I have the strangest issue that I am unable to figure out the cause. I am using the Feather Huzzah ESP8266 Wifi board to send sensor data to a MQTT broker. If I power the board using a LiPoly battery or a USB cable powered from a Laptop or a Raspberry Pi, it works fine. If I however, power the board with a 5V power adapter plugged into an outlet, the board freaks out and goes into some strange mode where it hangs and doesn't run the code.
I am using a MQ-2 gas sensor. It requires a 5V power source so I am using a 3V-to-5V power converter. In addition, since I am using the ADC pin to monitor battery, I am using the MCP3002 chip to read the MQ-2 sensor via SPI. I suspect that this configuration is somehow causing my issue because I have another sensor rig measuring Temp and Humidity via I2C pins and this problem is not an issue.
iotstuff:
I am using a MQ-2 gas sensor. It requires a 5V power source so I am using a 3V-to-5V power converter.
Not sure how you have connected this. VBUS pin or 3.3volt pin.
It would be a bad idea to draw the ~350mA for the boost converter from the Feather's 3.3volt regulator.
Always supply a wiring diagram, so we don't have to guess.
I hope the 5volt supply is regulated.
Leo..
I attached a Fritzing diagram of my setup. Once again, it works perfectly well when either running on USB power connected to a PC (or raspberry pi) or from a LiPoly. BUT it hangs if the USB cable is plugged into an outlet using a power adapter. I have used several types of adapters with various output amps including 500mA, 800mA and 2.0A.
I am using the SparkFun 5V Step-Up Breakout - NCP1402 to convert to 5V to power the gas sensor. Since I am also going to monitor battery power using the BAT and ADC pins on the Feather board, I am using the Analog to Digital Converter - MCP3002 to get my as sensor readings.
There is a tiny 5-pin chip on the board (the 3.3volt regulator).
Does that get hot?
Lowering 5volt USB to 3.3volt with a tiny regulator, and then increasing it to 5volt with a boost converter...
And drawing a constant 200mA from that (= ~350mA for the 3.3volt regulator) can't be healthy.
Maybe the PC-USB droops, and the supplies are not.
That could make that 3.3volt regulator hotter on external supply.
I think there is a USB/VBUS on that board (pre-regulator output).
Why not use that for your boost converter.
There seem to be several huzzah diagrams. Did you ask on the Adafruit forum?
Leo..
Oh yeah, that baby gets real hot almost immediately.
I have not posted to the Adafruit forum yet.
I am considering just powering the gas sensor from the USB pin. I had originally set this up to have a battery backup, hence trying to boost from 3V, but I might just do away with that and use the USB pin.
