GUITION rotary encoder upgrades to ESP32-S31 with RISC-V, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4

GUITION has refreshed its smart rotary encoder knob with the ESP32-S31NRV16 SoC, replacing the previous ESP32-S3 model. The device keeps its 1.8-inch 360×360 round touchscreen and CNC knob with haptic feedback, while gaining faster RISC-V cores at 320 MHz, 16MB PSRAM, and expanded wireless support including WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 with LE Audio. It ships with demo firmware including a music player, video player, and spectrum analyzer, and supports development in Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, and MicroPython.

What's new in the ESP32-S31 upgrade

• SoC: ESP32-S31NRV16 with dual RISC-V cores (HP RV32IMAFCP @ 320 MHz with FPU/SIMD, plus LP core), replacing Xtensa-based ESP32-S3
• Memory: 512 KB SRAM, 32 KB low-power SRAM, 16MB PSRAM — unchanged from prior model
• Wireless additions: WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.4 with LE Audio and direction finding, 802.15.4 for Zigbee/Thread/Matter support
• Display: 1.8-inch round TFT, 360×360 resolution, ST77916 SPI driver, CST816 capacitive touch controller
• Audio: PCM5100APWR speaker, MSM261D4030H1CPM MEMS microphone
• Storage: 16MB SPI flash, MicroSD slot for WiFi config, music, or MJPEG playback
• USB: Type-C with orientation-sensitive dual mode — reverse for file transfer, normal for firmware programming
• Power: ~1.3W consumption, optional rechargeable battery (capacity unspecified)
• Development: Preloaded demos include LVGL-based players and Xiaozhi voice assistant; ESP-IDF 6.1.0 samples provided, Arduino folder currently empty

Why it matters

The ESP32-S31's RISC-V architecture and expanded wireless stack make this knob more suitable for Matter-compatible smart home controllers, though the immature firmware ecosystem may slow adoption for production projects.