New adapter for ESP32 (TTGO T-Micro32)

[chunkysteveo]

I'm just in the middle of an experiment to piggyback a TTGO T-micro32 board onto the YAWL board... uses an adapter PCB which maps the pins from the ESP12-F footprint to the ESP32.... not tested, but will be happy to opensource if it doesn't blow up on first switch on!!!

You'll need hotair or a hotplate for this to work.....

[numindast]

that is definitely clever!

[chunkysteveo]

that is definitely clever!

Tell me again if I get it working!! Haha

[nocodeman55]

What about using the AI Thinker ESP32-C3 12F module?

[chunkysteveo]

I had thought of that board - but the C3 support in WLED is terrible at best. Was looking for maximum plug and play compatibility with a stock EDP32.

[nocodeman55]

Where did you find that TTgo adapter/card?

[vzagorovskiy]

The board is slightly changed in the new version, which will allow the use of esp32-c3. After receiving the boards and checking them, I will publish the source files on the github.

[chunkysteveo]

Where did you find that TTgo adapter/card?

Haha - I found it in my head and made the PCB in KiCad, lol! I've done an initial test but it didn't upload any firmware... I may need to tweak the PCB, but when/if it gets working - I'll open source it, so you could send the gerbers to get a PCB made.

[chunkysteveo]

The board is slightly changed in the new version, which will allow the use of esp32-c3. After receiving the boards and checking them, I will publish the source files on the github.

That's a cool design - does WLED work well with the C3 now?

[chunkysteveo]

The board is slightly changed in the new version, which will allow the use of esp32-c3. After receiving the boards and checking them, I will publish the source files on the github.

My favourite feature on that board is the 5V pin with the relay connection! 👍🏻

[vzagorovskiy]

That's a cool design - does WLED work well with the C3 now?

I will test it. 🤞

[nocodeman55]

From Wled Github

«Dear people, please read all posts above. C3, S2 and S3 are supported, though still in experimental phase. You can compile sources yourself or use binaries provided by @srg74 or @wled-install»

😎😎😎

[chunkysteveo]

Pic or it never happened! Lol

Would love to use some of your C3 boards if you can show it working well! My little TTGO adapter board is handy, but those T-Micro32 boards are $6-7 each! C3 is way more friendly on the pocket!!

Keep us posted!!

[chunkysteveo]

This may look like a mess - but my adapter board can be programmed and is currently running ESPHome and all sensors and features are functioning:

• WS2812 string on DATA
• WS2812 string on TX
• Dallas temp probe working
• Button working on GPIO0
• Relay pin going high on command
• IR Receiver seeing codes coming in from a cheap LED remote

Not tested WLED yet - need to learn how to compile a custom binary!

[nocodeman55]

I would love to try your adapter, this is really cool!

[chunkysteveo]

Testing in WLED - I cannot get a binary to upload without either a boot loop or just dead board. There is an issue with the T-Micro32 and WLED by the looks of it. ..?! EsPHome works fine, WLED not so. I think I need to check the environments for similarities??

[chunkysteveo]

I would love to try your adapter, this is really cool!

Let me get the source files online!

[chunkysteveo]

Success! I now have the TTGO T-Micro32 running WLED on the YAWL board with my adapter board. All original aspects and features of the YAWL board have been replicated and work great (IR, Relay, 2 output or 1 data/clock, Temp sensor, button).

I'll get the gerbers for the board online ASAP, and some links to the TMicro32 boards on Ali.

[chunkysteveo]

Success! I now have the TTGO T-Micro32 running WLED on the YAWL board with my adapter board. All original aspects and features of the YAWL board have been replicated and work great (IR, Relay, 2 output or 1 data/clock, Temp sensor, button).

I'll get the gerbers for the board online ASAP, and some links to the TMicro32 boards on Ali.

I may amend the PCB - add a ground pad for under the TMicro 32 module, just for heat dissipation to suck some heat away to the bottom - this thing is hot!

[DieKatzchen]

The board is slightly changed in the new version, which will allow the use of esp32-c3. After receiving the boards and checking them, I will publish the source files on the github.

Any updates?

[chunkysteveo]

Success! I now have the TTGO T-Micro32 running WLED on the YAWL board with my adapter board. All original aspects and features of the YAWL board have been replicated and work great (IR, Relay, 2 output or 1 data/clock, Temp sensor, button). I'll get the gerbers for the board online ASAP, and some links to the TMicro32 boards on Ali.

I may amend the PCB - add a ground pad for under the TMicro 32 module, just for heat dissipation to suck some heat away to the bottom - this thing is hot!

My ground pad ones came in for the TTGO boards, and work well. I'll get my files up online!

[chunkysteveo]

I'm having an issue with the power up of the board via the 5V source and capacitor C9 on the GPIO0 pin. Looks like it's not coming up high quick enough on power up - only a bridge from GPIO0 to 3V3 will get the board to boot.

My guess is that C9 it taking too long to charge up and causing the pin not to be HIGH quick enough on boot? Once booted the pin works perfectly fine as the button pin. I'm going to try with a smaller value capacitor (less than 100nF) to see if that helps with a more consistent power up behaviour - but would be curious if people think this is the wrong idea?!

[Dunky13]

Any updates on this?

[chunkysteveo]

Any updates on this?

Hey @Dunky13 - yes, kind of completed, but I wouldn't recommend it as a route. It would be better to design the board around a cheaper ESp32 WROOM chip, and take advantage of the extra pins for more data line outs, fix some niggles on the board, add a mic if needed etc etc.

However, if you want to use a TTGO T-Micro32, the gerbers for JLCPCB or OshPark are below:

ttgo-t-micro32-to-esp12f.zip

The carrier board works, but I needed to manually pull GIIO0 to ground using a jump wire to get it into Flash mode. And after that - it turns out the capacitor on the GPIO0 button wasn't pulling it back up quick enough on boot, so I had to remove C9 (once removed it would reboot without any issues).

Once built, I created a custom build of WLED with the new pins for the ESP32 for the two data lines, relay, IR, button and temp sensor. They all worked perfect once built and I have had two running over Christmas - one running a 1000 LED MegaTree for two months, and it never failed me once!

If you want to build this, you will need a hotplate or hot air gun, as the pads have no room to be castillated, so they rely on solder flowing. I will have to dig out my Platform IO config that shows which pins are what, and what environment to use... that's on a different computer. But feel free to download the gerbers and then the boards made.

I'd recommend a mini heat sink to stick on the can too - the TTGO runs hot, hence why I re-designed my board to have a ground pad and lots of vias to try to act as a heat spreader.

I'd be more inclined to go with @vzagorovskiy design if it's finished?

Oh, and a final tip - one of mine I lost the main data line (somehow???!), but as it's an ESP32, you can use almost any pin as a data line, so I used the relay pin for one string - the transistor that flips the relay 5V line is fast enough to cope with the data packets, so technically if you go with this, and you omit the relay use - you can have 3x data lines out of this little board!

[chunkysteveo]