Hi there!
If you had to recommend an off-the-shelf Arduino module with Wifi, no more than 2 or 3 GPIOs, battery-powered (with low power mode support) to be turned on every while for a few seconds by one of the GPIOs, ... Which one would you choose?
... and yes, cost is an issue. The cheaper, the better!
All comments are welcome. Best regards!
ESP8266, it's not an Arduino but it can be programmed using the Arduino IDE.
Thanks pylon,
Yes, EPS8266-based.... but ESP-01? ESP-12?
Any feedback is useful.
ESP-01 is probably the smallest board and matches your specs. Why are you asking if you already know that it's an ESP8266?
pylon:
ESP-01 is probably the smallest board and matches your specs. Why are you asking if you already know that it's an ESP8266?
Thanks pylon. I´m asking becauase there are so many sub-models of ESP8266 (ESP01, 03, 12, Wemos Mini, etc) and hopefully somebody will have first hand experience in a similar project.
An ESP8266 module, like the ESP-01, is usually used as a WiFi add-on for other boards,
because it has no supporting parts to power or program it.
It can be used stand-alone, with only a 3.3volt supply, after programming with another board.
Boards with an ESP-12 module, like a WeMos D1 mini, are meant to be used stand-alone,
because they have all the supporting parts for powering/programming.
All you need is a power supply, like a 5volt cellphone charger connected to the USB socket.
Leo..
Looks like the smallest with an antenna is an esp-03 or esp-11
tpbertu:
... and hopefully somebody will have first hand experience in a similar project.
Which is so far, a mystery.
I use many ESP boards in my projects. The ESP8266-01 is the smallest, but you must supply it with 3.3V, so is it really the smallest when you add a 3.3V regulator. My go-to board for most projects is the Wemos D1 Mini which has an on-board regulator and can be powered by any 5V phone charger.
Thanks all for the feedback!
I´ve read about a project with ESP-03 powered with a coin cell (adding a big cap to provide the current peak required), or with 2xAA batteries. I will give that a try!
powered with a coin cell (adding a big cap to provide the current peak required)
That seems unlikely. Even the "non-peak" current of an ESP is above what coin cells like to deliver.
The ESP-01, like most models, has an antenna, of the "zig zag" PCB variety.
If you are going to power it from a USB supply, it has an adaptor which includes the 3.3 V regulator and there is a programming version. What is convenient is that you can swap easily between the programming adapter and one built into your "target" system.
The ESP-01 has four available I/O. There is rarely a need to add it to some other MCU-based device as it is itself more powerful and there are straightforward expanders to add many I/O.