Revision 8 was mostly started as a bug fix revision to fix an incorrect pin strap on the RTL8201FI Ethernet PHY.  This didn't used to matter, but a new revision in the chip seemed to have "fixed" the fact that it didn't used to matter, so now it mattered, and needed to be fixed. :)

I was very fortunate that one of my customers who had licensed my design for their own use ran into this problem first and contacted me about it.  Since they run custom firmware, they were able to fix the issue in software.  I on the other hand want the wESP32 to work with various firmwares that customers may want to use, so a hardware fix was in order.

Since just doing a bug fix revision would have been boring, I decided to add a cool new feature that should not affect backward compatibility in any way.  Revision 8 boards now come with a Sparkfun Qwiic connector! :)

This should make it much simpler to use the wESP32 for simple PoE sensor nodes by just connecting Qwiic modules, no soldering required!

You can buy the new revision 8 on Tindie right now, stock on Amazon and Mouser will transition to revision 8 in the near future.

I should also give a shout out to Christopher Greenlee who is running a campaign on Crowd Supply right now for his Hornet Nest Alarm Panel, which is based on the wESP32 for its Ethernet / PoE / WiFi connected brains.

If you are interested at all in home automation and DIY security systems, go check it out!  It integrates with Home Assistant for a completely billionaire-free home security system! :)