{"id":605,"date":"2015-05-19T14:38:12","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T21:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internetofhomethings.com\/homethings\/?p=605"},"modified":"2015-05-20T07:34:25","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T14:34:25","slug":"a-cleaner-esp8266-12-hardware-setup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internetofhomethings.com\/homethings\/?p=605","title":{"rendered":"A cleaner ESP8266-12 hardware setup"},"content":{"rendered":"

ESP8266 packaging issues<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One of the first challenges to overcome when you get a bare module ESP8266-12 SoC is how to connect this unit to a circuit. It comes without header pins and the pin pitch is less than the standard 2.54 used on solder-less and copper breadboards. Clearly, it is not ready to use out-of-the-box like, for example, any of the Arduino options.<\/p>\n

My first circuit used a 16-pin DIP package with short jumper wires soldered between the ESP8266 pin holes and the DIP. This assembly was then plugged directly on a solder-less breadboard. While this gave me a quick start into the ESP8266 world, the setup was messy and even worse\u00a0–\u00a0unstable.<\/p>\n

\"Solder-less<\/a><\/p>\n

Disappointed and often frustrated by the poor performance of the setup, my next setup used a copper plated breadboard. The ESP8266 was mounted\u00a0to the board using thin (28 AWG) bare wires. These wires were soldered between the ESP8266 through-holes and the breadboard pads. This was a vast improvement in terms of stability. I currently have a system that has been running for over 2 weeks now with no resets or system crashes. The real-time data collected with this system is displayed publicly on ThingSpeak<\/a> for independent verification.<\/p>\n

But with this setup, the tiny interface\u00a0wires require a lot of time to initially assemble.<\/p>\n

That’s where this adapter plate really shines…<\/p>\n

Yes, it really made things easier when I stumbled upon a\u00a0clean and inexpensive adapter for the ESP8266-7\/12 modules. For just 28 cents (AliExpress<\/a>), you get a PWB plate with pre-soldered mounting pads and a 10k pull-up connected to the chip enable (CH_PD).<\/p>\n

A 10K resistor is also included that pulls-down GPIO15 to ground. This resistor is way to large to be of any value for that purpose. For proper boot operation, you must add a connection between GPIO15 and ground.<\/p>\n

Finally, the fix is in – the pin labels for GPIO4 and GPIO5 have been corrected\u00a0on this plate. No more confusion for that until now overlooked ESP8266-12\u00a0module design error.<\/p>\n

\"ESP8266-12<\/a><\/p>\n

The circuit has come together quite nicely. So far, it has proven to be a very dependable configuration. Boots without errors and flashes reliably the first time, every time. We shall see if this remains true as more the flash cycles are performed.<\/p>\n

\"Fully<\/a><\/p>\n

This begs the question… Why not mount all the parts on a plate like this & eliminate the original carrier board?<\/p>\n

A few design considerations<\/strong><\/h4>\n