FireBeetle Camera & Audio Media Board for ESP32 (OV7725, NAU8822, SDIO)

FireBeetle Covers-Camera & Audio Media Board is a multimedia expansion board designed for FireBeetle IoT development projects that require audio recording, sound playback, image capture, and SD card storage. Built around the NAU8822 audio CODEC, OV7725 camera interface, microphone input, speaker output, earphone output, and SDIO card slot, this FireBeetle media board turns a compatible FireBeetle main board into a compact camera-and-audio development platform. Paired with the FireBeetle ESP32 main board, this multimedia cover can support MP3 playback, voice recording, still-image capture, internet radio, and cloud-based image recognition experiments.

Note: This media board only supports FireBeetle ESP32 main board at present, since other FireBeetle main boards are not equipped with an IIS interface.

The flat ribbon cable of the camera is relatively easy to break. Careful, gentle handling is required during connection. The camera lens must face away from the SD card slot.

Video shooting and video transmission are not supported.

Audio Recording and Playback with NAU8822 CODEC

This camera and audio expansion board integrates the NAU8822 CODEC IIS interface for embedded audio applications. The audio subsystem supports direct connection to a BTL loudspeaker and earphone output, with up to 1W @ 8Ω speaker drive and 40mW @ 16Ω earphone drive. A programmable microphone amplifier and onboard mini MIC input interface enable voice acquisition, recording, and storage to an SD card, making the board suitable for IoT recorders, audio loggers, simple voice interaction systems, and connected sound playback projects.

OV7725 Camera Interface for Still-Image Capture

The multimedia cover includes an OV7725 camera module interface for still-image capture on FireBeetle ESP32-based projects. The camera supports a 640*480 photosensitive array, SCCB control interface, fixed-focus lens, and multiple output pixel formats including Raw RGB, RGB565/555/444, and YCbCr. Although some OV7725 functions may not be fully realized by ESP32, this camera expansion board provides a practical foundation for snapshot capture, basic visual sensing, and cloud image recognition experiments in compact IoT prototypes.

SDIO Storage for Local Media Data

The onboard SD card slot uses the SDIO protocol, providing local storage for recorded audio and captured images. With a default transmission rate of 10MHz and a maximum transmission rate of 20MHz, this FireBeetle media cover can store project media files without requiring an additional storage module. The integrated audio, camera, and SD card interfaces simplify hardware structure for portable recorders, compact camera nodes, and experimental multimedia IoT devices.

Stackable FireBeetle Cover Design

Designed as part of the FireBeetle Covers ecosystem, this audio and camera board can be stacked with a compatible FireBeetle ESP32 main board for rapid prototyping. The board layout combines reset control, a user-defined button tested by IO16, microphone input, speaker and earphone output, camera connector, and SD card storage in a compact expansion format. This structure reduces wiring complexity while keeping essential multimedia interfaces accessible for embedded development and IoT experimentation.

Typical applications include MP3 players, voice recorders, still-image capture nodes, internet radios, IoT media terminals, cloud image recognition prototypes, portable audio loggers, and FireBeetle ESP32 multimedia projects. This compact expansion board is especially suitable for makers and developers exploring connected audio, simple camera functions, and local media storage in low-power IoT systems.