Question regarding correct firmware

[garnold]

I'm flashing a NodeMCU LUA CP2102 ESP-12E. Here is a link to the board on Amazon so you can see the exact model I'm using...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010N ... UTF8&psc=1

I've tried the following .bin files and they have not worked. When I say, not worked, I mean that the flash writes just fine but I never see the device on the network. I don't see it's private WiFi access point or the device on my network at all.
ESP_Easy_mega-20190607_normal_core_252_ESP8266_4M
ESP_Easy_mega-20190607_normal_ESP8266_4M

So far the only one that works just fine is the following.
ESP_Easy_mega-20190607_dev_ESP8266_4M

I'm not sure what is the difference between these builds and what I might be missing. Is the build that works good to be using?

[ThomasB]

When I say, not worked, I mean that the flash writes just fine but I never see the device on the network. I don't see it's private WiFi access point or the device on my network at all.

You might learn more about what is going on by monitoring the serial log. Check for any useful messages during the failed boot.

So far the only one that works just fine is the following. ESP_Easy_mega-20190607_dev_ESP8266_4M

When changing firmware versions, I suggest you load blank_4MB.bin to zero out the flash memory space. Then install the ESP_Easy_mega version you want to test.

I'm not sure what is the difference between these builds and what I might be missing.

The NORMAL, TESTING, and DEV release descriptions are explained here: https://www.letscontrolit.com/wiki/inde ... lugin_list

Is the build that works good to be using?

Your "good" build is a development branch. Requires 4MB of flash, so OK to use on your NodeMCU.

If you continue to have problems then try a different 5V supply. ESP modules are picky eaters and prefer clean / steady voltage.

- Thomas

[garnold]

Thomas, could you please point me to the section in the wiki that explains how to use the serial to log when booting? I'll give this a shot tonight.

On a side note, I had a blast playing with MQTT last night sending messages from my phone to CloudMQTT and then having the ESP read those messages.

I had an LED turn on and off based on buttons from my MQTT client I'm running on my phone.

After that success I tried PWM and that worked just as well! I placed a slider on my client and sent values in that changed the brightness of the LED.

I'm blown away how powerful ESP Easy is and how easily I'm going to be able to build projects.

I still love to code and see a use for it, but to just have some fun and knock out projects fast, ESP Easy is totally the way to go.

I've started sharing this tool on other forums that I support to let others know just how impressed I am with it!

[ThomasB]

... could you please point me to the section in the wiki that explains how to use the serial to log when booting?

1. Connect PC to USB port on ESP Module.
2. Launch your favorite serial terminal program (e.g. PuTTY).
3. Connect using 115200 baud (8 bit / 1 stop / No Parity).
4. Push Reset Button on ESP module.
5. Observe boot messages. It will provide crash details if things go badly on boot.

If the boot is successful then you can manually issue a variety of system commands through the serial port. For example, you can set the DEBUG level so you can observe run-time log messages.
The command reference wiki is here:
https://www.letscontrolit.com/wiki/inde ... _Reference

- Thomas

[garnold]

Thank you Thomas, exactly what I needed to know

Sorry, this seems more like a standard way of communicating with these boards and I'm still learning. I'll test this out and report back what I have learned.