ESP-WROOM-32 not programming

Themakerart
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:34 am

ESP-WROOM-32 not programming

Postby Themakerart » Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:06 am

Hello everyone,
I bought a bunch of esp-wroom-32u from mouser to use them on my project. I made a cp2102-based programmer too with s8050 npn transistor with a connector to hook it up easily to my main pcb with esp32 attached.
I soldered it perfectly along with:

Gpio0 pulled up by 10k
EN pulled up by 10k + 100nF capacitor
Gpio2 pulled down by 10k
100uF main voltage source decoupling cap

Connecting and powering it through programmer it measures 3V3 correctly on power pins but if I try to use esptool.py it just says connect...___... Until error. Even a brand new esp32 module with no bootloader or anything on it should connect if I try a polling command on esptool right?
I thought it was a fault in the programmer, so I connected it to a working doit breakout board using Gpio0, enable, rx, TX, 3v3 and gnd pins and it works just fine. Programmer is OK.
This is why I started to think the esp32 module itself is the problem and it's fried somehow. Any hints?

ESP_Sprite
Posts: 9043
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 4:08 am

Re: ESP-WROOM-32 not programming

Postby ESP_Sprite » Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:33 am

You are right in that an ESP32 should respond to download mode regardless of what's in the flash. Perhaps you can use a serial terminal (at 115200 baud) to see what the ESP32 spits out when you press the reset button? That may help debugging the issue.

Themakerart
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:34 am

Re: ESP-WROOM-32 not programming

Postby Themakerart » Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:41 pm

ESP_Sprite wrote:
Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:33 am
You are right in that an ESP32 should respond to download mode regardless of what's in the flash. Perhaps you can use a serial terminal (at 115200 baud) to see what the ESP32 spits out when you press the reset button? That may help debugging the issue.
Thank you for your reply. I did this test already using a jumper via EN and GND but output is mute. Anyways I don't think it could help that much since the working breakout board is also mute over serial when I press reset. Is this sufficient to say the wroom module is probably fried and spend time building another pcb (maybe with just minimal components to be able to flash) ? RXTX_prog<->TXRX_esp32 is correctly wired too.
If I'm right the minimal setup for programming should be just 10k pullup on the EN pin + 100nF capacitor and required pin are gpio0, tx, rx, en, 3v3 and gnd? Are gpio0 pullup and gpio2 pulldown strictly required?

becorey
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2020 4:18 pm

Re: ESP-WROOM-32 not programming

Postby becorey » Tue Jan 19, 2021 3:27 pm

There's an internal pull-up on IO0 and pulldown on IO2, no need for external resistors.
https://www.esp32.com/viewtopic.php?t=5970

Themakerart
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:34 am

Re: ESP-WROOM-32 not programming

Postby Themakerart » Tue Jan 19, 2021 5:48 pm

becorey wrote:
Tue Jan 19, 2021 3:27 pm
There's an internal pull-up on IO0 and pulldown on IO2, no need for external resistors.
https://www.esp32.com/viewtopic.php?t=5970
Gotcha, I did that just because many esp32-based breakout boards include that resistors. Tomorrow I'll try with a new wroom module and let you know if the first one was just fried.

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