ESP8266 - CIPSEND & external power supply Hangs program

Question

Updated:

I connected my esp to external power, the blue light stays on, I start getting garbage data. I used voltage regulator which was giving 3.4v, power supply tested with 1A & 2A.

Old problem :

I have been trying to make ESP8266 since my last semester exams & now 2nd semester exams are going on. So i've been trying to make ESP8266 work for very long time. Earlier it was firmware problem, i updated it.

After a lot it worked. I tried many libraries - but none worked, either some are using specific port or some want specific firmware version which is really hard to find & then flash.

I am using telnet to check. When i disable code to send data - i can send data madly, it works & never hangs up. But as i use AT+CPISEND after 1-2 read/write - it stops responding.

I am powering using arduino with/out voltage divider. Its firmware - 0020000903, AT Firmware v1.5, 4mb flash size, I changed baudrate to 9600.

Below is code i worte : ( I intentionally didn't remove comments)

#include <SoftwareSerial.
#define DEBUG true
SoftwareSerial esp8266(9,10); // make RX Arduino line is pin 2, make TX Arduino line is pin 3.
 // This means that you need to connect the TX line from the esp to the Arduino's pin 2
 // and the RX line from the esp to the Arduino's pin 3
void setup()
{
 pinMode(11,OUTPUT);
 digitalWrite(11,LOW);
 pinMode(12,OUTPUT);
 digitalWrite(12,LOW);
 pinMode(13,OUTPUT);
 digitalWrite(13,LOW);
 Serial.begin(9600);
 esp8266.begin(9600); // your esp's baud rate might be different
Serial.print("Sending at..");
 sendData("AT",2000,DEBUG);
 //sendData("AT+RST",2000,DEBUG); // reset module
 sendData("AT+CWMODE=1",1000,DEBUG);
 // sendData("AT+CWLAP",1000,DEBUG);
 //sendData("AT+CIOBAUD=9600",1000,DEBUG);
 //sendData("AT+UART=9600,8,1,0,0",1000,DEBUG);
 //sendData("AT+IPR=9600",1000,DEBUG);
 // sendData("AT+CWJAP_DEF=\"mad\",\"agentis47?orBond?\"",15000,DEBUG);
 //sendData("AT+CWMODE=2\r\n",1000,DEBUG); // configure as access point
 sendData("AT+CIFSR",1000,DEBUG); // get ip address
 sendData("AT+CIPMUX=1",1000,DEBUG); // configure for multiple connections
 sendData("AT+CIPSERVER=1,80",1000,DEBUG); // turn on server on port 80
}
void loop()
{
 if(esp8266.available()) // check if the esp is sending a message 
 {
 while(esp8266.available())
 {
 // The esp has data so display its output to the serial window 
 char c = esp8266.read(); // read the next character.
 Serial.write(c);
 } 
 //Serial.println("IPD Search "+(len));
 if(esp8266.find("+IPD,"))
 {
 delay(20); // wait for the serial buffer to fill up (read all the serial data)
 // get the connection id so that we can then disconnect
 int connectionId = esp8266.read()-48; // subtract 48 because the read() function returns 
 // the ASCII decimal value and 0 (the first decimal number) starts at 48
 esp8266.read(); //skip the comma ','
 //(CIPMUX=0): + IPD, <len>:
 //(CIPMUX=1): + IPD, <id>, <len>: <data>
 int len = (readUntil(":")).toInt();
 if(len>500) len = 500; //prevent extra data we won't be sending more than 500bytes in one go. 
 char data[len];
 esp8266.readBytes(data, len);
 //data[len-2]='0円';
 int pinNumber = (data[0]-48)*10; // get first number i.e. if the pin 13 then the 1st number is 1, then multiply to get 10
 pinNumber += ((data[1])-48); // get second number, i.e. if the pin number is 13 then the 2nd number is 3, then add to the first number
 digitalWrite(pinNumber, !digitalRead(pinNumber)); 
 Serial.println(String(len));
 /*Serial.println("===");
 Serial.println("--");
*/
 //cleanBuffer();
 //delay(10);
 //Serial.println("Sendddiddding data");
 //sendData(connectionId,String("OK"));
 //Serial.println("Sent"); 
 //closeConnection(connectionId);
 //digitalWrite(pinNumber, !digitalRead(pinNumber)); // toggle pin 
 // make close command
 //String closeCommand = "AT+CIPCLOSE="; 
 //closeCommand+=connectionId; // append connection id
 //closeCommand+="\r\n";
 //sendData(closeCommand,1000,DEBUG); // close connection
 }
 }
}
void cleanBuffer(){
 while(esp8266.available())
 {
 // The esp has data so display its output to the serial window 
 char c = esp8266.read(); // read the next character.
 Serial.write(c);
 }
}
String sendData(int connectionId, String data){
 //Serial.println("AT+CIPSEND="+String(connectionId)+ ","+String(data.length()));
 //sendData("AT+CIPSEND="+String(connectionId)+ ","+String(data.length()),1000,DEBUG);
 //sendData(data,100,DEBUG);
 //closeConnection(connectionId);
 String webpage = "<h1>Hello</h1>&lth2>World!</h2><button>LED1</button>";
 String cipSend = "AT+CIPSEND=";
 cipSend += connectionId;
 cipSend += ",";
 cipSend +=webpage.length();
 cipSend +="\r\n";
 sendData(cipSend,1000,DEBUG);
 sendData(webpage,1000,DEBUG);
 webpage="<button>LED2</button>";
 cipSend = "AT+CIPSEND=";
 cipSend += connectionId;
 cipSend += ",";
 cipSend +=webpage.length();
 sendData(cipSend,1000,DEBUG);
 sendData(webpage,1000,DEBUG);
 String closeCommand = "AT+CIPCLOSE="; 
 closeCommand+=connectionId; // append connection id
 sendData(closeCommand,3000,DEBUG);
 /*
 Serial.println("finding prompt");
 if(esp8266.find(">")) //prompt offered by esp8266
 {
 Serial.println("Sending data");
 // Serial.println("found > prompt - issuing GET request"); //a debug message
 esp8266.println(data); //this is our http GET request
 }
 else
 {
 closeConnection(connectionId);
 Serial.println("No '>' prompt received after AT+CPISEND");
 }
*/
}
String closeConnection(int connectionId){
 sendData("AT+CIPCLOSE="+String(connectionId),100,DEBUG);
}
String readUntil(String delimiter){
 String response = ""; 
 char c; 
 unsigned int dLen = delimiter.length(),n=0;
 while(esp8266.available()&&(c= esp8266.read())){
 n= (c==delimiter[n])?n+1:0;
 if(n==dLen) break; 
 response+=c;
 }
 return response;
}
void sendRaw(String data){
esp8266.print(data);
}
String sendCommand(String command){
 esp8266.print(command); // send the read character to the esp8266
 esp8266.print("\r\n");
 esp8266.flush();
}
String sendData(String command, const int timeout, boolean debug)
{
 String response = "";
 esp8266.print(command); // send the read character to the esp8266
 esp8266.print("\r\n");
 esp8266.flush();
 long int time = millis();
 do
 {
 while(esp8266.available())
 {
 // The esp has data so display its output to the serial window 
 char c = esp8266.read(); // read the next character.
 response+=c;
 } 
 }while( (time+timeout) > millis());
 if(debug)
 {
 Serial.print(response);
 } 
 return response;
}

Please help, I am stuck, Is there any other cheaper & better solution ? I am only looking for Wifi.

Answer 1

If you are powering it using Arduino 3.3V pin it is no wonder it does not work. ESP8266 uses more power than Arduino can provide. Power pin on arduino is about 50ma. ESP8266 in receive or send mode uses much more and either halts or restarts.

A table of ESP8266 power consumption can be found here

• Madhurendra Sachan: can you suggest power regulator which is easily available ?
• NccWarp9: any Buck Step Down Converter. There is literally gazillion of them on ebay and on... Use it to step down 5V that you get from any phone charger to 3.3V. You could also use something like this for use with breadboard
• SoreDakeNoKoto: @m11404 you can easily buy a cheap 3.3V linear regulator LM1117T and use it with the Arduino 5V pin, which can supply up to 500mA; a separate 1A supply would be even better.
• Madhurendra Sachan: I already had that... I used 5v,1A adapter... & connected esp without voltage divider... The led in esp was dim... & not responding
• Madhurendra Sachan: I am getting yyyyyyyyy.... Similar as response if I connect external power.