If you’ve ever struggled to fit a dev board neatly into a breadboard, you’ll know the frustration—most of them hog space, leaving you with just one or two usable rows. The Pi Hut seems to have heard the cries of makers everywhere and has come up with something smarter: the Baguette S3, an ESP32-S3 board that nails breadboard-friendliness without compromising on features.
Unlike many other boards, the Baguette S3 has a single 30-pin header designed to sit comfortably in one row of a breadboard, freeing up plenty of space for prototyping. This makes it especially appealing for tinkering, IoT projects, or just quickly mocking up ideas.
Baguette S3 Specifications
- Wireless module: ESP32-S3-MINI-1-N8
- CPU: ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 with Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth 5.0
- Storage: 8MB QSPI flash + MicroSD card slot
- USB: USB Type-C for power and programming
- Expansion:
- 30-pin breadboard-compatible header
- 23 GPIOs, I²C, UART, 5V, 3.3V, GND
- Qwiic connector for further expansion
- Misc: WS2812C RGB LED, power LED, Reset & Boot buttons, BAT/5V switch
- Power: 5V via USB-C / pins, 3.3V via LDO
- Dimensions: 77.5 × 23.7 mm
- Weight: 13 g
Raspberry Breadstick Overview
The Raspberry Breadstick is another dev board aimed at breadboard-friendliness, but with a very different take. Instead of compact width, it uses a long, slim design that runs the length of a breadboard, leaving four holes of clearance on each side. It’s built around the RP2040 microcontroller and adds fun extras like 24 RGB LEDs and a 6-axis IMU, making it great for projects where visual feedback and motion sensing are key.
Raspberry Breadstick Specs
- MCU: Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ @ 133 MHz, 264KB SRAM
- Storage: 16MB SPI flash
- USB: USB Type-C for data & power
- Expansion: 4× 12-bit ADCs, 18 GPIOs with UART, I2C, and SPI support
- Extras: 24 addressable RGB LEDs, 6-axis IMU (accelerometer + gyroscope)
- Dimensions: 164 × 10 × 5 mm
- Price: $55 (CrowdSupply campaign)
Baguette S3 vs Raspberry Breadstick: Key Differences
| Feature | Baguette S3 | Raspberry Breadstick |
|---|---|---|
| MCU | ESP32-S3 (dual-core Xtensa LX7, WiFi + BT) | RP2040 (dual-core Cortex-M0+, no wireless) |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 4 + Bluetooth 5.0 | ❌ None |
| Storage | 8MB QSPI + MicroSD slot | 16MB SPI flash |
| Form Factor | Compact, single 30-pin breadboard header | Long, slim, full breadboard length |
| GPIOs | 23 GPIO, I²C, UART, Qwiic | 18 GPIO, I²C, UART, SPI |
| Extras | RGB LED, Qwiic, USB-C, mounting holes | 24 RGB LEDs, 6-axis IMU |
| Price | ~$15.50 incl. VAT | $55 |
While the Breadstick is unique in its form factor and flashy extras, it’s relatively expensive and limited by the RP2040’s lack of wireless connectivity. The Baguette S3, on the other hand, is compact, ESP32-S3 powered, offers both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, supports a MicroSD card, and is far more affordable at around $15.50.
For prototyping IoT and smart home applications, the Baguette S3 is the better all-rounder, while the Breadstick is more of a niche tool for visual/motion-heavy projects.
The Baguette S3 feels like the dev board a lot of makers have been waiting for: compact, powerful, and actually breadboard-friendly. If you need wireless connectivity and expansion flexibility at a low price, it’s a no-brainer. But if you want LEDs and motion sensors built in, and don’t mind paying a premium, the Breadstick still has its place.
The Raspberry Breadstick, with its RP2040 core and quirky slim design, offers a neat and beginner-friendly approach to prototyping, while the Baguette S3 takes things further with dual-core ESP32-S3 performance, built-in wireless connectivity, and generous I/O for advanced projects.
Availability:
- Baguette S3 – Available now on The PiHut and other distributors.
- Raspberry Breadstick – Currently in crowdfunding on CrowdSupply, priced at $55, with shipping options worldwide.
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