ESP32 cams not found...

Other Hardware 3rd Party Boards
1

I'm very sick and have memory issues..

I got a new toy in mail yesterday. Two esp3 cams and a FTDI INTERFACE that was higher rated than it's brethren.

Ok. Get camera flexible strip inserted in.... Phew. 5 minutes later. I hook up the ftdi to esp32... Using vcc from ftdi, rx to tx, gpio pulled low... Plug it in. Nothing.

I recall some had to use external power supply. I dig in a box and finda 6v 1.5 a jobby. I hook up it's neg to PC fan grille and + to esp vcc... LED comes on. That's it. Board not found.... I had another esp32 cam... Same symptoms. I alas, have only one ftdi.

I hear it may be a misplaced diode. SMT. HARD. what do u think

2

What do you mean by "board not found"?

Which operating system are you using?

Why are you using an FTDI interface? All the ESP32 boards I've seen have an on-board USB to TTL serial chip. It would be helpful if you posted a link to where you bought the ESP32s from.

3

Pert.. you have always been a big help to me! Thanks.

Ok, last test was a standard ESP32 module with USB chip. It connects fine to PC and takes com4.

I have been looking at esp32cams for a bit, all seem to have a TTL UART style i/f, no cp2102 usb stuff. The ones I got were certainly not USB, no room for the chip and connector.. Here is link on amazon, note amazon choice and good feedback:

Admittedly, I am sick and a bit confused, and also this is 1st time I used an FTDI i/f. All else was USB direct to MCUs.

The cams I found using search on amz, "esp 32 cam ai thinker". I was a bit dismayed to get them and no such laser engraving present, just says "ESP 32S, WiFi BT SoC inside"... here is thier link:

The OS is Win8.1 (yuck).

I have to run downstairs to get FTDI module...

I run 6V power brick - to PC chassis, + to "3.3/5V" pin on esp32cam module going by pinout. I assume there is onboard VR to handle the 6V. Othewise I'm screwed. Ok, first unit comes on, the white LED lights up, no "port" show in IDE... hmm- note to self, face detect broken in esp boards definitions v1.0.2...

Here is error from a blank sketch upload

Arduino: 1.8.9 (Windows 8.1), Board: "ESP32 Wrover Module, Huge APP (3MB No OTA/1MB SPIFFS), QIO, 80MHz, 921600, None"
TRUNCATED....
esptool.py v2.6
Serial port COM4
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "esptool.py", line 2959, in <module>
  File "esptool.py", line 2952, in _main
  File "esptool.py", line 2652, in main
  File "esptool.py", line 222, in __init__
  File "site-packages\serial\__init__.py", line 88, in serial_for_url
  File "site-packages\serial\serialwin32.py", line 62, in open
serial.serialutil.SerialException: could not open port 'COM4': WindowsError(2, 'The system cannot find the file specified.')
Failed to execute script esptool
the selected serial port Failed to execute script esptool
 does not exist or your board is not connected
Invalid library found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\juiceSine: no headers files (.h) found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\juiceSine
Invalid library found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\MINE: no headers files (.h) found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\MINE
Invalid library found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\juiceSine: no headers files (.h) found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\juiceSine
Invalid library found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\MINE: no headers files (.h) found in C:\Users\matt\Documents\Arduino\libraries\MINE
TRUNCATED....
4

pert:
Why are you using an FTDI interface? All the ESP32 boards I've seen have an on-board USB to TTL serial chip.

Yeah.. the ESP32 have the USB chip, hoprfully the cp2102 or whatever... but the ESP32 CAM do not have USB chips by in large... my chagrin becuase I KNOW the FTDI is the issue, something about a backwards diode...

5

I think I confirmed the FTDI board is defective...

Hooked it up to a known-working ESP32, no connection. Windows does make a connection sound but no com port opens...

Giving up on cams for now... no way to interface with em.

6

Needed a driver! I thought the USB chip on mod was same as on all MCUs.

No good! - FTDI is dead - tried everything!!! Ordered another brand.

7

mattlogue:
No good! - FTDI is dead - tried everything!!! Ordered another brand.

I'm sorry to hear that.

mattlogue:
Windows does make a connection sound but no com port opens...

What do you see in Windows Device Manager after you connect the FTDI to your computer?

mattlogue:
Hooked it up to a known-working ESP32, no connection.

Try just connecting the FTDI alone to your computer. It should produce a port even if you don't have it connected to an ESP32. This will eliminate the possibility that something about your connection to the ESP32 is causing the FTDI to misbehave.

8

I'm so distracted I didn't check dev man. I'm gonna nap I thinking till amz drops off a new one...

9

The FTDI doesn't support win8. Shoot

10

That's odd. Is it the FTDI FT232? I never heard of that problem and I'd think it would have come up here back when Windows 8 was popular.

11

Pert. Any way to use a MCU to program? They have USB and the TTL Serial

12

mattlogue:
Pert. Any way to use a MCU to program? They have USB and the TTL Serial

One can use an Arduino onboard USB to Serial as such by grounding the reset pin. This holds the MCU reset (its serial Tx pin high impedance) so the serial pins can be jumpered to another board. Keep in mind that the Arduino board pin markings are referenced to the MCU, so the pin marked Tx will be the Rx of the USB serial and vice versa for the pin marked Rx.