AutomationManager with ESP8266 Introduction

[MppDevices]

Hi folks:

I've started this discussion group so that we can share ideas, ask questions, or get help with the variety of ESP8266 devices out there.  In particular it's aimed at using them with AutomationManager, but the discussion is not limited to this, discussions about other uses of the ESP8266 are also welcome.

To join the group send a request mentioning something about the way an ESP8266 is used - this will prevent join requests from people that will only post spam to the list.

[Lone Surviver]

Ohhhh how steep a learning curve can be !!

The slow boat from China  finally brought my flashing USB to 8266 module and for a week now I have been clawing my way towards programming an 8266.

I am trying to flash with a Nodemcu Firmware programmer....it has connected to the 8266 !!!!! The led's are all blinking  !!!! Oh Joy !!  But I doubt it has sucked in the "nodemcu_integer_4mpp.bin" file I offered it.

I wonder....how long does it take to complete a flash ? Flashing firmware on a wireless modem can take forever.....

But now I must rest, And tomorrow i will try to make further progress up the hill.

I will read myself to sleep reading up on whether or not the Nodemcu programmer was a waste of time....or was it the promised land ??

For now...alcohol.................

[Mike P 4 MPP]

Yeah, the post from asia is really slow!

This nodemcu firmware programmer, is it hardware or do you mean the software?  If the latter try using DOUT as the flash type.  It's a good choice as there are some odd quirks in the other flashers.

I'd also strongly advise starting with V3: https://sites.google.com/site/mppsuite1/esp8266-updates-v3, it's very stable now.  Watch out for the pin assignments, which map directly to GPIO pins (vs the nodemcu/lua mapping).

It should take less than 1 minute to flash, don't forget to reset or power cycle again after.

[Lone Surviver]

I am using the Nodemcu flashing SOFTware on a pc. I have no problem with running jumpers...but your description mentions  (Use a wire to connect GND to RESET and GPIO0. Roll up off of the RESET pin to continue holding GPIO0 to ground )....................

I have no idea what "Roll up off of the reset pin" means. I can guess......but I don't want to risk smoking the little chip. I have "smoked" a lot of electronics over the years and have learned to avoid it.

Also....I have not satisfied myself with an accurate pinout on the 8266. Some of what I have read...does not match the schematic pinouts. Once I see several schematics showing the same pinout...I will take a chance if necessary

BTW,.........The little USB flash dongle from China has the worst soldering I have ever seen. I am not sure what they did to make the joints look so bad. It almost looks like they are badly oxidized. I don't really care about the quality...I had zero expectation anyway...I just have never seen anything like it.

Update...after writing this reply I started looking at some solutions. There is a pinout label on the underside of the chip. I now have a schematic I am comfortable with.

I can't thank you enough for giving up your time for hobbyists. Right now I have at least 50 tabs open from researching this.. I have 3 pc's engaged.

[Mike P 4 MPP]

You're using an ESP01 in a USB dongle?  What I mean for "roll off" is that you first get the NodeMCU flasher running and starting to flash.   Then you take a wire with about a 1/2" bare end and use it to jumper from GND to RST & GPIO0 - those two are across from each other on the ESP01.  Then, lift up one end (roll up) so that GPIO0 stays grounded while you release RST, allowing the chip to boot with GPIO0 low.  Wait a few seconds to see if the flashing starts, if it doesn't try again - after a couple of tries you'll get the hang of it.

The easiest way is to use one of the break-out boards for the ESP01 - I replaced the 8 pin socket with one using longer pins and then wired in two normally open (NO) switches - GND to common, RST and GPIO to the outputs.  The board plugs into the adapter and the ESP01 plugs into the board.  I've done the same to provide a 4 pin connector with a reset button for the sonoff's too.  Of course I need to flash them quite often when I break something in the firmware during testing...

[Andreas Klein]

Mike, is it possible that the remote control function via port 4033 is broken? I cannot access AM on my control tablet anymore, checked my dynamic dns, IP is correct, setup has not changed, tablet with AM is running?

[Mike P 4 MPP]

It seems to be running ok for me.  What happens if you hit your tablet IP on port 4033 with a web browser?  You should get a basic html page with the AM version number if the web server is running properly and you have connectivity.

I did improve AM via OnDrive in the last version so the releases need to match if you're using AutomationOnDrive, but if you're using the HTTP connection it hasn't changed.

[Andreas Klein]

I got it fixed... there was obviously a network problem and the tablet and some plugs switched to 192.168.0.x ips (no clue who gave them), thus the port forwards didn't work anymore.