💬 ESP-LINK ESP8266 WeMos D1 Mini Adapter Board

[NeverDie]

I don't think WeMos ever made one with the ESP-12E antenna. IIRC, from Day 1 WeMos was using the ESP-12F. From what I've heard, the 12F antenna is significantly better than the 12E and predecessor antennas. I originally purchased ESP-13 modules, because they had the upgraded antenna, but that was before the ESP-12F came out. I'm happy with the ESP-13's, but I don't know that they have any advantage over the ESP-12F. I now prefer the ESP-12F, if only because it's a bit more compact. Also, the ESP-12F has an LED on the module, whereas the ESP-13's don't.

[NeverDie]

Anyhow, I think I'll order one of the 16 Megabyte "Pro" versions to give it a spin. I hear you can now run Micropython on an ESP8266, and that might be fun. Who knows? Maybe it could even function as an MQTT server. That would be cool if it could.

[kalle]

I have bought all my Wemos D1 (30 pcs) from the original seller to get sure they work and they do.

https://de.aliexpress.com/store/1331105

[NeverDie]

@kalle said:

I have bought all my Wemos D1 (30 pcs) from the original seller to get sure they work and they do.

https://de.aliexpress.com/store/1331105

I would do the same, except the original seller doesn't ship by ePacket delivery. I'm guessing less expensive clones are probably fine for experimenting with, but for an install that needs to last for years and not fail I imagine Wemos (aka "the original seller") maybe has more reason to care about quality control and not cut corners since it's their branded name on the line.

I'm curious to know: what is it you're doing that requires 30 D1 Mini's?

[kalle]

Haha, good question and here is the answer:
We have created a IR/RF Blaster ;-)
The video and description show you not the newest version, but it give you an idea of it.

http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=IR/RF_Device

I was inspired by mysensors member "blacey" - https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1402/ir-blaster-progress
because he never finished his project ;-)

Kalle

[Nca78]

@NeverDie said:

@kalle said:

I have bought all my Wemos D1 (30 pcs) from the original seller to get sure they work and they do.

https://de.aliexpress.com/store/1331105

I would do the same, except the original seller doesn't ship by ePacket delivery. I'm guessing less expensive clones are probably fine for experimenting with, but for an install that needs to last for years and not fail I imagine Wemos (aka "the original seller") maybe has more reason to care about quality control and not cut corners since it's their branded name on the line.

I'm curious to know: what is it you're doing that requires 30 D1 Mini's?

Obviously when looking at the clones up there, Wemos is the one cutting the corners... of the PCB ;)
Bought mines from Wemos too, ESP8266 board tend to be very unstable without a good power supply and I prefer paying 1€ more than waste hours if not days trying to solve a problem that's due to a cheap component. A bad experience with a nodemcu board has vaccinated me...

[NeverDie]

@Nca78 said:

@NeverDie said:

@kalle said:

I have bought all my Wemos D1 (30 pcs) from the original seller to get sure they work and they do.

https://de.aliexpress.com/store/1331105

I would do the same, except the original seller doesn't ship by ePacket delivery. I'm guessing less expensive clones are probably fine for experimenting with, but for an install that needs to last for years and not fail I imagine Wemos (aka "the original seller") maybe has more reason to care about quality control and not cut corners since it's their branded name on the line.

I'm curious to know: what is it you're doing that requires 30 D1 Mini's?

Obviously when looking at the clones up there, Wemos is the one cutting the corners... of the PCB ;)
Bought mines from Wemos too, ESP8266 board tend to be very unstable without a good power supply and I prefer paying 1€ more than waste hours if not days trying to solve a problem that's due to a cheap component. A bad experience with a nodemcu board has vaccinated me...

I agree that having adequate power and power quality seems to be very important for anything with a radio, whether it be wi-fi, rfm69, or nrf24L01+. Or even Raspberry Pi's for that matter. If there's a mystery hardware problem, it's the first thing I check, because so often it's the culprit. I've also noticed that microusb conections are often lousy and drop too much voltage. It probably doesn't help either when a micro usb is surface mounted and there's little to nothing mechanical anchoring it in place besides a little solder paste. IIRC, that was part of the Pi's problem. Anyhow, something to keep in mind when troubleshooting.

[NeverDie]

@kalle said:

Haha, good question and here is the answer:
We have created a IR/RF Blaster ;-)
The video and description show you not the newest version, but it give you an idea of it.

http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=IR/RF_Device

I was inspired by mysensors member "blacey" - https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1402/ir-blaster-progress
because he never finished his project ;-)

Kalle

I have an Amazon Echo that I like a lot, although I'm vastly under-utilizing it. Is Voice Commando as good as it is at understanding speech? If you mated your IR blasting orb to Amazon echo, I'm sure you'd find a large, receptive audience.

[kalle]

@NeverDie said:

I have an Amazon Echo that I like a lot, although I'm vastly under-utilizing it. Is Voice Commando as good as it is at understanding speech? If you mated your IR blasting orb to Amazon echo, I'm sure you'd find a large, receptive audience.

Thanks and yes VoxCommando has a lot of more advantages as the Amazon Echo but it is hard for me to list it all here. I'm sure the Amazon Echo has also its authority, but I don't really know how the Amazon Echo works. VoxCommando do not need a internet connection to communicate to a device and for me it is important to know that my spoken commands will not send over the net to an cloud server. You can use any kind of prefix to start VoxCommando to listening for a command if you don't like "Alexa" ;-)
You can try VoxCommando, because it has a full working trial version http://voxcommando.com/home/downloads/

PS: VoxCommando has also a python API to communicate to mysensors device

[NeverDie]

@kalle said:

@NeverDie said:

I have an Amazon Echo that I like a lot, although I'm vastly under-utilizing it. Is Voice Commando as good as it is at understanding speech? If you mated your IR blasting orb to Amazon echo, I'm sure you'd find a large, receptive audience.

Thanks and yes VoxCommando has a lot of more advantages as the Amazon Echo but it is hard for me to list it all here. I'm sure the Amazon Echo has also its authority, but I don't really know how the Amazon Echo works. VoxCommando do not need a internet connection to communicate to a device and for me it is important to know that my spoken commands will not send over the net to an cloud server. You can use any kind of prefix to start VoxCommando to listening for a command if you don't like "Alexa" ;-)
You can try VoxCommando, because it has a full working trial version http://voxcommando.com/home/downloads/

PS: VoxCommando has also a python API to communicate to mysensors device

Does VoxCommando work well if it's hooked up to an array microphone so that it's always listening? One of the strong points of Alexa is that you don't have to pick up a microphone to talk to it. I can talk from across the room, and Alexa still understands me just fine.

[kalle]

@NeverDie
I use personally different types of mics. Wireless mic, my mobile phone (there is a extra android app availabe "VoxWav") and also a smartwatch (Omate). I have no experience with an microphone array but some user using a boundary mic. Here are a interested post from our forum about the Echo.

http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?topic=1847.0

[NeverDie]

Just now released Version 004. Changes in Version 004:

1. Corrected spacing between rows of pins to fit the Wemos D1 Mini.
2. Enlarged drill holes to make inserting and aligning header pins easier.
3. Rotated FTDI header 180 degrees.
4. Added a ground pour.
5. Vias eliminated.

I just now ordered new Version 004 boards from the fab. This project will remain a "Work in Progress" until I receive them and can verify that everything is fitting correctly and working as it should.

[NeverDie]

@NeverDie said:

@fets said:

@NeverDie said:

So, I decided to order some of those instead.

Which one did you order ? Can you provide the link please ;)

I ordered it from:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PCS-D1-mini-V2-Mini-NodeMcu-4M-bytes-Lua-WIFI-development-ESP8266-by-WeMos/32754697134.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.zAagka

Caveat emptor:The vendor I used (above) sent me version 1 clones, despite its photos showing Version 2 Wemos boards. What a rip off! From now on I'm ordering only direct from Wemos.

[Nca78]

@NeverDie don't forget to open a dispute, add a photo with the board you received and a v2 with clear text saying "Official Wemos v2 / picture on product page" and "Board received" as title, then make arrows to show the differences.
They are claiming to sell v2 so you would already not have too many problems to get your money back from aliexpress. But as they also claim it's "by Wemos" and what you received is not, it means they're selling fakes, full redund is only a few days away from your pocket.

Tip: you can also discuss with the seller to make him admit it's not an official wemos board, then put a screen capture of the messages attached in the dispute.

[NeverDie]

I received the ESP-LINK board from the fab, and it fits together very easily. For illustration purposes, the photos below show it connected to a 3.3v 8Mhz pro mini

In this instance, the pro mini hovers over the ESP8266 antenna, which isn't ideal. I suppose one could mount the pro mini vertically so as to avoid that. However, I'm now thinking that mounting the FTDI connector at the front of the adapter board, and having the pro mini (or whatever is being connected to) hang in the opposite direction might be a better way to go. Doing that, the board could also be reduced in size by about 1/3.

Of course, for a permanent installation, one could just solder the pro mini direcctly to the adapter board, and then it wouldn't overhang quite so much. Or one could just orientate the plugs vertically (as in the example photos of the homemade version), and the pro mini itself could remain horizontal.

Anyone have any opinions regarding this, or is it a "don't care" issue? For example, which do you prefer: a horizontal (as shown) or vertical orientation for the FTDI connector?

[gloob]

What is the idea to connect an Arduino to an ESP8266. What are the benefits of an Arduino in comparison to an ESP?
From my understanding, an ESP is more powerful than an Arduino nano.

[korttoma]

@gloob said:

What are the benefits of an Arduino in comparison to an ESP?

The number of inputs and outputs is one benefit.

[NeverDie]

Also, if you're doing something that's very sensitive to timing, you may want to have a dedicated mcu handling that aspect. The ESP8266 is effectively timesharing it's wi-fi duties with its other tasks.

[NeverDie]

I just now posted Version 7.

Changes from Version 4:

1. Fixed a routing error that prevented OTA reset from working. Now connecting D6 of Wemos D1 Mini (i.e. GPIO 12 of ESP8266) to DTR.
2. Fixed the overhang issue.
3. Shrunk size of PCB
4. Updated schematic.
5. Changed pads to be square or round according to normal schematic convention.

For reference, here's a pinout of the Wemos D1 Mini:

[NeverDie]

I just received my D1 Mini "Pro," and it is a completely different design from the non-pro version. It only has SMD parts on one side of the board, not two as with the non-pro version. Furthermore, it doesn't use a metal encased ESP8266 module at all. Instead, it more or less implements the contents of a metal-can module on the board itself. In other words, Wemos vertically integrated the Pro version.