32u4 5V is *not* going to work), although the '32u4 Itsy will not be able to do very complex tasks or buffer a lot of data. It also works great with CircuitPython, *a SAMD51/Cortex M4 minimum* required since Adafruit need a bunch of RAM. All you need is an SPI bus and 2 control pins plus a 3V power supply that can provide up to 250mA during WiFi usage.

Adafruit placed an ESP32 module on a Bitsy board with a tri-state chip for MISO so you can share the SPI bus with other devices. Comes fully assembled and tested, pre-programmed with ESP32 SPI WiFi co-processor firmware that [you can use in CircuitPython to use this into WiFi co-processsor over SPI + 2 pins](https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_CircuitPython_ESP32SPI). They also toss in some headers so you can solder it in on top of the Itsy for a compact sandwich, but [you can also pick up a set of stacking headers to stack above/below your ItsyBitsy (use the Feather stacking headers and cut them down to size)](https://core-electronics.com.au/feather-stacking-headers-12-pin-and-16-pin-female-headers.html).

Adafruit have tested this with all Adafruit's ItsyBitsy and it should work just fine with them except the ItsyBitsy 32u4 5V (because the voltage is not right). **For use in Arduino**, the ItsyBitsy '32u4 3V can do basic connectivity and data transfer but they do not have a lot of RAM so they don't recommend them - use the M0, M4 or similar, for best results! **For CircuitPython use**, an ItsyBitsy M4 is required - the M0 series does not have enough RAM in CircuitPython.

[The firmware on board is a slight variant of the Arduino WiFiNINA core, which works great!](https://github.com/adafruit/nina-fw) At this time connection to Enterprise WiFi is not yet supported.

**[Check out Adafruit's learning system guide for schematics, files, and to get started AirLift'in' within minutes!](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-airlift-bitsy-add-on-esp32-wifi-co-processor)**

## Technical Details

Product Dimensions: 35.6mm x 18.0mm x 5.5mm / 1.4" x 0.7" x 0.2"

Product Weight: 6.0g / 0.2oz

 ![](https://core-electronics.com.au/includes/templates/shop2019/images/RoHS2_2011_65_EU.svg) ![](https://core-electronics.com.au/includes/templates/shop2019/images/RoHS2_2015_863_EU.svg)

## Images

- [Product image 1](https://core-electronics.com.au/media/catalog/product/4/3/4363-01.jpg)