Comparing Raspberry Pi Zero W and ESP32

Comparing Raspberry Pi Zero W and ESP32
Microcontrollers for Beemoc Beehive Systems
Introduction:
Beemoc Beehive Systems (BBS) is a small company based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. BBS’s
microcontroller-based systems allow beekeepers to remotely monitor the physical conditions
of their beehives online. BBS supports beekeepers’ efforts to conserve local bee populations,
whose declining numbers pose a threat to agriculture and native ecosystems (TWD, n.d.). In
consideration of the feedback from our beekeeping partners, BBS wants to reevaluate the
microcontroller used in our system. This report will consider the Raspberry Pi Zero W (Figure 1)
and the ESP32 (Figure 2), which are both relatively small microcontrollers with built-in Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth that can connect to the system’s monitoring website. While the Raspberry Pi
hosts better performance and flexible ADC resolution, the ESP32 is more affordable and
features a low-powered operational mode that is better suited to our clients who manage
smaller-scale apiaries.
Figure 1. Raspberry Pi Zero W Figure 2. ESP32 Development Board
Performance: Processing Power and Memory

The BBS monitoring systems regularly read in analog sensor data such as internal temperature,
weight, and the humidity inside beehives and report this data onto the BBS-hosted website.
The BBS systems should be capable of handling the data collected from multiple sensors at
regular intervals over long periods of time and multiple seasons. The Raspberry Pi Zero W has a
processing power of 1GHz and 512 MB of RAM (The Raspberry Pi Foundation). The ESP32 only
has a processing power of 240 MHz and 520 KB of RAM (Espressif Systems, 2021). For ESP32
development boards such as the TinyPICO board the RAM can be expanded to an extra 4 MB,
however the processor and total memory is still significantly weaker than the Raspberry Pi Zero
W (Adafruit Industries, TinyPICO). The Raspberry Pi Zero W can handle more data at a time and
at faster processing rates compared to the ESP32. This is a valuable feature for clients who
want high-frequency updates, the ability to monitor multiple beehives at once, or to read in
data from multiple types of sensors.
Required Power Supply

One feature our clients desired was that the system should be able to function at low power. In
most cases, their beehives are located far from local power supplies, so having a system with
minimal power requirements is ideal. The ESP32 has a lower required power supply of 3.3V
(Espressif Systems, 2021) compared to the 5V demand
of the Raspberry Pi Zero W (Adafruit Industries,
Raspberry Pi Zero W). Our clients are concerned with
sustainability and would prefer to run their systems
using solar power (Figure 3), if possible. Implementing
an ESP32 microcontroller for our client’s solar-powered
systems would ensure that the microcontroller could
still properly collect beehive data even during long
periods of overcast weather.
Figure 3. Example of a Solar-Powered Microcontroller
ADC Bit resolution

Because the system reads in analog sensor data, the bitwise resolution is a key factor in
determining the precision of the systems sensor values. The greater the bit resolution of a
device, the more precision it can offer. The Raspberry Pi Zero offers flexibility in choosing the
bitwise resolution of the microcontroller. When
combined with an ADC converter as shown in Figure
4, the Raspberry Pi can read in data with a
resolution of up to 17 bits (AB Electronics UK).
The ESP32 only offers one bitwise resolution of 12
bits (Espressif Systems, 2021). The Raspberry Pi Zero
W would be a better option for clients who need
those higher levels of precision when monitoring
their beehives.
Figure 4. Raspberry Pi Zero W with Additional ADC Board

Overall Cost
As BBS is currently a small company working specifically with the beekeeping communities in
the local Dallas-Fort Worth area, cost is an especially important factor. Most of our clients are
either small nonprofit groups or individual beekeeping hobbyists, rather than large-scale
companies who have the financial resources to invest
in our product. At a first glance, the Raspberry Pi Zero
W is fairly affordable at $10 (The Raspberry Pi
Foundation), however combined with the cost of the
required ADC board as well as an external microSD,
the overall cost of implementing a Raspberry Pi-
based system would reach closer to $30-$40 (AB
Electronics). The ESP32 microcontroller comes in
various board formats, which already include ADC
pins and do not require external storage. The
previously mentioned TinyPICO Development Board
Figure 5. TinyPICO-ESP32 Development Board (Figure 5) currently costs $20, which is the typical
price for most of the ESP32 boards featured on
Adafruit’s store. In consideration of BBS’s current scale of operations and our clientele,
choosing the ESP32 over the Raspberry Pi Zero W would eliminate the need for the Raspberry
Pi’s extra components and would keep overall costs lower.
Conclusion
While each microcontroller has its respective areas of strength, the one best suited for Beemoc
Beehive Systems at present is the ESP32 microcontroller. Our current business size and clientele
do not necessarily require the performance and precision of the Raspberry Pi, while the low-
power and cost-efficiency is more suitable. However, the Raspberry Pi Zero W is certainly a
reasonable option to consider in the future, should BBS expand its business to more regions
and target larger beekeeping companies.
Works Cited
AB Electronics UK. (n.d.). ADC Pi - ADC converter for the Raspberry Pi.
https://www.abelectronics.co.uk/p/69/adc-pi-raspberry-pi-analogue-to-digital-converter
Adafruit Industries. (n.d.). Raspberry Pi Zero W. Adafruit.
https://www.adafruit.com/product/3400
Adafruit Industries. (n.d.). TinyPICO - ESP32 Development Board. Adafruit.
https://www.adafruit.com/product/4335
Espressif Systems. (2021, March 19). ESP32 Series Datasheet.
https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp32_datasheet_en.pdf
The Raspberry Pi Foundation. (n.d.). Buy a Raspberry Pi Zero W – Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/
Spectrum. (n.d.). ADC and Resolution | Spectrum. https://spectrum-instrumentation.com/en/adc-
and-resolution
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. (n.d.). Native Pollinators & Private Lands: Bumble Bee
Conservation in Texas. Texas Parks & Wildlife (TPW).
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/native-
pollinators/bumblebees.phtml

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Comparing Raspberry Pi Zero W and ESP32

Microcontrollers for Beemoc Beehive Systems

Figure 1. Raspberry Pi Zero W Figure 2. ESP32 Development Board

Performance: Processing Power and Memory

Required Power Supply

Figure 3. Example of a Solar-Powered Microcontroller

ADC Bit resolution

Figure 4. Raspberry Pi Zero W with Additional ADC Board

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