When I plug NodeMCU into the PC Windows says it has a power surge. However I tried supplying it with an external power supply and measured only 80 mA of current through Vin. I'm confused, what can I try?
Linux?
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That's average.
Peaks during WiFi transactions are about 400mA for an ESP8266 based NodeMCU, and even higher for an ESP32 board. You can only measure those peaks with a scope.
Never had a PC playing up because of that, but ESP resets are common with a cheap/thin USB lead. If you don't get a proper answer, then try a 470uF capacitor from the 3.3volt pin to ground.
Leo..
Is there anything else connected to your NodeMCU? It sounds like it happens right as you plug it into the USB. If so the WiFi should not be transmitting.
I don't have a way to measure my boards current, however 80 ma sounds high. A quick google reports the quiescent current as in the order of 5 ma.
Are you sure about that?
80mA idle current for ESP boards is correct.
Haven't you noticed the ESP module getting warm after a while?
Leo..
PaulRB I don't think it's OS related since even the BIOS warns about high current when the PC is turned on with the NodeMCU.
@JohnRob yeah I unplugged everything from the board.
@Wawa I will try the capacitor trick when I get home later today.
When using external power the ESP even connects to my local Wifi, I can tell because the pings are successful. So I think the issue lies in USB.
USB ports are AFAIK over-current protected.
Maybe you have other power-hungry devices connected to the same port/group.
Did you try a different USB port.
Leo..
I stand corrected, that's what happens when you believe the internet.
I just measured my NodeMCU board with no connections and no software that uses WiFi. It measured a fraction below 150ma.
Update: tried putting capacitor as suggested by @Wawa, but it had no effect. Thanks guys. Unfortunately I'll be buying a new board.
That's odd. About twice what I would expect. I've never owned or measured a NodeMCU, only Wemos D1 minis. 70~80mA is normal for those. I don't see why a NodeMCU would be much different to that.
Don't throw the old one away yet. If the new one has the same problem, maybe both are ok and something else is wrong. Let us know what you find.
I think you would find a Wemos D1 mini takes up less room on your breadboard/PCB, and does not, as you might think, have fewer useful pins. One difference I know of is the on-board regulator. The NodeMCU can take input voltage (Vin pin) between 4.8V and 15V. The wemos can take from 3.5V to 5.5V which means you can't run it from 12V without extra components, but unlike the NodeMCU will run ok on Li-ion/Li-po batteries or 3xAA NiMh.
I was surprised as well. But the board is functional and I trust the measurement.
New one arrived today, been using it for a couple of hours just fine.
Thanks all
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