ESP8266 Community Forum

- Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:32 pm #56809 So I have the esp-01 with the esp8266 chip on board. I'm having trouble with my 3.3v regulator that offers 100ma of current, sometimes the esp8266 doesn't even power up.

I have 5V USB as my primary power source. What current requirement does this chip have? I also tried a voltage divider set of resistors but this works worse than the 3.3v 100ma regulator. Are there any recommended voltage regulators for running this chip?

- Thu Oct 20, 2016 6:23 am #56831 If you dont have a 3.3Volts regulator, you can make one,. You can use LM317 VOltage regulator, You can search for the R1 and R2 values to suit for your 3.3Volts requirement.

- Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:19 pm #56855 100mA is definitely not enough, the ESP draws up to 300mA during Wifi transmissions.
Any regulator that can supply at least 300mA continuously should do, personally I have used XC6206 and cheap switch mode converters from aliexpress (labeled "mini 360") without issues.
I would also recommend adding a 100uF or higher capacitor (low ESR) on the 3.3V rail.

- Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:37 pm #56865

If you dont have a 3.3Volts regulator, you can make one,. You can use LM317 VOltage regulator, You can search for the R1 and R2 values to suit for your 3.3Volts requirement.

I mistakenly purchased the lm317l which only provides 100ma current That's what I'm using now.
I'm thinking about using the lm1117-3.3