Things You Should Know Before Using ESP8266 Wifi Module

ESP8266 is a 3V Wifi Module very popular for its Internet Of Things Applications. ESP 8266 maximum working Voltage is 3.6V and its very important to note. you must know how to power it, How to Serial Connect it with Arduino Safely, How To Ping and many other things. You should Use Software Like Circuito.io, Tinkercad, Fritzing to simulate and work with the board Safely. You should Also Use Logic Level Controller To use with ESP8266 Module.

Step 1: ESP 8266 Pinout

ESP8266 Have 8 Pins Namely RX, VCC, GPIO 0, RESET, CH_PD, GPIO 2, TX and GND.

VCC and GND are Powering Pins. RX and TX are Used To Communicate. You Should Also Look At ESP8266 Datasheet at https://cdn.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Wireless/WiFi/ESP8266ModuleV1.pdf

Step 2: Powering ESP 8266

There Are Many Ways To Power ESP 8266 Wifi Module, You can use 2AA Sized Batteries for Powering, PC Port if you have a TTL-Serial-to-USB adapter(Don't try to connect the module to a PC serial port directly, you could cause damage to the module or the your computer!). You Can Use LIPO Batteries To Power the ESP Dev Thing Board. You Can Use LM117 3.3V Voltage Regulator.

The ESP8266’s maximum voltage is 3.6V, so the Thing has an onboard 3.3V regulator to deliver a safe, consistent voltage to the IC. That means the ESP8266’s I/O pins also run at 3.3V, you’ll need to Logic Level Controller any 5V signals running into the IC. Alternatively, if you have an external, regulated, supply you’d like to deliver directly to the ESP8266, you can supply that voltage through the 3V3 pin (on the I2C header). While this voltage doesn’t have to be 3.3V, it must be within the range of 1.7-3.6V.

Step 3: Using Logic Level Controller

The ESP8266’s maximum voltage is 3.6V, so the Thing has an onboard 3.3V regulator to deliver a safe, consistent voltage to the IC. That means the ESP8266’s I/O pins also run at 3.3V, you’ll need to Logic Level Controller any 5V signals running into the IC.

The level converter is very easy to use. The board needs to be powered from the two voltages sources (high voltage and low voltage) that your system is using. High voltage (5V for example) to the ‘HV’ pin, low voltage (3.3V for example) to ‘LV’, and ground from the system to the ‘GND’ pin.

Step 4: Using Batteries

You Can Also Power ESP using two AA Batteries. Positive from Batteries to VCC of ESP and GND To GND of ESP 8266.

Step 5: While in TinkerCad

I have Used Tinkercad to Show How The Board Can't Handle even 0.1 Extra. The Maximum Voltage You Can Give is 3.5V. You Should Use Such Simulation Software To Look that the Power You Are Delivering to ESP is Safe Or Not.

Step 6: Communicating ESP 8266 Via Arduino UNO

To Communicate With ESP8266 Via Arduino UNO you will need A Logic Level Controller In Between To Safely Work with ESP8266.

Connections: For Connecting ESP TO Arduino,

Connect ESP8266 RX to Logic Level Controller Level 1.

Connect ESP TX to Logic Level Controller Level 2.

ESP VCC to Arduino UNO 3.3V

Logic Level Controller Level to Arduino 3.3V.

Logic Level Controller GND To Arduino GND.

ESP GND to Arduino GND.

ESP CH_PD To Arduino 5V.

Logic level Controller HV to Arduino 5V.

Logic Level Controller HV1 to Arduino 11th pin.

Logic Level Controller HV2 to Arduino 10th pin.

ESP CH_PD To Arduino 5V.

Step 7: Communicating With ESP 8266 Module.

Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and press enter.

Type IPCONFIG and press enter.

Type PING and the IP address of your module.

A successful PING request will always return a set of numbers. If you get "Request Time Out" messages it means that something isn't communicating.

Then Write Your IP Address to your Web Browser and Now You can Communicate with ESP 9266 Module.