Orca modules
Orca is FREE-WILi's name for its expansion boards — see What FREE-WILi 2 is for the short version. This page goes deeper, into the connector, mounting, and auto-detect mechanics.
Orcas plug into the 20-pin GPIO connector — the same pin layout FreeWili 1 used, kept on FREE-WILi 2 specifically so the existing library of Orcas keeps working, and covered pin by pin on Pinout. A rigid mounting system with off-the-shelf case options holds an Orca in place without flex or intermittent connections, unlike a header connection resting on friction alone.
An EEPROM on each Orca lets FREE-WILi 2 auto-detect what's plugged in and configure itself accordingly, rather than requiring manual setup every time you swap modules. Practically, this is also why Orcas built for FreeWili 1 generally keep working here unmodified: the connector kept its pin mapping, and the auto-detect step accounts for the rest.
Available Orcas
| Orca | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Maestro Debug Orca | USB debug probe and IO test points |
| Jambu Serial LED Control Orca | 8-channel serial LED driver |
| SAN DIEGO Orca | CAN FD, RS485, and single-pair automotive Ethernet |
| Humpback Orca | Focused ISO CAN FD interface |
Maestro Debug Orca
A troubleshooting and development board built around a Raspberry Pi Debug Probe and IO test points. It gives you:
- An integrated Raspberry Pi Debug Probe for flashing and debugging
- A Pico-scope-compatible logic analyzer connector
- Status LEDs plus 6 programmable serial RGB LEDs
- Switches for exercising GPIO inputs
- I2C (Qwiic) and SD card prototyping connectors
- A jumper for selecting or injecting IO voltage
- A pass-through connector for stacking another Orca underneath it
Jambu Serial LED Control Orca
An 8-channel LED driver breakout for common-anode serial RGB LED strips, individual LEDs, and incandescent bulbs. Control is a two-wire I2C interface (Qwiic-compatible), and the board is powered from its own 5 V barrel jack rather than drawing from FREE-WILi 2 itself.
SAN DIEGO Orca
Puts FREE-WILi 2 on vehicle and industrial networks: one ISO CAN FD channel with selectable termination, one RS485 channel, and both 10BASE-T1S (multidrop) and 10BASE-T1L (long-reach, up to 1 km) single-pair Ethernet. Everything routes through a single rugged DB-15 connector, and the module can be powered directly from vehicle battery voltage (VBATT) rather than relying on FREE-WILi 2's own supply.
Humpback Orca
A smaller, CAN-FD-only counterpart to SAN DIEGO: one ISO CAN FD channel with selectable on-board 120 ohm termination, VBATT power input, and a DB-15 connector. If you only need CAN FD and not RS485 or Ethernet, this is the lighter option — you can move up to SAN DIEGO Orca later without changing your workflow.
Making your own
FREE-WILi publishes example Orca projects for both KiCad and Altium Designer, so you can design a custom module against the same connector and mounting system the official Orcas use.