Good quality esp32-s3? On amazon I can only find cheap china brands, that all seem to be the same

Other Hardware 3rd Party Boards
1

Hello there.
I wann buy more esp32, but not sure how to find some good brands, or is everything just a lottery anyway?
Many people complaining about different stuff, like bad wlan reception.
Cannot test it myself, cause I got no wlan really.
Or others complain, they don't have PSRAM as advertised.

I have one of these 2 port usb thingies.
And most stuff on amazon, just looks like the same model, but with different china "brands".
They look like this:
the all have the YD-ESP32-23 V.1.3 on the back.
So they are in reality the same?

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Only AZ-Delivery looks different, but the negative comments are even more horrible.

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For example I already ordered a 2nd one of the one I have, and it was broken from the get go.
No upload possible.

Also my "brand" Diymore has these comments for example:
I have a jtag, but never tried it until now(no need to really)

So it is confusing, maybe someone can shed some light.

Rezension aus Deutschland vom 6. November 2024

Stil: 1PCVerifizierter Kauf

I sent the part back nerfed because debugging via the USB port doesn't work properly. I develop my software through Platformio. For debugging, a USB jtag interface must be visible in the Windows device manager. That's it, but with the debugger the interface disappears again and again and Windows then reports that the device description cannot be retrieved. I had the similar problem with an Arduino Nano ESP32, which also has an internal jtag interface via USB. This seems to be a problem that occurs with many ESP32 microcontrollers with an integrated USB jtag interface. Another problem is that the debugger does not automatically stop in initialization, even though this is stated in the platform.ini. Also, breakpoints set before the debugger is started are not loaded onto the controller. You then have to use workarrounds. I didn't have these problems with the external debugger ESP-Prog. Unfortunately, this programmer/debugger cannot be connected to this controller because it is not supported internally. I have now ordered an ESP-WROOM-32, which would have to support the ESP-Prog.

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Martijn

1,0 von 5 Sternen Horrible performance

Rezension aus den Niederlanden vom 15. Januar 2025

Stil: 3PCSVerifizierter Kauf

Extremely slow. Wifi barely works with lots of ping failures. Other ESP32 boards I own work flawlessly. Don't know it it is a bad batch or poor quality.

2

Where else do you think they are made? I have more than 20, all different brands and types. I have never had a problem. Also, I am on the forum every day and seldom hear someone complaining that their board is broken. Lots of people not being able to upload due to user error, but no manufacturing defects.
If you have a board with a problem, load the blink sketch and show us the error log in code tags.

1 Like
3

Buy the Espressif Systems modules from a reputable distributor. Problem solved.

4

I ordered the EXACT same esp32 twice. One I use since several months in arduino and esp-idf. I do advanced stuff like custom partitioning, filesystems and drivers.
But I could NOT even upload or erase the flash, despite correctly setting everything up. All works on my 2nd esp32 obviously.
I tested esp-idf, arduino in VsCode, and even the simple arduino-ide.
Yeah it was broken.

And the bad wlan, I have read in comments to different esp32, from different brands(But look the same, like in my picture(see back of it).

Sure they are all made in "china". But that does not mean, they are all the same.
I thought their would be more than

5

Just buy your boards from a supplier that is in your country, or better still is local.

Then if they don't work, returns and refunds are much easier.

6

Where did you buy it from? If you are on Amazon, then returns are easy and no cost. If you buy from Aliexpress, you have only 15 days from receipt of goods to file a return claim. They will not likely want a return since the postage is more than the cost. I have had a few non-deliveries at Ali and got a refund, no return each time.
Most people have no idea how Ali works, there is NOT a second or more factory, they all come from the same place. Different 'stores' (mostly mom and pop) buy from the same factory and sell on Ali or Amazon.
BTW, we get dozens of folks claiming the board is broke every week here and in 90+% of the time it isn't.

7

I have no local supplier at least within a 6 hour drive. Local on-line dealers charge many times more. I often can get 10 from AE for the cost of one on Amazon. Even if a few of the 10 were bad you are still way ahead.

8

Do you ALWAYS ground yourself when handling the boards?

9

To be honest, I done that about ten or more years ago last time. Nowadays almost no chip needs that.

10

That's why I am here. What are these reputable distributors?

11

It depends on your country but in the US it would be Mouser, DigiKey, Newark, etc.
Espressif have a web site. See who they list their distributers to be.

12

NOPE. I throw them bare around and inside my big box, with other stuff, and I think I have put voltage and shorted every pin on it already. :rofl:
Several brownouts, and all is still working fine. If this esp32 would be broken 5 times, I would not complain at all. Pretty sturdy that thing.
So maybe I get my old dusty router out, and check wlan myself.
But I need to put some load on it, according to the comments.

Then I buy just a 2nd one again.
So I guess it's hit or miss, and there aren't really good brands out there.

13

yes Amazon.
The thing is, some things I cannot really test, like wlan.
Or others say, that code that is running on other esp32 with no problem, does not run on that one,..etc.
But as you said, I realized on amazon, there are only 2 variants(devkit) and just different "branding". Only AzDelivery seems to be different, but possible even worse than the others

14

Like I said, I pay no attention to brand since they are all made in the same factory. Like jeans, all the same, different label.

15

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(Price 13$)

They DO seem in fact DIFFERENT!!
But Digikey page is horrible. Search broken. "ESP32-S3" search is empty,...lol ok.
8 weeks default delivery time. No thx.

But they do not really have a N16R8 like I have, I think I just buy on amazon then.
Thought there were some alternatives, but according to you all, it does not really matter.
Maybe that wlan problem could have been a problem in general with N16R8 and known to the forum here for example, but probably not.
But thx to all anyway. I did help me, and maybe others.

16

Maybe Chinese jeans. :cowboy_hat_face:

17

So find a German distributer. I certainly don't order from DigiKey Germany since I live in the US. Who did Espressif list as their German Distributers?

18

That is what we were talking about, Chinese.

19

This commenter also seems to know what he is doing(my board)
I bought one esp-prog, but never used it really. But if true what he said, this should be true for all "brands" of n16R8, with the two usb ports.

Can someone confirm this maybe?

I sent the part back nerfed because debugging via the USB port doesn't work properly. I develop my software through Platformio. For debugging, a USB jtag interface must be visible in the Windows device manager. That's it, but with the debugger the interface disappears again and again and Windows then reports that the device description cannot be retrieved. I had the similar problem with an Arduino Nano ESP32, which also has an internal jtag interface via USB. This seems to be a problem that occurs with many ESP32 microcontrollers with an integrated USB jtag interface. Another problem is that the debugger does not automatically stop in initialization, even though this is stated in the platform.ini. Also, breakpoints set before the debugger is started are not loaded onto the controller. You then have to use workarrounds. I didn't have these problems with the external debugger ESP-Prog. Unfortunately, this programmer/debugger cannot be connected to this controller because it is not supported internally. I have now ordered an ESP-WROOM-32, which would have to support the ESP-Prog.

20

He said, the wlan problem is a known issue.
And I am on the verge of ordering a 2nd one, so I can try wlan..lol.
He also said, it is a "known" problem.
Well I guess I'll see.

1,0 von 5 Sternen Wifi is broken - known issue

Rezension aus dem Vereinigten Königreich vom 24. Februar 2025

Managed to run Blink via Arduino IDE. All good. But I could not get wifi to work at all. After wasting an afternoon trying to fix it I accidentally put my finger on the wifi shielding at it worked! Finger off, nothing. I did some googling and it is a known issue with some of these ESP32 S3 WROOM1 boards. You might get lucky if you reduce the TX power esp_wifi_set_max_tx_power() to 40. but I'll be binning it and finding a more reliable board.