Flashing ESP01

[bertbigb]

Hello All,

I'm a newbie at this forum and I'm struggling already a few day's with the following;

On OSX I installed the arduino IDE. I followed the instructions on https://www.letscontrolit.com/wiki/inde ... are_Upload

So far so good. Now I want to flash ESP Easy to my ESP-01 module bought at aliexpress, I have the black one.
(https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shi ... Title=true)

This ESP-01 I have connected to a FT232RL-FTDI-USB-to-TTL-Serial-Adapter-Module-for-Arduino-Mini-Port-3-3V-5V (put it on 3,3V)

(https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/FT232RL- ... 0.0.tkVnNb)

I have connected these 2 components in the following way:

ESP-01 - FTDI.png

Now the questions comes:

Screen Shot 2017-04-16 at 15.42.43.png

What board and other settings do I have to choose here?

More or less the same question is what programmer do I have to choose;

Screen Shot 2017-04-16 at 15.44.28.png

Compiling the sketch for the Generic ESP8266 gives errors but for NodeMCU 1.0 it is going OK, but I can't get it flashed.

All newbie questions but I hope for some answers so I can come on my way

[Shardan]

Hello Bert,

For flashing it is just uploading to the COM-port of your programmer.
Alternatively you may export to a binary file with the IDE and use the flash tool from the .bin files of ESPEasy.

Second, use a separate power supply for the ESP-01.
I know the reports on the net about people doing it with the 3,3V from the programmmer.
Due to my experiences that leads into problems more often then to success.

Third: Do not use cheap FTDI FT232 programmers!
The FT232 chip costs around 3..4 USD in lots of thousand. Compare to the price of your module.
Ft232 is a "most faked" chip. The drivers for the chip recognize a fake and replace the code sent
with some garbage.
A genuine FTDI programmer is expensive. Cheap - and working - alternatives:
Programmers with CP2102 or CH340G. They do the same job.

Fourth: Check the MemSize of your ESP-01.
Older ESP-01 have 512 KB, newer ones have 1 MB of flash.
The smaller version is not suitable to ESPEasy Mega.

Regards
Shardan

[bertbigb]

Hello Bert,

For flashing it is just uploading to the COM-port of your programmer.
Alternatively you may export to a binary file with the IDE and use the flash tool from the .bin files of ESPEasy.

Hi Sharda, first of all thanks for your quick answers.
OK I understand and will try

Second, use a separate power supply for the ESP-01.
I know the reports on the net about people doing it with the 3,3V from the programmmer.
Due to my experiences that leads into problems more often then to success.

Thanks, I think this is a good advise and wil change my setup accordingly

Third: Do not use cheap FTDI FT232 programmers!
The FT232 chip costs around 3..4 USD in lots of thousand. Compare to the price of your module.
Ft232 is a "most faked" chip. The drivers for the chip recognize a fake and replace the code sent
with some garbage.
A genuine FTDI programmer is expensive. Cheap - and working - alternatives:
Programmers with CP2102 or CH340G. They do the same job.

Please can you advise me a "good" one?
I bought this one on advise of mysensors. But no problem, i realize I need good equipment

Fourth: Check the MemSize of your ESP-01.
Older ESP-01 have 512 KB, newer ones have 1 MB of flash.
The smaller version is not suitable to ESPEasy Mega.

Do you have any advise how I can check this? Anyhow I will use google to find out

[Shardan]

Hello again,

some very indeep analysis about the differences between the genuine FTDI FT232 and the faked chips
can be found here: https://zeptobars.com/en/read/FTDI-FT23 ... e-supereal
Be aware - very in deep. They disassembled the chips, etched off the metal layers and show
detailed microscope pictures with explanation.

Well, the genuine FTDI works well, no doubt. But they are expensive.
A progger with a genuine FTDI will cost at very least 10... 15 USD.
I use these progger cables... Look at the price: https://www.reichelt.de/Programmer-Entw ... ANGUAGE=EN

Example CH340G:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Sh ... 69176.html

Example CP2102:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PCS-CP ... 0cf678d310

I've several different breakout boards with those chips. There is even a board made by WeMos:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/WEMOS-C ... e8db91f454

With all these programmers watch out for one point:
Make sure they are set to 3,3V. The above modules have a jumper, the WeMOS has a solder point under the PCB.
Some of them can even handle RTS/CTS so flashing a ESP 8266 can be automated (No "reset" or handling GPIO0).
The RTS has to be used for that, on the WeMos there is a small solder point to set the plug accordingly.
Both solder points are visible on the photos with the offer.

For myself i prefer the CH340G ones, the one shown above or the WeMos which is a bit more advanced. But i have tested some CP2102 working too.

About the Flash size.... that's a bit difficult to say as there are many versions of the ESP-01.
The manufacturers are not too consequent with their markings and offers.
I've found an ESP-01, offer said 8Mbyte... some chinese people don't know
the difference between Mbyte and MBit.... it had 1 MByte flash.
So be aware: I can give some hints, but they may hit your items - or not.
The first version is mostly recognizeable from a blue pcb. It usually has 512KB.
The following version had a 1 MB flash but for what reason ever there were only 512KB usable for ESPEasy.
I never managed to use the full memory even the flash chip was a 1Mbyte type. Maybe another fake chip?
The usual 1MB ESP-01 has a black pcb.
There is an even newer version called ESP-01S with 1MB and some revamped design details.

Another ESP-01 is the ESP-01V3. I didn't have a sample of these so i can't say much about it.
Due to a thread here they have a changed pinout, i can't confirm that due to lack of samples.

A simple way to check: Just try the binaries with 512 and 1024 size.
Another way: Try to identify the flash chip on the ESP-01. It's the one with 8 pins.
Look what's printed on the chip and look it up in the net.

Regards
Shardan

[bertbigb]

Hi Shardan,

Thanks for your kind and good answers.
I ordered a few CH340G ones and will have to wait till they get delivered and will try then to program the ESP-01 again
In the mean time I will try to figure out what ESP-01 I have and see that I get it programmed.

For now --> Project on Hold

[Shardan]

Hello Bert,

can you take a photo from the ESP-01, as detailed as possible?
Maybe i can help out fast with determining type.

Regards
Shardan

[bertbigb]

Hello Bert,

can you take a photo from the ESP-01, as detailed as possible?
Maybe i can help out fast with determining type.

Regards
Shardan

That would be really nice, the light is not good anymore so I have to use flash.

IMG_3416.JPG

But I can try tomorrow t take better pictures and send them. if quality is not OK for you


It is a black ESP-01 and the 8 pins chips states:
BergMicro
25Q16ASSOG or CG
1413

On the print is written N-Cloud 1inside in white letters.
Probably this helps already a little bit

[Shardan]

Hello Bert,

it's the older "ESP-01" layout with two LEDs as far as i can see. The newer ones (ESP-01S) have only one LED
The white printing (called "Silk") says "AI Cloud inside" - these silk printings are copied so often that it is badly readable sometimes

As far as i can see this should have at least 1MB of flash.
The chip is a W25Q16 developed by Winbond. Due to the data sheet http://www.datasheetspdf.com/PDF/25Q16/727460/1 it is a dual SPI chip with 16MBit.
I assume that the second channel is not connected so the ESP will run with 1 MByte.

Use the 1024-Binary, it should work. (my one does, i have these modules too).

Regards
Shardan