Olimex MOD-WIFI-ESP8266 alternatives

[rstevens81]

Can I ask a dumb question... Why are we still using an olimex esp8266 as they are evil particular since you need to bridge solder pads to flash etc.
Why not move to wemos d1 mini
Or even a S2 mini to prevent further issues with supply?

(Feel free to flame me )

[jon volk]

Can I ask a dumb question... Why are we still using an olimex esp8266 as they are evil particular since you need to bridge solder pads to flash etc.
Why not move to wemos d1 mini
Or even a S2 mini to prevent further issues with supply?

(Feel free to flame me )

The form factor is completely different and would require a new interface on all the OI boards is my guess. It does bring up an interesting thought of a custom pcb with some small dip switches. JLC does appear to stock espressif esp8266's in QFN32. Perhaps I may take a swing and drawing something up to see what that might look like.

[rstevens81]

Yes I know what you mean about form factor the wemos is a bit bigger but you only actually need Tx and Rx, which means an external mounting (in the cabin) could be considered a sensible option

[johu]

JLCPCB stock the far cheaper and more capable ESP-12F . Just search their part database for esp8266

Certainly worth a try

[Roadstercycle]

To upgrade to the commercial firmware in my Gen 2 charger V5 I ended up using a Wemos D1. Tried to program the stock 8266 with no luck. The D1 took the first time. I've uploaded a couple pics to show how I installed it as it has a bigger footprint. I used 2, 5 wide connectors and plugged them into the board with some glue between to bond them together. The header pins are staggered on the board so this way I knew there were plugged in all the way. Then I removed them once bonded and hot glued it to the D1 board. Used 4 short wires to do the connections. Plugged the board in and tested it. After testing a put a spot of hot glue on the one corner next to the black connector on the board to make so it would not vibrate loose. I also added a piece of electrical tape to the top of the D1 board because it was close to the aluminum cover, I don't think it touches but better save than sorry. Worked great.

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

IIRC, Brattitude was producing a board that converted Wemos D1 Minis to the Olimex. Little adapter thingy.

[johu]

Very neat. I think the actual Olimex board isn't the problem but the choice of connector. Maybe they switched to a different supplier lately

[janosch]

Just a quick note. I had endless connectivity problems with the MOD-Wifi, pulled the drivetrain twice because of it I think over the last months, and today finally realised that the combination of connector on my Tesla Logic board & Olimex connector is to be blamed! Need to replace the connector.

Without DuPont wire:

Code: Select all

time curl http://192.168.4.1/index.js | md5sum -

returns different results from failed page loads, ESP8266 struggles to connect to the STM32 (sometimes only every 3rd time or less)

With DuPont wire:
HTTP requests always successful, params from STM32 load first time

Leaving this here in case it helps someone. Couldn't believe it. Went back and forth a few times, definitely the plug & connector combo. Added it here: https://openinverter.org/wiki/Olimex_MO ... mon_Issues

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

With DuPont wire:

I've been having the exact opposite problem. The Duponts are twitchy and inconsistent, and wiggle loose. I was going to make an adapter like shown earlier in the thread.

But now seeing that you've had troubles that way too, I'm tempted to say, for as often as you'd ever replace the wifi... just solder the damned board up directly and be done with it.

[janosch]

...

Makes sense, I removed the biased red cross and green tick from the wiki, and just leaving a note telling people to try varying things: https://openinverter.org/wiki/Olimex_MO ... mon_Issues

[Skudak]

I replaced the olimex on my motor board with a D1. It was so much easier to program and setup. Anecdotal, but it seems like it connects faster and has slightly better range.
I'm a little concerned about motor vibrations but I'll just keep an eye on it and worse case have to pull it out and try something else.

[Jonr]

Has anyone used a nodeMCU in place of the Olimex device? I'm trying to use this on a ZombieVerter.
I have loaded FSBrowser.ino.modwifi.bin bootloader using the esptool.py as described in the Olimex MOD-WIFI-ESP8266 wiki page.
The arduino software came from Johannes Huebner esp8266-web-interface on github
I've loaded the SPIFF files via Arduino and then loaded the LittleFS files and main .ino program.
All the above loaded without error but the server didn't start as I couldn't see a new network with an SSID of inverter

Has anyone sucessfully done this and if so, how dd you do it?

EDIT: after digging around for a day I found this. viewtopic.php?p=46247&sid=d758ca4f16bf7 ... d2b#p46247

Problem solved, although, for me, the SPIFF route worked, the LittleFS didn't - I don't know why!

[Jonr]

Resolution to D1 mini and NodeMCU comms failure...
viewtopic.php?p=48518#p48518

[Alibro]

I've been struggling to program an Olimex ESP8266 for a couple of days but not because of soldering issues. The Rev B boards have a button you hold in when powering up to put into programming mode.
My problems are more to do with poor understanding of the process so any tips would be appreciated.