Title: INMP441 on ESP32-S3 (N16R8) — mic configured & recognized, but no audio data reaches micro_wake_word
Body:
I'm building a voice satellite with ESPHome but the INMP441 microphone produces no audio data, even though everything compiles and is recognized at boot. I've spent a full day on this and ruled out a lot, so I'm hoping someone recognizes the pattern.
Hardware
- Board: ESP32-S3 DevKitC-1, N16R8 (16MB flash / 8MB PSRAM), generic "S3-N16R8" variant
- Mic: INMP441 (I²S)
- ESPHome 2026.6.2, flashed via Device Builder add-on
- Powered via USB from a Mac (also tried a separate 5V supply)
Wiring (mic only — amp/speaker disconnected for testing)
- VDD → 3V3
- GND → GND
- L/R → GND
- WS → GPIO12
- SCK → GPIO13
- SD → GPIO11
The problem
The wake word ("Okay Nabu") never triggers and nothing audio-related appears in the logs when I speak or clap right at the mic. At boot everything looks healthy: PSRAM Available YES (8192 KB), microphone recognized, micro_wake_word model loaded. But there's zero reaction to sound.
What I've already ruled out
- Two different ESP32-S3 boards (both N16R8) → identical result
- Two different INMP441 modules → identical result
- Tried
channel: leftandchannel: right - Moved mic pins from GPIO1/2/3 to GPIO11/12/13 (GPIO3 gave a strapping-pin warning)
- Re-seated all dupont wires, verified VDD on 3V3 and L/R on GND multiple times
- TTS announce to the speaker is accepted by HA (turns green) but also produces no sound — so both I²S directions are silent
So it's not a dead board, dead mic, or a loose contact. Feels systematic — possibly a quirk of this specific S3 board variant or an I²S config detail.
My microphone / i2s_audio config
Questions
- Does the INMP441 work reliably on this generic S3-N16R8 board, and are GPIO11/12/13 OK for I²S input on it?
- Is
bits_per_sample: 32bitcorrect for the INMP441 here, or should the I²S mode/format be different for this chip revision? - Any known issue where micro_wake_word loads fine but receives no audio?
Thanks a lot — happy to share more logs or photos.