TUTORIAL: How to wire up and flash the ESP8266 12E properly! It works! (Arduino - Getting Started)

My website link for downloads (if any are present), etc:

Just a tutorial on how to get the ESP8266 12E to work properly. It's the most difficult module I've worked with to date and I finally feel as though I've cracked it. So I thought I'd share this with everyone so that they don't have to spend countless hours the way I did! :-)

NB:
The capacitors are used to reduce noise and also for stability - I'd say they are necessary! The resistors are pull up and pull down resistors, these are to prevent ambiguous signals from being read into the ESP8266.

[TheTuyp]

Not all heroes wear capes.. I've must have put in 40+ hours in getting this thing to work before coming across your video. Thanks for uploading this!

[englishrupe]

Thanks Antony! I had a couple of these and was staring at them and wondering what to do with them...then i saw your video! Cool...thanks!

[bradg]

Thanks, the hole pull up / down resistor thing is become more clear now. Using the resistors in place of "just" a jumper wire on the pins that need to go high or low makes sense, ie, just need a small amount of current to set the pin high/low, not the FULL amount.

[johnturnbull]

Great post and clear wiring instructions. Thank you.

It just occurred to me that life might be better if you wired the ESP6266 into connector wires upside down. The top side of the ESP8266 does not have much to say for itself, being short on length and weak on plot, but the bottom has pin labels. Woot! Being able to see the pin functions is likely to reduce wiring errors.

[dtesta]

This is a good video. However, you do not explain WHY each of the components are needed. Just saying, "you need X" without telling "why", actually does not teach anything. Why not explain that the capacitors are used to stabilize the voltage etc? Why are the resistors needed.. and so on. Just my 50 cents.

[ozdemirsalik]

Ok, I want to make clear some discussion topics in this comment section. He said, this is the most reliable way and he's right. You can use esp8266's for every single application with this setup. But he didn't tell why you need this bulky parts. I am gonna start with capacitors. You will need capacitors only if you're gonna use relays or motors in your projects, these type of electrical components will have voltage fluctuations, and the spikes can potentially damage your esp. But ams1117 is a linear voltage regulator, you can use a buck converter instead without having to use capacitors. The resistors are only needed when you are gonna use those pins as i/o's. So you should use resistors where you need more i/o pins. Besides you can just use cables to make the proper connections. And again I highly recommend using a buck converter instead of a linear voltage regulator. They are more efficient and they are tiny. So you should use these components on purpose.

[abolfazldanayi]

Thanks. That was great; both technical and teaching aspects... After following all your tips, would the ESP8266 work reliably?

[kodiererg]

You're killing me with those blue wires

[kaushikx]

Thanks a lot antony for this video. Every beginner should watch this :).

[ClarenceDeMars]

Thanks i have been looking to go to super minimal for deep sleep and long use battery life for a sensor. Are the gpio pull-ups on the soc or the dev boards? I want to use a temp/ humidity sensor that wake every hour poles send home to esphome the back to deep sleep

[mrrcomp]

Great Video ..Can you tell me what gauge wire you use to solder to the ESP12E :)

[RafaelKahn]

Nice vid, it really worked !! Thanks a lot!

[johnwyatt]

is there any reason this doesn't need an external crystal? I've inherited a project based on one of these modules and between the different data sheets I've found I can't find one with a pin out that matches and shows where an external crystal would connect, but each data sheet does mention the need for at least a 26mhz crystal yet can handle up to 40hz and from what I understand it is recommended. Do you know if there is a crystal internally? is that the 26 mhm one?

[Thrieondesign]

Thank you so much for your video, it worked perfectly for me!!!

[youliantroyanov]

actually it's a very well done video. keep up the good work. i am no newbie, to esp at least, but i enjoyed nonetheless.

[rajdeepmondal]

Can you please share the codes, the website link is not working

[Tim-Jaeger]

Why are you using a .1µF cap between Vcc and GND (Wondering about the value, not the cap itself)

[shanerigsby]

Best demo I've found so far. What exactly do I search to find the type of blue wire you're using? The stuff I get has multiple stringy strands instead of the nice solid core on yours.

[KMVV]

So was the ESP flashed with a program? What program? Thanks.

[wangouthangout]

Great video. I've struggled to find anything about programming this module. I keep getting NodeMCU flashing guides. I actually used an 8pin UART programmer with a button between GPIO0 and ground that I'd been using with ESP01s modules but it wasn't working. Then saw your vid and learned I needed to ground GPIO15 (still not sure why). Now successfully uploading sketches through Arduino IDE.

But I'm still not having success booting the module up. I've been installing Tasmota and it seems like the 3.3v I'm giving it isn't enough or something. The led is barely lighting up. Any ideas Anthony or anyone else reading?