Arduino-ESP01 Basics

[Richard_Taplin]

I need help with the basics.

I am wanting to get my Arduino uno talking with Blynk over Wi-Fi with ESP-01, ESP8266.

I have setup and programed the ESP-01 with Blynk software and got it talking to the Blynk app, all good.

I now want to change to using the Arduino uno, but there are a couple of things I’m having problems with.

From what I’ve found, it seems the main Blynk program is loaded into the Arduino so it does all the work sending the info out through the comms.

I can’t seem to get the Arduino to talk to the ESP-01. It keeps saying there is no response.

Question 1, what should be loaded into the ESP-01? Do I leave a blank program in it? This seems odd as how is it supposed to pick up the comms and send to the Wi-Fi? Do the comms pins of the ESP-01 go direct to the Wi-Fi part of the ESP8266 chip so there is no need for a program?

Question 2, I want to change the board speed if the ESP-01 to 9600.

I am using the Arduino IDE for comms; I can’t seem to get the basic OK from the ESP-01 or use the AT commands. It’s as if the comms is set at the wrong speed.

I can program the ESP-01 and the Blynk info shows up, but that would be after the Blynk program in the ESP-01 sets the comms speed.

Everything I’ve read says the speed should be 115200 and sometimes 9600. Is there a chance the ESP-01 is running at a different board rate that the Arduino IDE can do?

I tried a simple program to set the board speed within the ESP-01 to 9600, that seemed to work, but that brings me back to question 1.

I have sorted the voltages and tried on a couple of different ESP-01’s.

I have also flashed the firmware with ESPtool.

[Blynk_Coeur]

You should get an ESP8266 for $3 , and throw your uno and your ESP01 in the trash.

[PeteKnight]

If you really feel the need to use the 12 year old technology of an Arduino Uno/Nano/Mega linked to an ESP-01 as a WiFi modem (and incidentally the ESP-01is a faster, more powerful processor with more memory than either of these Arduinos) then you should read this…

Understanding hardware and software serial ports

I’m still seeing frequent posts, mostly from new members of the forum, who are confused about how to add WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity to devices like the Arduino Uno, Nano or Mega, or from people who are trying to use serial communication with some other type of peripheral. I thought I’d try to put together some guidance on how to do this properly. First things first though – if you’re using a device such as an Uno, Nano or Mega that doesn’t have built-in internet connectivity then you shoul…

In this day and age there are very few reasons why you shouldn’t throw the Arduino in the bin and use either a NodeMCU/Wemos D1 Mini or an ESP32 board rather than the Arduino-ESP-01 combination.

What is the use-case that requires you to use an Arduino + ESP-01 ?

Pete.

[Richard_Taplin]

Im actually doing a fuw different thing so prefer this for now

[Richard_Taplin]

The reason for using the Arduino is simply because I have some lying around and this is the first time I’ve tried anything with Wi-Fi.

I’m building a home system, just a hobby, however some of the points are a reasonable distance away, so will be using radio for them.

I will be moving to a mega when I’ve got a better understanding of things.

Anyway. I’ve looked at the post you put up. My problem may be that I loaded a sketch into the ESP-01 to see if it was working.

That will be why the AT commands appeared to work once - but never again.

Things make more sense now. I will reload the firmware and then try the AT commands without loading a sketch.

[PeteKnight]

@Richard_Taplin

I will be moving to a mega when I’ve got a better understanding of things.

Noooooo!!

Do yourself a favour and order a NodeMCU or Wemos D1 Mini, and a generic ESP32 dev board. Experiment with them a little and I’m sure you’ll realise that these cheaper alternatives are far more useable than the old clunky Arduinos and the net of wires needed to connect-up the ESP-01.
In the long term you’ll save yourself a lot of pain, as well as money by going down that route…

Some more info on ESP8266 based boards here…

Which board should I choose for my first Blynk project?

I thought I’d write a piece about my thoughts on the best hardware to use for your IoT projects if you’re just starting-out with Blynk. I did what many people do, started-off buying an Arduino Uno and uploaded some code to make it flash an LED. After about 10 seconds of watching the LED flash I was bored, and wanted to do more (I have a short attention span ). The next task was getting the Uno connected to the internet and I chose the Ethernet Shield route. After around 6 months of m…

Also, there are many well made self contained devices such as the Sonoff and Shelly switches which are ESP8266 based devices which can easily be re-programmed to work with Blynk. Taking this approach allows remote devices to be incorporated into a smart home setup in a really neat way, which is something you can’t really achieve when using home made devices, especially ones that are based around an Arduino + ESP-01.

Pete.