Lolin

Lolin is a brand of low-cost microcontroller development boards and modules produced in China. The boards are primarily based on the ESP8266 and ESP32 wireless microcontrollers and are aimed at hobbyists, educators, and DIY developers. The Lolin line gained visibility in the global maker community during the mid-2010s and is commonly distributed through international online marketplaces.

The product range has included ESP8266-based boards with compact form factors and ESP32-based boards that add features such as higher performance, more memory, and Bluetooth. Typical features found across many Lolin boards include 3.3-volt operation, a USB-to-serial interface for programming, onboard voltage regulation, and a set of digital and analog I/O pins. Some revisions offer LiPo battery connectors and charging circuits. These boards are designed to be used with a variety of software ecosystems, including the Arduino IDE, MicroPython, and Lua-based firmware, facilitating rapid prototyping of Internet of Things projects.

In practice, Lolin boards are widely used for education, prototyping, and small-scale IoT projects due to their affordability and broad software support. Despite the general popularity, quality and revision stability can vary between batches and models, with occasional differences in USB adapters or component quality.

Lolin products are part of the broader ecosystem of ESP-based development boards that includes other brands and clones. They are often compared to boards from WeMos, NodeMCU, and similar lines, offering accessible entry points into Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller development.