- Tue Aug 11, 2015 6:15 am
#25645
I have been speaking with one of the engineers at AI Thinker.
They are the largest manufacturer of ESP8266 modules in China, so they have been improving their modules since initial release, and sell a huge number. They go out to various distributors and suppliers, and traders, and stock ends up in their stores for varying amounts of time, so when you purchase from a random trader on ebay or Aliexpress, the stock they hold may be months old.
Some of the improvements they have made include the silkscreen which was found to have incorrect markings, as well as 'PCB Splicing' as they called it, which I believe to be how the modules are attached in the panels and separated. Previously they were held together with 'mouse bites' which are the connections with little holes which you snap the boards apart, but they now use v-grooving which allows the boards to be square. The mousebites were on the corners, which in turn led to the older boards having rounded corners due to the location of the holes.
They said they have corrected most mistakes with the ESP-12E's now, however the 'RF Matching' they said is still not as good as the Espressif's ESP-WROOM-02 modules. They have updated their design and have an ESP-12F coming out soon. They have been testing the ESP-12F in a 'microwave dark room' and it is performing very well they said. They will be applying for FCC and have CE compliance on it also, so I am told. It will be in production at the end of this month.
AI Thinker also produce the ESP-WROOM-02 under license for Espressif - Just FYI.
So - No Scam, No fakes, No copies, just progression from a company that is still improving. Its normal.
Enjoy.
WanaGo wrote:I am in contact with AI Thinker at the moment. Ill ask them about this when I get a moment.
Discussing technical questions via one of their sales ladies, who has borderline English at best - taking longer than it should. Will ask once I get my questions sorted - one thing at a time, don't want to cloud the issue further!
I have 30 of those rounded corner ESP-12E's which I brought of Aliexpress. Will be getting some more from AI Thinker directly soon, as well as some ESP-06's, so will find out what is what, but I agree that they are likely to be an initial production run or something, and issues have since been corrected.
I have been speaking with one of the engineers at AI Thinker.
They are the largest manufacturer of ESP8266 modules in China, so they have been improving their modules since initial release, and sell a huge number. They go out to various distributors and suppliers, and traders, and stock ends up in their stores for varying amounts of time, so when you purchase from a random trader on ebay or Aliexpress, the stock they hold may be months old.
Some of the improvements they have made include the silkscreen which was found to have incorrect markings, as well as 'PCB Splicing' as they called it, which I believe to be how the modules are attached in the panels and separated. Previously they were held together with 'mouse bites' which are the connections with little holes which you snap the boards apart, but they now use v-grooving which allows the boards to be square. The mousebites were on the corners, which in turn led to the older boards having rounded corners due to the location of the holes.
They said they have corrected most mistakes with the ESP-12E's now, however the 'RF Matching' they said is still not as good as the Espressif's ESP-WROOM-02 modules. They have updated their design and have an ESP-12F coming out soon. They have been testing the ESP-12F in a 'microwave dark room' and it is performing very well they said. They will be applying for FCC and have CE compliance on it also, so I am told. It will be in production at the end of this month.
AI Thinker also produce the ESP-WROOM-02 under license for Espressif - Just FYI.
So - No Scam, No fakes, No copies, just progression from a company that is still improving. Its normal.
Enjoy.
!
.
