ESP8266 Community Forum

- Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:46 am #6413

Actually I did finally:

Dip switch settings (seen with the antenna connector top-right):

Dip switch 1 (left)
1 - Off
2 - Off
3 - On connects serial to USB serial (Tx)
4 - Off
5 - On connects Serial to USB serial (Rx)
6 - Off

Dip switch 2 (right)
1 - Off
2 - Off
3 - On connects CH_PD to 3.3V
4 - Off
5 - Off
6 - Off

Interesting. To start with I was trying to hopefully just access the ESP8266-1 serially. My inital Dip switch settings for the left side were 4 and 6 on and the remainder off. With that setup I can see some of the inital AT command occuring from the board;

Code: Select allAT+CWMODE=2
AT+CWSAP="ESP8266","0123456789",11,3
AT+RST
AT+CIPMUX=1
AT+CIPSERVER=1,5000


But cannot enter commands etc.

I have the ESP8266-1 module so I need an interface board. With the main board in the same position my interface board (2 times 2 x 4 headers) is plugged in with the female 2 x 4 on the left side. The ESP8266-module is oriented to the left. Don't ask me why but it works

Assuming you mean to have it oriented like this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kgjsqj7dnpo2m ... 5.jpg?dl=0

This is pure experimental (search & discover) . But it works..... As for all those other functionalities.... You probably need one of those other modules.....

Bottom line.... The board works... The quality is crap... some of the tactile buttons need replacement.... Ther was a big solder blob on the board....[/quote]
I agree the board is low quality. I have a feeling my ESP8266 is damaged (the box was crushed in shipment).

- Tue Jan 06, 2015 5:35 am #6429 I have this board and another development board by Limpkin https://www.tindie.com/products/limpkin/esp8266-wifi-module-breakout/.

I agree that the quality of this board is very poor, sure you get a lot of components but I also have some tactile switches that don't work. When using it my esp just stops working sometimes, the micro usb connection feels like it will break someday soon, and overall I just don't get any confidence with this board.

However, the other board is great, it just works, reliably and quietly, and lets me get on with experimenting with the capabilities of the chip. It's proper open source hardware - so you can see the schematics, the BoM, layout etc. There is good documentation on his website too. The only small drawback is that this board is more expensive, $30+$5 shipping.

Bottom line - I would say if you have a little bit of extra money to spend, you will not regret getting a good quality dev board like the Limpkin board. I see that Necromant and others are also making dev boards, I look forward to seeing their results.

When you are hacking into the unknown, it really really helps to have good tools, because otherwise when you get no response etc. you don't know that it is because of your circuit or because the dev board broke!

- Tue Jan 06, 2015 6:58 am #6437 ...or because the flash chip was picked up in a landfill?

I don't really need 100,000 cycles at all, but I do need to be assured that the flash will survive a few thousand cycles at the very least!

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you. When I can afford it.

- Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:22 am #6440 From the chinese market I don't expect much, since I went to a Chinese store near my home and I bought there an USB extension. The cable didn't work, so I looked for the brand and my mouth opened when I saw that it was the "cheap" brand of a major electronics retailer here in Portugal. I went to the store asking for a replacement and they gave another piece of the same brand. Went home and the result was the same: not working. After all I got my money back, but I will never trust a chinese store guy!

This being said, the use of refurbished chips on the cheap MCU don't scares me...