Hardware Problems - Revision history

Ctreber at 13:42, 24 June 2018

2018-06-24T13:42:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:42, 24 June 2018
Line 5:		Line 5:
	Bugs are not limited to software - plain electricity can be tricky, too! Sometimes it even kills (and I'm referring to Arduinos here).		Bugs are not limited to software - plain electricity can be tricky, too! Sometimes it even kills (and I'm referring to Arduinos here).

			* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground; this is important to the health of your Arduino!)
	* [[Sufficient power-supply]] - Some chips suck (power)		* [[Sufficient power-supply]] - Some chips suck (power)
	* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)
	* [[Port-Power]] - How to not power an Arduino (via an I/O port)		* [[Port-Power]] - How to not power an Arduino (via an I/O port)
	* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)		* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)

	[[IoT with AME\|Home]]		[[IoT with AME\|Home]]

Ctreber: /* Embedded Hardware Problems */

2018-06-24T13:32:43Z

Embedded Hardware Problems

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:32, 24 June 2018
Line 7:		Line 7:
	* [[Sufficient power-supply]] - Some chips suck (power)		* [[Sufficient power-supply]] - Some chips suck (power)
	* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)		* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)
			* [[Port-Power]] - How to not power an Arduino (via an I/O port)
	* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)		* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)

	[[IoT with AME\|Home]]		[[IoT with AME\|Home]]

Ctreber at 12:46, 15 June 2018

2018-06-15T12:46:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:46, 15 June 2018
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	[[IoT with AME\|Home]]		[[IoT with AME\|Home]]

	=Hardware Problems ~~- Bugs are not limited to software~~=		=Embedded Hardware Problems=

	~~The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.~~		Bugs are not limited to software - plain electricity can be tricky, too! Sometimes it even kills (and I'm referring to Arduinos here).

	~~On the other hand, the ESP8266 is quite a hand full: It creates power spikes that have negative impact on its own operation and possibly that of your circuit, it experiences out~~-~~of-the-blue resets that have to~~ be ~~dealt with~~, ~~and~~ it ~~suffers hang-ups that can only be cured with a hardware reset or uttering "The IT Crowd" mantra~~ (~~"have you tried turning it off~~ and ~~on again"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2FB1P_Mn8~~).

	I have had A LOT of problems with the ESP8266 before I had a lot of fun. Some can be solved with the proper power supply, a bit of hardware, and somewhat sophisticated error handling. Other, more persistent problems can only be addressed with resetting the chip or even cycling the power.

	* [[Sufficient power-supply]] - Some chips suck (power)		* [[Sufficient power-supply]] - Some chips suck (power)
	* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)		* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)
	* [[Flaky ESP8266 Behavior]] - It's not always you, sometime the ESP8266 has it's own mind
	* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)		* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)

	[[IoT with AME\|Home]]		[[IoT with AME\|Home]]

Ctreber at 23:12, 14 June 2018

2018-06-14T23:12:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:12, 14 June 2018
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	[[~~Stacks~~]]		[[IoT with AME\|Home]]

	=Hardware Problems - Bugs are not limited to software=		=Hardware Problems - Bugs are not limited to software=
Line 14:		Line 14:
	* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)		* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)

	[[~~Stacks~~]]		[[IoT with AME\|Home]]

Ctreber at 23:10, 14 June 2018

2018-06-14T23:10:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:10, 14 June 2018
Line 12:		Line 12:
	* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)		* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)
	* [[Flaky ESP8266 Behavior]] - It's not always you, sometime the ESP8266 has it's own mind		* [[Flaky ESP8266 Behavior]] - It's not always you, sometime the ESP8266 has it's own mind
	* [[C++ is not Java]] - C++ can be harsh for people used to Java. Especially memory handling holds a number of surprises.
	* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)		* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)

	[[Stacks]]		[[Stacks]]

Ctreber at 23:03, 14 June 2018

2018-06-14T23:03:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:03, 14 June 2018
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[Stacks]]		[[Stacks]]

	=Hardware Problems - ~~Current spikes, Flaky ESP8266 behavior~~=		=Hardware Problems - Bugs are not limited to software=

	The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.		The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.
Line 9:		Line 9:
	I have had A LOT of problems with the ESP8266 before I had a lot of fun. Some can be solved with the proper power supply, a bit of hardware, and somewhat sophisticated error handling. Other, more persistent problems can only be addressed with resetting the chip or even cycling the power.		I have had A LOT of problems with the ESP8266 before I had a lot of fun. Some can be solved with the proper power supply, a bit of hardware, and somewhat sophisticated error handling. Other, more persistent problems can only be addressed with resetting the chip or even cycling the power.

	~~==Power Supply==~~		* [[Sufficient power-supply]] - Some chips suck (power)
			* [[Staying well-grounded]] - Why not everybody can have their own GND (ground)
	~~The chip sometimes needs quite a lot of power (current), in example when connecting to a WLAN, or setting up a connection. It definitely needs a proper~~ power supply (~~using the 3.3V supply of the Arduino is NOT enough). Additionally, give it a 100uF or greater electrolytic capacitor across the~~ power ~~pins, as close to the chip as possible (I soldered it ONTO the chip~~)~~. The capacitor acts as a buffer when the demand of the chip surges; this helps the stable, reliable operation of the chip and the operation of the rest of your device.~~		* [[Flaky ESP8266 Behavior]] - It's not always you, sometime the ESP8266 has it's own mind
			* [[C++ is not Java]] - C++ can be harsh for people used to Java. Especially memory handling holds a number of surprises.
	If you get erratic or unexpected behavior, try these measures first. I wasted hours looking for presumed software bugs that were caused by insufficient supply voltage, loose/ corroded contacts, and wimpy power supplies that could not ~~supply the current required.~~		* Fun with [[pitfalls-power lan\|power LAN]] adapters (don't plug your fridge into one)

	==Flaky ESP8266 Behavior==

	It ~~resets itself, it produces garbage output, it plain hangs, it does~~ not ~~behave as expected - what can~~ you ~~about it?~~

	~~My Arduino library uses three levels of measures to straighten out the balking chip:~~

	* Soft-reset, ~~by issuing a "restart" command to~~ the ~~ESP~~
	* ~~Hard~~-~~reset, by connecting an Arduino digital port pin~~ to ~~the reset pin of the ESP~~. ~~This just requires~~ a ~~piece~~ of ~~cable~~.
	* ~~"Turn if off and on again", by connecting an Arduino digital port pin to a transistor that controls the ESP~~ power ~~supply. That requires two transistors and a bit of wiring.~~

	~~You can~~'t ~~do more without modifying the ESP8266 firmware.~~

	[[Stacks]]		[[Stacks]]

Ctreber at 21:12, 3 July 2017

2017-07-03T21:12:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:12, 3 July 2017
Line 17:		Line 17:
	==Flaky ESP8266 Behavior==		==Flaky ESP8266 Behavior==

	It resets, it hangs, it does not behave as expected - what can you about it?		It resets itself, it produces garbage output, it plain hangs, it does not behave as expected - what can you about it?

	My Arduino library uses three levels of measures to straighten out the balking chip:		My Arduino library uses three levels of measures to straighten out the balking chip:

Ctreber: /* Hardware Problems */

2017-07-03T20:04:33Z

Hardware Problems

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:04, 3 July 2017
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[Stacks]]		[[Stacks]]

	=Hardware Problems=		=Hardware Problems - Current spikes, Flaky ESP8266 behavior=

	The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.		The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.
Line 14:		Line 14:

	If you get erratic or unexpected behavior, try these measures first. I wasted hours looking for presumed software bugs that were caused by insufficient supply voltage, loose/ corroded contacts, and wimpy power supplies that could not supply the current required.		If you get erratic or unexpected behavior, try these measures first. I wasted hours looking for presumed software bugs that were caused by insufficient supply voltage, loose/ corroded contacts, and wimpy power supplies that could not supply the current required.

			==Flaky ESP8266 Behavior==

			It resets, it hangs, it does not behave as expected - what can you about it?

			My Arduino library uses three levels of measures to straighten out the balking chip:

			* Soft-reset, by issuing a "restart" command to the ESP
			* Hard-reset, by connecting an Arduino digital port pin to the reset pin of the ESP. This just requires a piece of cable.
			* "Turn if off and on again", by connecting an Arduino digital port pin to a transistor that controls the ESP power supply. That requires two transistors and a bit of wiring.

			You can't do more without modifying the ESP8266 firmware.

	[[Stacks]]		[[Stacks]]

Ctreber at 15:03, 3 July 2017

2017-07-03T15:03:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:03, 3 July 2017
Line 5:		Line 5:
	The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.		The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.

	On the other hand, the ESP8266 is quite a hand full: It creates power spikes that have negative impact on its own operation, it ~~has~~ out-of-the-blue resets that have to be dealt with, and it ~~experiences~~ hang-ups that can be ~~only~~ cured with a hardware reset or "The IT Crowd" mantra ("have you tried turning it off and on again"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2FB1P_Mn8).		On the other hand, the ESP8266 is quite a hand full: It creates power spikes that have negative impact on its own operation and possibly that of your circuit, it experiences out-of-the-blue resets that have to be dealt with, and it suffers hang-ups that can only be cured with a hardware reset or uttering "The IT Crowd" mantra ("have you tried turning it off and on again"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2FB1P_Mn8).

	I have had A LOT of problems with the ESP8266. Some can be solved with the proper power supply, a bit of hardware, and somewhat sophisticated error handling. Other, more persistent problems can only be addressed with resetting the chip or even cycling the power.		I have had A LOT of problems with the ESP8266 before I had a lot of fun. Some can be solved with the proper power supply, a bit of hardware, and somewhat sophisticated error handling. Other, more persistent problems can only be addressed with resetting the chip or even cycling the power.

	==Power Supply==		==Power Supply==

Ctreber: Created page with "Stacks =Hardware Problems= The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks. On the other hand, the ESP8266 is quite a hand f..."

2017-07-03T12:02:45Z

Created page with "Stacks =Hardware Problems= The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks. On the other hand, the ESP8266 is quite a hand f..."

New page

[[Stacks]]

=Hardware Problems=

The EP8266 is great: It gives your IoT device WLAN and IP connectivity for only a few bucks.

On the other hand, the ESP8266 is quite a hand full: It creates power spikes that have negative impact on its own operation, it has out-of-the-blue resets that have to be dealt with, and it experiences hang-ups that can be only cured with a hardware reset or "The IT Crowd" mantra ("have you tried turning it off and on again"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2FB1P_Mn8).

I have had A LOT of problems with the ESP8266. Some can be solved with the proper power supply, a bit of hardware, and somewhat sophisticated error handling. Other, more persistent problems can only be addressed with resetting the chip or even cycling the power.

==Power Supply==

The chip sometimes needs quite a lot of power (current), in example when connecting to a WLAN, or setting up a connection. It definitely needs a proper power supply (using the 3.3V supply of the Arduino is NOT enough). Additionally, give it a 100uF or greater electrolytic capacitor across the power pins, as close to the chip as possible (I soldered it ONTO the chip). The capacitor acts as a buffer when the demand of the chip surges; this helps the stable, reliable operation of the chip and the operation of the rest of your device.

If you get erratic or unexpected behavior, try these measures first. I wasted hours looking for presumed software bugs that were caused by insufficient supply voltage, loose/ corroded contacts, and wimpy power supplies that could not supply the current required.

[[Stacks]]