ESP8266 won't be recognized by laptop

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi all

I've got some hardware issue I don't know how to resolve here.

so I got this new esp8266 D1 mini board and soldered it myself. it worked for 2 nights, but the third night, it stopped working.

When I tried to plug esp8266 into a laptop, the blue light won't even flash, the Arduino IDE can't see the part. not even when I connect a battery to it.

initially, I thought it was because I burned it during soldering, but I felt like it should never worked if it was burned. but it did work for 2 days, right?

I tried some dumb methods like blow air into the port :confused: it actually works sometimes. but only for a few seconds.

also, I tried different laptops and different cables, nothing worked.

one thing I noticed is that when I wiggle the cable near the esp8266 port, sometimes the blue light flashes. made me think if I got some dirt into the port?

then this morning, I bought isopropyl alcohol to clean it, still didn't work. I seriously don't know what to do. please help :frowning: :frowning: :frowning:

Ling

2

"so I got this new esp8266 D1 mini board and soldered it myself"

You probably have a bad solder joint or loose/broken connection somewhere in the power supply circuit.

3

I thought about it, but they looked fine, except one spot looked burnt. is there any chance you know the way to determine the problem?

btw, pls see the attachment.

2.jpg
2.jpg3024×4032 1.02 MB

4

" is there any chance you know the way to determine the problem?"

Typically one would use a multimeter to check the power electrical flow path for voltage until the problem spot is found.

5

zoomkat:
" is there any chance you know the way to determine the problem?"

Typically one would use a multimeter to check the power electrical flow path for voltage until the problem spot is found.

i tried to do a continuity test, but the probe was too big even, its a really small board :confused: :confused:

6

"i tried to do a continuity test, but the probe was too big even, its a really small board :confused: :/"

You might wrap a thin piece of wire, like a strand of telephone wire, around the probe tip, then use that piece of wire to probe in the small places.

7

Hi,
OPs pic.

2.jpg
2.jpg3024×4032 1.02 MB

Tom.. :slight_smile:

2.jpg
2.jpg3024×4032 1.02 MB

8

If all the soldering is related to mounting the header pins, then this has nothing to do with power or the USB connection. The solder joint on that left-most pin is dodgy but that is only the reset pin anyway.

There is a suspicious solder blob between D0 and D5 on that photo, though whether that could present a problem is unclear at best. :roll_eyes: