ESP32-S3 USB HOST PENDRIVE INTERFACE

[The3ven]

Related area

HID

Hardware specification

ESP32S3 Dev 16MB

Is your feature request related to a problem?

Yes. In my project using ESP32-S3, I need to use both a USB HID keyboard and a USB mass storage (pendrive) at different times. However, there is no way to properly stop or release one USB device before initializing another. This causes problems when switching between devices — for example, the pendrive won't work if the keyboard was used first, and vice versa. There’s no .end() or cleanup function in the current Arduino-ESP32 USB host libraries, which makes dynamic USB handling very difficult or impossible without a full reboot.

there is also a close issue on same topic
issue-9276

Describe the solution you'd like

I would like support in the Arduino-ESP32 core to allow starting and stopping USB devices dynamically. Specifically:

• .end() or .stop() method for USB HID (keyboard) and USB MSC (pendrive) classes that cleanly shuts down and releases the device.
• The ability to reinitialize another device after one has been stopped, without needing to reboot the ESP32.

This would make it possible to switch between a USB keyboard and a USB pendrive at runtime, which is important for applications involving both user input and data transfer dynamically.

Describe alternatives you've considered

I’ve tried using the HID example by @esp32beans and the MSC (pendrive) example by @nathalislight, but both are written for ESP-IDF and are not fully compatible with the Arduino framework.

More importantly, neither example offers a way to stop or release the USB device once initialized. As I mentioned earlier, this is the main blocker in my project — without a way to safely stop one device (e.g., keyboard) and start another (e.g., pendrive), it's impossible to switch devices without resetting the ESP32.

Adding .end() or similar functionality in the Arduino-ESP32 core would be a huge help.

Additional context

No response

I have checked existing list of Feature requests and the Contribution Guide

• I confirm I have checked existing list of Feature requests and Contribution Guide.