Hardware

Why ESP32C5?

I’m researching hardware options for an upcoming project, and the ESP32 family appears to be the best fit for our current requirements.

For years, a major drawback of Espressif chips was limited support to 2.4GHz WiFi only. Why does this matter? Having a 2.4GHz device on a WiFi network degrades performance for all other devices, forcing users to set up separate WiFi routers just for 2.4GHz devices. Additionally, the initial configuration proved frustrating—when your phone is on 5GHz, the ESP Touch protocol doesn’t work reliably.

Espressif announced on 05/11/2015 the upcoming ESP32 chip:

 

While the specs are impressive a lot of questions a rise :

• Support – Espressif is a small company as far as we knew – would they be able to support both chips in the long term?
• Compatibility with esp8266?  – The new ESP32 will use the RTOS based SDK and most APIs are said to be compatible with the esp8266 SDK.
• Price – The price will be higher than esp8266  but not much higher.

Beta testing program is coming soon.

A Teaser of What to expect from our upcoming WiFi connected 2 channel relay board.

Web UI of the relay board

Main control screen and part of the configuration

Main control screen

Part of the configuration

Schedule editor

Finding the Right Development Board

When developing IoT applications with the ESP8266, two key requirements immediately become apparent: you need sufficient flash memory for your application and firmware, and you need a board that fits comfortably on a breadboard for prototyping and testing.

I faced this challenge and needed to evaluate my options. Soldering additional flash chips onto bare ESP8266 modules wasn’t practical, so I researched alternative boards:

1. NodeMCU boards – These feature larger flash and breadboard compatibility, but come with integrated regulators and USB-to-serial converters that add complexity and bulk.
2. ESP-XX modules with adapters – While available, these adapters tend to be awkward and add unnecessary overhead for development work.
3. Olimex MOD-WIFI-ESP8266-DEV – A purpose-built development module with excellent specifications and clean design.

The winner: Olimex’s MOD-WIFI-ESP8266-DEV

I’ve got a new tool at the LAB!

The Box: 

 

 

The Tool:  

 

Having an oscilloscope is just priceless. You may need it rarely but there are times when you are just lost blind  without it. The video lists all you should now about it and a bit more

If you are considering to get one and you are in EU. I can recommend Silcon.cz – you will get a nice service there.

When repairing stuff with a motor  the first question is:

“Is it the motor or is it the board that failed?”

For a recent Inverter Air Conditioner  board repair the following tool helped to answer that question.

 

Simulate the circuit

The circuit can act as Induction Motor aka asynchronous motor .

Inverter Air Conditioners which use AC motors take the 220V from the grid and turn them into about 150V three phase AC which drives the motor.