Moderator: igrr
I want to disable the USB
If you want to stay with the board type you are using, you could remove the usb connector, or even easier fill the usb socket with hot glue or the like.
The CH340 chip is a power thief...
It's comprised of two boards: one ESP board and one UART board. You can simply attach both board to program the ESP and then detach them to only use the ESP board (the USB-connector on the ESP board is only used for power).