How to Test an ESP-01 ESP8266 Module

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 19:31:54 +0000

Figure 1. ESP-01 ESP8266 Module

When you buy a new ESP-01 ESP8266 module, the very first thing to do is to test it. That is, you need to make sure that you have a good and working ESP-01 module. We will take a look at the different methods of testing the ESP-01 ESP8266 Wi-Fi module.

Differences Between ESP-01 and ESP-01S ESP8266 Module

Before we proceed, be aware that there are two (2) versions of ESP-01 modules. The older ESP-01 module and the newer ESP-01S module. Both modules are functionally the same. However, there are two points worth mentioning here.

Figure 2. ESP-01 Module and ESP-01S Module Comparison

First, the ESP-01 has two (2) LEDs, a red LED power indicator and a blue LED that indicates serial activity. On the other hand, the newer ESP-01S has only one (1) LED, the blue LED light (see Figure 2 above). Moreover, the blue LED serial activity indicator light is wired differently on each module. That is, on an ESP-01 module, it is connected on the TX pin (GPIO1) while on the ESP-01S module, it is connected on the GPIO2 pin. And as a side note, pins GPIO0 and GPIO1 are both serial TX capable pins (refer to the ESP-01S schematic diagram at the end of this article).

Second, the ESP-01S module has three (3) additional on-board resistors used as pull-up resistors. These pull-up resistors are 12K-ohm resistors each connected on the GPIO0, the RESET, and the CH_PD pins. You may also want to refer again to the ESP-01S schematic diagram included at the end of this article.

Quick and Dirty Test

The ESP-01 module is shipped with a program called AT firmware. The firmware will let you send AT commands to configure and program the module. More important, the module is configured as a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) when shipped. Therefore, a quick and dirty test is to power the ESP-01 module and use a smartphone to connect to the Access Point.

Power up the ESP-01 module as shown in Figure 3. Notice that we need to connect the ESP-01 module to a 3.3V power supply. Do not connect the ESP-01 module to the 3.3V output of an Arduino board. Provide a separate 3.3V power supply with sufficient current capacity. Also, note that a 10K ohms resistor is connected from the CH_PD pin to the VCC or the 3.3V supply. The CH_PD (Chip Power Down / Enable Pin) pin has to be pulled up to the VCC for the module to function. If you have the ESP-01S module, you do not need to connect a 10K ohm resistor on the CH_PD pin. As per discussion above on the differences between the ESP-01 and the ESP-01S modules, the ESP-01S already has a 12K-ohm pull-up resistor on the CH_PD pin.

Figure 3. ESP-01 8266 Module with Power Supply

After powering up, you should see the ESP-01 access point when you scan for Wi-Fi devices. The default SSID of the ESP-01 module I am using is ESP_7B0F95. See Figure 4.

Figure 4. Smartphone Wi-Fi Scan

Connect to the ESP-01 Access Point.

Figure 5. Smartphone Wi-Fi Connected to ESP-01 Access Point

Click on the Settings icon (gear icon) and see the network details of the ESP-01 module Access Point.

Figure 6. The ESP-01 Access Point Network Properties

AT Command Test

For the next test, you need an ESP-01 programmer or flasher. An inexpensive programmer/flasher is shown below in Figures 7. In Figure 8, the ESP-01 module is shown inserted into the programmer/flasher. If you do not have a programmer/flasher, it is possible to use an Arduino board as a programmer/flasher. Also, if you have a USB-to-serial(TTL) converter, you could wire it up as an ESP-01 programmer/flasher.

Figure 7. An ESP-01 Programmer/Flasher

Figure 8. ESP-01 Module on a Programmer/Flasher

Insert the ESP-01 module to the programmer as shown in Figure 8 and plug the programmer to the computer. If it is your first time to use your programmer/flasher, you may have to install its device driver. Open the Arduino IDE and set the appropriate COM port for your programmer (Figure 9). For the meantime, there is no need to set the Board type.

Figure 9. The Arduino IDE Showing How to Select COM port

Open the Serial Monitor and change the settings as shown in Figure 10. The line ending setting must be set to both newline and carriage return, “Both NL & CR”. Additionally, the baud rate setting must be set to “115200 baud”.

Figure 10. The Arduino IDE Serial Monitor Settings

Now type “AT”, press the return key and the ESP-01 module should reply “OK”.

To view the ESP-01 module firmware version, type “AT+GMR”.

Type “AT+CIFSR” to view the Access Point’s IP address and network MAC address. See Figure 11 for the output display.

Figure 11. The Arduino IDE Serial Monitor Showing the Results of AT Commands

For a complete guide on the ESP-01 module AT commands, see ESP8266 – AT Command Reference.

Programming with Arduino IDE

In the next test, we will upload a modified version of the sample sketch Blink from the Arduino IDE. The sketch should make the blue LED on the ESP-01 module turn on and off.

IMPORTANT
Uploading an Arduino sketch to the ESP-01 module will erase the AT firmware. The AT commands will not work anymore after the upload. If you want to be able to restore the original firmware, please see the article
How to Save and Restore ESP8266 and ESP32 Firmware.

With the ESP-01 module still in the programmer/flasher, open the Arduino IDE and change the Board setting to “Generic ESP8266 Module” as shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12. The Arduino IDE Showing How to Set the MCU Board

Create a new sketch, copy and paste the blink program shown below. Upload the sketch to the ESP-01 module. The blue LED should start blinking after successfully uploading the sketch.

/*
 * cyberblogspot.com 01Feb2023
 */

#define LED_BUILTIN 1                // GPIO1 for ESP-01, GPIO2 for ESP-01S
                                     // Change to 2 for ESP-01S module
void setup() {
  pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);   
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);   // Turn the LED on (ESP-01 LED is active low)
  delay(1000);                      
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);  // Turn the LED off 
  delay(1000);                     
}

Schematic Diagram of ESP-01S ESP8266 Wi-Fi Module

Figure 13. ESP-01S Wi-Fi Module Schematic Diagram

References on How to Test an ESP-01 ESP8266 Module

ESP8266 on Wikipedia

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How to Install ATTinyCore on Arduino IDE

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 06:17:37 +0000

In order to program an ATtiny microcontroller in Arduino IDE, we need to install the ATTinyCore Arduino core. The ATTinycore was written by Spence Konde. It supports almost the whole family of ATtiny AVR microcontrollers. The following ATtiny microcontrollers are supported:

ATtiny1634
ATtiny2313/4313
ATtiny24/44/84
ATtiny441/841
ATtiny25/45/85
ATtiny261/461/861
ATtiny87/167
ATtiny48/88
ATTiny43
ATtiny828

Additionally, the ATTinyCore supports programming via ICSP AVR programmers, Serial (Optiboot), and VUSB (Micronucleus).

1. Install the Arduino IDE

If you don’t have the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) yet, you can download it here. As of this writing, the latest stable version is 1.8.19.

Arduino IDE Download Page

2. Add the ATTinyCore URL to the Board Manager

Open the Arduino IDE and on the main menu, select Files -> Preferences. In the Additional Boards Manager URLs textbox, type the URL “http://drazzy.com/package_drazzy.com_index.json“, and then press the OK button.

Arduino IDE with the File –> Preferences Settings

If the textbox already contains additional URLs, press the button on the right side of the textbox. A window will appear where you can type the URL on a new line.

Additional Boards Manager URLs Window

3. Install the Board

On the main menu, select Tools -> Board -> Board Manager.

Arduino IDE Showing the Board Manager Menu

When the Board Manager window appears, change the board Type from All to Contributed (1). Next, find and select the ATTinyCore board (2). Then, click the Install button (3). And finally, close the Board Manager window by clicking the Close button (4).

Annotated Arduino IDE Board Manager Window

Select the Board

From the main menu, open Tools –> Board –> ATTinyCore and then select the appropriate ATtiny board for your microcontroller.

Note that in selecting a board, you will have to choose among No bootloader, Optiboot, and Micronucleus. First, choose No bootloader if you are programming with an AVR programmer. Second, select Optiboot if your ATtiny MCU has been previously burned with an Optiboot bootloader and it is wired as an Optiboot serial device. Finally, select Micronucleus if the MCU has been flushed with a Micronucleus bootloader and connected as a USB device. For more information about these three (3) programming modes, please see How to Program ATtiny85 in Arduino IDE.

Arduino IDE Showing the List of ATTinyCore Supported Boards

The next and final step depends on your chosen programming mode. If you select No bootloader, then you will need to choose a programmer. Open Tools –> Programmer and select the AVR programmer you are going to use. You may also have to specify the Port if your AVR programmer uses the serial port. Although most AVR programmers like the USBasp and USBtinyISP are USB devices and you won’t have to specify the port.

Arduino IDE Showing the List of ATTinyCore Supported AVR Programmers

If you choose Optiboot, you need to specify the serial port. Open Tools –> Port and select the port for your ATtiny microcontroller.

Arduino IDE Showing Port Selection

Finally, if you choose Micronucleus, you also don’t have to specify the port because Micronucleus uses a virtual USB device.

Now, you’re ready to start programming your ATtiny microcontroller!

References on How to Install ATTinyCore on Arduino IDE

How to Install Arduino IDE on Windows 10
How to Program ATtiny85 with Arduino IDE
Digispark USB Device Not Recognized
ATTinyCore – ATtiny Arduino core by Spence Konde

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