Best products from r/esp8266

We found 49 comments on r/esp8266 discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 146 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/esp8266:

u/sandwichsaregood · 6 pointsr/esp8266

First question - I use exactly one of those SSR's in my sous vide controller to control a 500W cartridge heater. You will have to use a heat sink. Even driving a 500W load it gets too hot without one, even at lower duty cycles. You can get them with a bulky heat sink that works great, but I salvaged a chipset heat sink from an old motherboard that was a bit more compact. You might even need active cooling (a fan) driving a 10A load depending on how big of a heat sink is practical, which is a big complication.

Side note: Big Clive has a detailed teardown of that relay where he discusses it in quite a bit of detail.

Second question: GPIO2 has a pullup resistor because that is needed for the ESP to boot, so it will always be high at start. Really the best option is to get a more convenient ESP8266 board like a Wemos D1 Mini or NodeMCU, which expose more GPIOs that don't have pullups. GPIO 4 or 5 are what I tend to use.

I'm not sure what you mean by a PNP-NPN pair, something like this? You can just use a level shifter, but I'm 99.99% sure you can drive those Fostek relays directly with 3.3V no problem. They are fine operating near the voltage threshold because they have a driver circuit inside.

Metal container will murder the wifi signal for sure. Especially since that enclosure is probably grounded since it's a mains powered appliance it'll act like a Faraday cage. I'd be surprised if you really got any signal at all.

Just my $0.02 and don't let me stop you, but you'd probably be safest buying something premade like the Sonoff TH16. It's rated for 16 amps, but you can assume it actually lives up to that (Itead is pretty legit) so that should be a decent safety margin. And it's an ESP8266 board that has all the headers exposed for programming so you can hack it to your heart's content. If you're in it for the learning then by all means get your design working... and then buy something made professionally to use for real. It's just not worth the risk of burning the house down when the Sonoff devices are so affordable.

Also agreeing with /u/lukeimyomama, an SSR is a bad choice here since they tend to fail short. If the heater has a built in safety that's not the worst thing, but still I think I'd rather have a coil relay. They also dissipate way less heat (virtually none), which is a major annoyance if you use the SSR. The biggest reason to prefer an SSR is that you can PWM them since they switch states very fast. That's why I use it in my sous vide, so I can have pseudo-analog temperature control, but that's not what you want to do. You are controlling the power at the heater, so the relay will be open or closed all the time. A higher current rated coil relay will be much easier.

u/Pandrom · 1 pointr/esp8266

Unfortunately I was hoping to use RGB LEDS, I can't believe I didn't specify that. Sorry about that, I edited it in. Would you be able to explain the common cathode vs common anode? I'll be looking it up but just to make sure I have the right idea for it.

 

I'll more than likely be using a relay at first, following tlucas's comment above just to get a bit of a better understanding but will be pushing to move over to a more complicated setup using transistors as they seem to be more efficient.

 

Ah yes I had picked out a multimeter but is there a type that you would suggest? I wouldn't be against learning how to make a board, i've looked at tutorials and it seems reasonably simple for just a basic board with no special features. I looked into the materials for a board, but the only thing I haven't figured out is the dremel. Should I go with a handheld one or would a standing one be better?

Edit: It seems like the standing one would be better, however people aren't too fond of that one I linked, I may end up going with a drill press

u/gentoo1stage · 3 pointsr/esp8266


LinkIt Smart 7688 - $12-15 this one looks pretty good (I am ordering one right now)

NanoPi M1 - $13

Orange Pi One H3 - $10

ENC28J60 like stated before, but this one seem to require a dedicated AVR microcontroller.

As for power over Ethernet the best alternative I found sofar is a PoE 5v converter for around $10. There are however 2 wire pairs leftover in the cable when using 100Mbit and possible to carry power over those. This device for $2 might work for that.

Also here is some reading for bit-banging without magnetics (and proves it's pretty much unusable) by /u/Cnlohr.

u/Nimco · 1 pointr/esp8266

I did a similar project a couple years ago, but using a Raspberry Pi Zero W and a relay board. I used this relay board: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HEQF5HU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was quite happy controlling 24VAC.

I know you said you want an "all-in-one" board, but the ESP8266 is so small, it would be easy to connect it to the relay board and secure them together. That's what I did with the RPi0W - I just electrical taped it to the relay board. It ran quite happily for year before we moved house.

u/jerobins · 4 pointsr/esp8266

This is the polar opposite of SMD, but I thought I'd share my solution...

While I love DIY, smoke detectors are important. I wanted to interface with my home system but without compromising the integrity of the system.

Get a 120v first alert.
First Alert SA521CN Wireless Interconnected Hardwired Photoelectric Smoke Alarm with Battery Backup https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVO9D4

Get the smart relay interconnect.
BRK RM4 Smart Relay for First Alert https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039PF21U
This includes schematic for wiring to the detector and the color codes for NO/NC relay connection.

~~Get an optocoupler or isolation relay. Mains Voltage! The output of the RM4 is 120V.
Enclosed AC/DC Power Relay with Protection & De-Bounce. Screw Terminals. 120V Trigger Input. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017743I7S
The RM4 output powers the relay. The screw terminals connect to the 8266.~~

Get a Esp8266; Flash tasmota firmware. Configure for switch and mqtt. Wire it up.
First Alert is now part of the matrix.

Quick update: Did not need the second relay/optocoupler. The BRK RM4 is an isolated relay. Their docs did not make that perfectly clear so I assumed worst case w/o testing it.

u/CyanBlob · 2 pointsr/esp8266

Inspired by /u/commanderkull's post here, I turned an LED-matrix into a performance monitoring tool for my Linux PC. In the gif I am stopping+restarting a Windows VM to show what it looks like when the load changes (of course Windows blue screens, right?)
I wrote a small server to grab the current CPU, memory, and swap usage of my system when the ESP8266 requests it. The ESP8266 then parses the the string and lights the LEDs as necessary.
I have CPU usage displayed in blue LEDs, memory in green, and swap in red. The three colors are added together when displayed (i.e., all the LEDs turn right if each of the above are at 100%)
The code can be found on my GitHub. It's quick and likely dirty, but it gets the job done. The server doesn't cleanly handle the client disconnected+reconnecting right now, but I might add that in the future. As I hinted above, the server only works on Linux right now. Feel free to fork my repo to add Windows support if you like.
This is my first project that I'd consider more or less complete, but it could stand to look a bit nicer. If anyone has any suggestions for that, I'm all ears.

Compnents used:
NodeMCU ESP8266
LED Matrix
Misc. jumper wires

u/YorgYetson · 2 pointsr/esp8266

I spent a long time trying to find ESP resources too, I can't help you breadboard it, but this is what I use for my ESP-01Ss:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J2UXXCA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You'll see in the reviews of that item that you need to add a push button to it (literally 2 solder points, and there are pictures)

Something like this would work, you might be able to find cheaper:

https://www.amazon.com/microtivity-IM206-6x6x6mm-Tact-Switch/dp/B004RXKWI6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=push+button+arduino&qid=1564884279&s=electronics&sr=1-2


Once you have the development board with the push button on it, you put in the ESP-01S, hold down the button while you insert the usb to your PC, then run whatever software you want to write to the esp.


Hope this helps!

u/DarrenElectric · 4 pointsr/esp8266

I bought a 5 pack of these off amazon last year for $12.99

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B92JYDR

"WINGONEER® 5Pcs CP2104 Serial Converter USB 2.0 To TTL UART 6PIN Module compatible better than CP2102"

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They've worked great, except for the one I ran over with my desk chair. That one doesn't work now.

u/maurizze · 1 pointr/esp8266

You could probably look into something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-AVANTEK-Waterpoof-Doorbell-Operating/dp/B076X3HRRF

Would be way easier than DIY something. But definetly pick up some esp8266/esp32 and have a lot fun with them anyways. :D

u/GaryWert · 1 pointr/esp8266

Love the push/pull analogy. Thanks for that one, makes sense. Kind of a supply vs demand situation.

Yes, same power supply but only interact via a relay: GPIO2 on ESP-01 goes high (+3.3v, remember I'm still learning terminology here) when triggered via message, opens 3.3v relay (https://amzn.com/B01M0E6SQM) which connects 12v via step-up to gate remote which has it's button locked on. So 5v source split into 3.3v step down and 12v step up, separated by the relay downstream.

The setup allows me to skip two important features: needing to deconstruct/integrate with the remote board to replicate a button press (which would have been destructive) and needing to power off a battery (would have required ongoing replacement & cost).

u/Narcolapser · 4 pointsr/esp8266

I agree. I hope they come down a little, but honestly they'll need to drop below the price of a C.H.I.P. ($9) for me to be interested. Considering I pickup Nodemcu boards for $7.50 each, that's a tall order.

u/imeuro · 4 pointsr/esp8266

hi, sure! I used a cheap generic "Buck Converter DC DC Step Down" referred in the amazon listing as MP1584EN, that takes max 24V IN (so we should be within the range even on charging phase) and lowers it down to 3.3v needed to run safely the esp8266.

amazon link: https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B01MQGMOKI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00

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on my module i have a screw for selecting the desired voltage output, you have to be very accurate, slights movements of this screw cause big changes in output, but with some patience and a multimeter you should be able to set it up for your desired OUT value.

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as for your LDO attempt: i don't know which model you used but if it gets hot it's either too much voltage IN, hence the lowering process produces too much heat or too much amperage to sustain. Check the datasheets if you remember which model you used

u/alc6379 · 2 pointsr/esp8266

Don't. Use something like these.

I'm sure you could find them cheaper on Aliexpress or eBay, but I use these exact ones with NodeMCUs, WeMos D1 Minis, and WeMos D1 Mini Lites all the time. They work great.

u/Petl · 1 pointr/esp8266

Approved your link from the spamfilter, please just post the relevant part the next time like this:

Link

u/tknp · 1 pointr/esp8266

I've used aliexpress or Amazon depending on how quickly I wanted the things.

For a NodeMCU I'd suggest going with the version 2 instead of the version 3 since they fit better on a 400 point breadboard. I generally just search for 'NodeMCU CP2102' which should get you to the version 2.


u/randomperson664 · 1 pointr/esp8266

Take a generic NPN transistor like the 2n3904, 2n2222 or if you're in Europe, the BC547 or BC548.

Look up the datasheet of your transistor on Google and determine which pins are the Base, Collector and Emitter.

Hook up the collector to the negative pin of your buzzer. Then hook up the Emitter to the GND of your Wemos.

Now that you're left with only one pin on the transistor, the Base, hook that up to a resistor (somewhere in the 1k to 10k region) and attach the other side of the resistor to a GPIO on your Wemos. Oh and apply 5V to your positive pin on the buzzer. That'll do the job just fine!

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Edit: get yourself an electronics starter kit like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Electronics-Component-Potentiometer-Compatible/dp/B01EROKLBC/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=transistor&qid=1566454567&s=gateway&sr=8-7

Should have everything you'll need.

u/motsanciens · 1 pointr/esp8266

Hmm, I plugged in a doorbell transformer to 110VAC, ran it through a bridge rectifier, then dropped the DC voltage with a buck converter and hooked into 3.3v--it powered the NodeMCU just fine. I say all that because I'm a noob with electricity/electronics, so you should be good. This is the buck converter I used, and I used a cheap multimeter to be sure I had dialed in 3.3V.

u/mattreddt · 1 pointr/esp8266

I use one of these as an ESP-01 programmer. Strangely, there is no button on GPIO0 so I had to solder one on--see the pictures in the reviews to see which pins. Simply stick ESP-01 in, hold down the button, plug it in to USB and hit upload. Also watch orientation, I had the ESP-01 backwards first and it got toasty real fast but luckily wasn't damaged.

u/bschwind · 1 pointr/esp8266

> https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-huzzah-esp8266-breakout/overview

I have the exact board, and I also had issues powering it from a USB port. I'm currently using this power supply and have had 0 issues so far. I highly recommend a supply like this because it easily plugs into a solderless breadboard and can supply both 3.3v and 5v simultaneously. I combined it with this AC adapter. It's 9v, but the voltage regulators on the power supply will burn off the extra voltage as heat.

So now you can omit the voltage wire from the FTDI chip, but you still need a ground wire to go from the FTDI chip to the breadboard's ground.

Also, buy a multimeter if you don't already have one.

u/fuzzyaces · 1 pointr/esp8266

I totally agree with /u/Zouden on the mosfet. You may want to recheck the pump though. Do you mean the pump draws 1.2A? You can find on amazon power supplies that are modestly priced.

u/bennettj1087 · 1 pointr/esp8266

Question about the NodeMCU board... I bought this recently and am having an annoying hard time figuring out what the integer values for the pins should be. These boards have pins labeled D0-D8 but using those as pin values in my code doesn't seem to do anything (I have a simple LED connected and am merely trying to make it blink to start with).

Is this board similar to what you used and did you have any issues figuring out pin mappings? Maybe I'm doing something else wrong...

u/devianteng · 1 pointr/esp8266

Bought from Amazon, like $8.79, Prime.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B010O1G1ES

Just got it today, and never had it loaded with anything at this point.

I also just ordered 2 more from this one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IK9GEQG

u/poldim · 0 pointsr/esp8266

Just get a Wemos D1 and a relay sheild. Very cheap and easy to get you the control you need.


How do you plan on controlling or automating it?

u/holmesksp1 · 1 pointr/esp8266

I had seen this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MQGMOKI/ref=sspa_mw_detail_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Where they specify that damage could occur if used at less than 10% load (which at a design load of 1 amp an esp8266 would be pulling ~3-6% of an amp most of the time). Unfortunately I just realized that neither of these are what I need as I forgot that my source is 24 vac rather than vdc. I could rectify it but am trying to avoid an having circuits upon circuits in my design atm. Thanks anyway for pointing that one out. that's good info for future projects.

u/AtxGuitarist · 3 pointsr/esp8266

Does your breadboard come with a power supply? If not, this one is good: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010UJFVTU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_T-ihzbKYP93BC

It has both a 3.3v and 5v line.

u/g2g079 · 5 pointsr/esp8266

I originally had my garage Controller using an Uno that spoke to an esp8266. I found working with the ESPs AT firmware over serial a royal pain in the ass. I have since switched to just using an esp32 (esp8266 would work just the same) instead of the Uno. The esp boards are much more powerful micros and can still be programmed via Uno. Also I didn't need a logic level convertor between the two. I would seriously consider getting One of these for $9 and cut out the uno completely. What took me days to get working on the Uno/esp combo took an hour with the esp alone.