When Espressif launched the ESP32-P4, the response from the embedded community was split: some loved its multimedia prowess, others lamented the lack of integrated Wi-Fi. The market’s answer? Dual-chip combo boards. The latest entrant is the OspreyPi-P4C5-Module — a compact board that pairs the P4’s multimedia muscle with an ESP32-C5 for dual-band Wi-Fi 6, and it throws in something unexpectedly generous: four MIPI connectors, two of which use the Raspberry Pi pinout.
That’s worth unpacking.
Why “Combo” Boards Are Becoming the Default for ESP32-P4
The ESP32-P4 is a peculiar chip. It packs a dual-core RISC-V HP core at 400 MHz with FPU and AI instructions, a 2D Pixel Processing Accelerator (PPA), an H.264 encoder, JPEG codec, and a full ISP pipeline — but it has no wireless capability built in. Espressif clearly designed it as a dedicated multimedia/HMI processor where wireless can be optionally layered on top via a companion chip.
This architectural decision is actually a feature in disguise. It means:
- Wireless traffic never competes with UI rendering — the P4 handles all real-time display/camera work without interruption
- Die area is dedicated to multimedia — no wireless PHY taking up silicon budget
- The combo approach is future-proof — swap the wireless companion for ESP32-C6 (Thread/Zigbee), ESP32-H2 (Matter), or future chips
For applications where 60 fps UI responsiveness or low-latency camera processing matters, this separation is arguably superior to a single-chip SoC where Wi-Fi interrupts can jitter real-time rendering.
The ESP32-C5 as the Wireless Companion — What You Actually Get
The ESP32-C5 is Espressif’s first RISC-V Wi-Fi 6 chip supporting both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Key capabilities it brings to this board:
- Dual-band 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) — up to 150 Mbps throughput
- Bluetooth 5.0 LE
- 802.15.4 — Zigbee 3.0 and Thread 1.3
- An IPEX antenna connector for external antennas
The 5 GHz support is particularly useful in congested environments where 2.4 GHz is saturated (think smart home hubs, crowded apartments). The 802.15.4 capability also opens the door to Thread-based Matter devices, which are gaining traction as the unified smart home protocol.
The two chips communicate over an internal interface (SDIO), leaving the ESP32-C5 solely responsible for maintaining wireless connections while the P4 processes everything else.
The Real Story: Four MIPI Connectors, Two of Which Use the Raspberry Pi Pinout
This is the most interesting design decision on the board, and it’s worth explaining why it matters.
The board has four MIPI connectors total:
- 30-pin MIPI DSI — for the 4-inch square display (720×720) from Osprey Optoelectronics
- 15-pin MIPI DSI — Raspberry Pi display-compatible
- 24-pin MIPI CSI — standard camera connector
- 15-pin MIPI CSI — Raspberry Pi camera module-compatible
The two 15-pin connectors follow the same pinout as the official Raspberry Pi Camera Module and Raspberry Pi Touch Display. This doesn’t automatically mean “plug-and-play” with any RPi accessory — but it dramatically lowers the barrier to entry:
- Cheaper accessories: RPi camera modules and displays are mass-produced and widely available at low cost
- More form factors: RPi has a rich ecosystem of camera modules, displays, and HATs
- Easier sourcing: You can buy locally rather than waiting for specialty MIPI modules to ship from China
The Compatibility Caveat — Be Realistic
Before you get too excited: compatibility here means hardware pinout, not full software compatibility. Here’s the practical reality:
Camera: The ESP32-P4 ISP officially supports the OmniVision OV5647 (the original RPi Camera Module v1.3) through Espressif’s esp-camera component in ESP-IDF. More recent RPi cameras use Sony IMX sensors (IMX477, IMX296, etc.), which have no official support in ESP-IDF at this time. So you can use the original RPi camera, but not the newer ones.
Display: ESP-IDF doesn’t have native drivers for the official Raspberry Pi Touch Displays. However, the ESP32-P4 DSI Support Hub on GitHub has community-maintained support for:
- Raspberry Pi Touch Display 1
- Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 (800×480, IPS)
- DFRobot displays
- LuckFox displays
This is an active open-source project, so support is improving over time.
Audio Subsystem — A Surprisingly Complete Package
The audio section is more comprehensive than most ESP32 boards:
- Built-in MEMS microphone (LMA3729T421-OA1) — no external module needed for voice input
- ES8311 audio codec connector — I²S interface for high-quality audio CODECs
- NS4150 audio amplifier — 3W class D amplifier for driving speakers directly
- 2-pin speaker connector — simple passive speaker hookup
This makes the board immediately usable for voice-controlled HMI applications, intercom systems, or smart display products without additional audio hardware.
USB Configuration — Three Ports for Different Jobs
The board provides three USB interfaces:
- USB Type-C debug port — via CH343 chip, for flashing and serial terminal (most developers use this)
- Multiplexed USB 2.0 Type-A + Type-C port — shares a single USB 2.0 data connection, useful for connecting USB peripherals or acting as a USB device
The shared USB 2.0 bus is an interesting choice — it means you can’t simultaneously use high-speed USB peripherals at full bandwidth if you’re also doing USB device communication. For most HMI and embedded vision applications, this is not a constraint.
Power Management — Designed for USB-Powered Operation
Power input is 5V via USB Type-C, managed by an MT9700 low-voltage P-MOSFET load switch. This is a reasonable design for development boards, though for battery-powered portable applications you’d want to add your own power management stage.
The board dimensions are 72 × 52 mm — compact but not tiny. It’s larger than something like the Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 but significantly smaller than a full-size dev board.
Development with ESP-IDF — What to Expect
The board is programmed with ESP-IDF (Espressif’s official development framework). Here’s the practical developer experience:
What’s Well Supported
- MIPI DSI — Espressif provides official drivers in ESP-IDF for various display panels
- MIPI CSI with OV5647 — camera capture via the esp-camera component
- LVGL — excellent support, runs smoothly on the P4’s 400 MHz CPU with PPA acceleration
- ESP32-C5 wireless — full Wi-Fi 6 and BLE support via ESP-IDF networking stack
- Audio — I²S, audio codecs, and DSP components well documented
What’s Community-Dependent
- Raspberry Pi displays — use the ESP32-P4 DSI Support Hub
- Sony IMX cameras — not officially supported; community ports are limited
- Advanced camera features — HDR, advanced autofocus require custom ISP tuning
Competitive Landscape — How It Compares
There are a few other ESP32-P4 combo boards worth knowing about:
- Waveshare ESP32-P4-Nano ($19) — uses ESP32-C6 instead of C5, smaller form factor (50×50mm), no dual RPi MIPI connectors, 100M RJ45 with PoE support
- Waveshare ESP32-P4 DevKit with ESP32-C6 — larger, supports 7/10.1-inch displays, wider GPIO expansion
- Wireless Tag WTDKP4C5-S1 — similar specs, slightly larger board
The OspreyPi-P4C5 occupies a sweet spot: it has more MIPI connectivity options than most competitors, includes audio hardware that others sell as add-ons, and uses the C5’s dual-band Wi-Fi 6 — which neither the C6-based boards offer.
What to Build With It
With its combination of display, camera, audio, Wi-Fi 6, and processing power, here are the applications this board genuinely enables:
- Smart Home HMI Panel: Wall-mounted touch display with camera for presence detection and voice control, running LVGL for smooth 60 fps animations
- Environmental Monitor with Visual Verification: Air quality + camera for snapshot-on-alert (smoke detected → take photo and push to phone)
- Smart Display / Photo Frame: RPi-compatible display + camera for face-aware content or gesture control
- Vision-Enabled Robot Controller: OV5647 camera + Wi-Fi 6 + audio for a robot with visual sensing and voice feedback
- Thread/Zigbee Gateway: The 802.15.4 capability turns this into a Matter gateway with a local display interface
Price and Availability
The OspreyPi-P4C5 board is available on AliExpress for $24.68 including shipping, with headers, an external antenna, USB-A to USB-C cable, and MIPI cables included. The 4-inch square display (720×720) from Osprey Optoelectronics is sold separately.
Summary
The OspreyPi-P4C5 isn’t a revolutionary product — it’s a thoughtful one. It takes Espressif’s “compute + wireless companion” architecture and applies it to a board that actually addresses real developer pain points: display and camera connectivity. The dual RPi-compatible MIPI connectors won’t make it compatible with every Raspberry Pi accessory, but they meaningfully broaden the accessory ecosystem you can draw from.
The real test will be the software support: how actively the community maintains the DSI Support Hub, and whether Sony IMX camera support eventually lands in ESP-IDF. For now, the OV5647 camera path is solid, LVGL runs beautifully on the P4, and the audio subsystem is the kind of “included by default” feature that saves you from buying separate modules.
If you’re building a multimedia HMI product or an edge vision application and want to stay within the ESP ecosystem, this board deserves a closer look.