ESP32 CAM Rebooting loop

I recently working on a YouTube project that I found interesting. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/sTlUvYt7l78.

I downloaded the code they provided and put it in the Arduino IDE to upload it to the ESP32Cam. It worked on an older one that burned out (everything worked fine). I bought two more ESP32CAM, and both of them get stuck in a loop after uploading the code.

It keeps printing this on the serial monitor.

Backtrace: 0x40083b39:0x3ffb2010 0x4008f89d:0x3ffb2030 0x40095781:0x3ffb2050 0x400f562d:0x3ffb2180 0x400d54e8:0x3ffb21b0 0x400dd2e5:0x3ffb2200 0x400d36ba:0x3ffb2220 0x400e014e:0x3ffb2290

ELF file SHA256: 108168eee1da966a

Rebooting...
ets Jun 8 2016 00:22:57

rst:0xc (SW_CPU_RESET),boot:0x13 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
configsip: 0, SPIWP:0xee
clk_drv:0x00,q_drv:0x00,d_drv:0x00,cs0_drv:0x00,hd_drv:0x00,wp_drv:0x00
mode:DIO, clock div:1
load:0x3fff0030,len:1344
load:0x40078000,len:13964
load:0x40080400,len:3600
entry 0x400805f0

I've uploaded the code to the cameras using another ESP32 and an Arduino Uno via UART communication. I recently purchased the ESP32-CAM-MB, and every method I've tried hasn't worked. I've tried powering the board directly with 5V from the Arduino connected to a 9V battery, connecting it directly to a power source with a 5V regulated cell phone cable, connecting it directly to the computer, and using a 9V battery with a STEP DOWN for a 5V output.

I apologize for my poor English.

You need a better power supply, as the ESP32-CAM can draw 10X more current than an Arduino. 9V batteries will barely power an Arduino Uno, and even then only for a few minutes.

I found this getting started tutorial to be helpful with ESP32-CAM.

You can NOT power an esp32cam with a 9V battery. I have tested a lot of the MB boards and a lot are defective. Use a FTDI board and plug the 5V pins and use a wall wart (I think you said you have one)
Now the important part, get the esp32cam sample code and edit it to select the correct camera. Most esp32cam errors are due to not selecting the correct camera or a poorly inserted camera cable.
Here is the location of the standard sample sketch and I am including the board to select. I have done screen grabs for the camera selection showing the example and what you need to change for the AI_THINKER that I think you have.




Thanks for responding so fast. I've been trying what you told me @sonofcy and this is the update.

To power it with the 9V battery I used a breadboard power supply board (mb102) and configured it to 5V and used a 30 and 38 pin ESP32 to upload the code and the same with an Arduino Uno (Connections as in the photo)

I uploaded the sample code with the modifications you mentioned and I got this error on the serial monitor.

E (496) esp_core_dump_flash: No core dump partition found!

E (467) camera: Camera probe failed with error 0x105(ESP_ERR_NOT_FOUND)
Camera init failed with error 0x105

Tomorrow I'm going to buy the FTDI module you mentioned so I can try it out. I'll add a photo of the one they sell locally to see if it works for me.

I'll stay tuned for any updates.

That 105 error typically means you did not define the correct camera, do you understand that? Maybe do a screen grab to show me.
You can NOT use a 9V battery with a board that has radios.
That is a wild FTDI module, I have never seen all those pins, you just need the 5V jumper, USB, and the 4 pins, TX, RX, VCC, G

@sonofcy I'm sending you a photo of how I have the IDE configuration and the example code.

I understood the 9V battery, How can I power the camera alone so I don't have problems with the lack of power? I read the forum mentioned by @jremington and it says it could be a common error, and I used one of the solutions mentioned there, which was easy for me with the components I have at home.

Use a battery and voltage regulator combination that can easily handle 500 mA current draw.

For ESP32 projects, I use an 18650 Li cell (3.7V) along with this tiny stepdown module that can deliver 500 mA at 3.3V, to be fed in the the ESP32 3.3V power input pin.

2 Likes

I use 18650 Lithium batteries. 2 in series to give 7.4v, then a buck converter to reduce it to 5v and apply the 5v to the ESP32-CAM 5v pin. I know you could use 3.3V but there are many reports of unstable operation when doing that. I also have several 5V power supplies made from different batteries or purchased power packs. Just remember WiFi uses a lot of power, and certain camera operations use a fair bit as well. I often want my cameras to run for days before changing batteries so I do a lot of work creating these power packs. My latest interest is the SEEED Studio esp32cam, it is the size of a postage stamp with the camera module mounted. Smaller means less power.

I'll add a photo of the cameras I'm using also adding the photos of the encapsulation in case they're useful. Tomorrow I'll try with the FTDI and update in case of any news.



The one with the red dot:

The other one:

I don't know why you are showing the first picture, they are not cameras. The second appears to be AI THINKER ESP32CAM modules.
No idea about the last two.

Update:

After using the FTDI module and powering it with a lab power supply, I still had the same problem, but I noticed this line. :face_with_monocle:

assert failed: tcpip_api_call IDF/components/lwip/lwip/src/api/tcpip.c:497 (Invalid mbox)

So, I checked the libraries and realized they had been updated to the latest version, which was causing a problem with the code, this is why it wasn't working.

For this case, the versions of the libraries that worked well for me were the following:
Async TCP by ESP32Async - 3.3.2
ESP Async WebServer by ESP32Async - 3.6.0

Reviewing information I noticed that some commands change between versions 2.x and the most recent one, which is 3.0 documentation

Board:
esp32 by Espressif Systems - 2.0.16

Thank you very much for the help. The FTDI module made it easier for me to program it.