DIY ESP-01 WIFI Module Programming Adapter

Hello fellow makers!

In this instructable I will show you how you can make your own ESP-01 programmer using a FTDI Module and some basic components. Also, i will show how to setup your Arduino IDE for the programming of ESP-01 Module.

You can check out the above video for detailed guide on how to do all steps.

You can follow my Instagram page @hyper_makes for frequent updates on the projects I do.

Hardware:

• Perforated PCB
• 4 Pin Female Header X 2
• 6 Pin Female Header
• Thin enameled copper wire
• SPDT momentary switch
• Generic Latch switch
• ESP8266 ESP-01 WIFI Module
• FTDI USB to TTL Programming Module
• USB A to USB mini A cable

Software:

• Arduino IDE

Tools:

• Soldering Iron
• Solder wire

Take your 4-pin female headers and attach them to the pins of ESP-01.

Try to place it in the middle of the board in such a way that there is little bit space left on both left and right side of the board.

Now take your 6-pin female header pin and place it near the 4-pin headers for easy connection at the time of soldering.

Finally mount your momentary and latch switch towards the far right of the board.

See the attached pictures for better understanding of the step.

After proper planning and placement of your components, now it is time to solder them securely in their place.

This will help when we will be doing our wiring connections for our programmer.

WARNING!!!

Please remember to take out your ESP-01 module from the 4-pin header connectors before soldering the pins in place. Otherwise the ESP-01 will absorb heat from the pins while soldering and will destroy itself.

Follow the wiring schematic provided in this step and do all the wiring connections accordingly.

I have used thin enameled copper wire for all the connections. It is my personal preference as it keeps the project wiring clean.

Remember: We are using the latch switch as our "programming" button whereas the momentary switch to "reset" the ESP-01 WIFI module.

Your finished programming module should look something similar to this.

Now it is time to use it for the programming of our ESP-01 Module.

INTERNET CONNECTION IS REQUIRED FOR THE UPCOMING STEPS

• Setup:

First you will need a USB type A to USB type A mini cable for connecting the programmer module to the computer.

After connecting, go to the device manager of your computer. You can do that by clicking on START button on your desktop and then search "Device manager" and click on the first result.

Check for your device if it is available on "PORTS(COM & LPT)". It should show you your COM port. If not then, the driver has not been set up or installed for your FTDI Module. I will not cover the topic here but you can search "FTDI driver installation" on internet for the guides and help.

• Next, open your Arduino IDE and go to File> Preferences.

Click on "Additional Boards Manager URLs" icon, a dialog box will appear. You have to copy and paste the boards manager link for ESP8266 boards from the github page of esp8266 Arduino core.

But I will give the link here, so just copy and paste it: https://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266...

then click on ok, and again ok for the preferences menu.

• Next, go to Tools>Board>Boards Manager

Search "esp8266" in the search tab and install the latest version. If you have already installed then it will show option to update. Do the necessary.

• Next, go to Tools>Board> and select "Generic ESP8266 Module" from the given options.

now after you select your board, it will load the extra options menu for the board. So, you have to wait some time around 10-20 seconds depending on the speed of your internet.

• Next, go to File>Examples>ESP8266>Blink.

Click on "Verify" button to verify the blink sketch. If everything goes well and there are no syntax errors in sketch then you will get a message telling "Done Compilation" in the message output box.

• Next, Select your COM port in the "Tools" menu and click on "Upload".

Sometimes the IDE may get stuck at connecting stage, in that case press the "Reset" button of your programmer Module.

After the upload is done, you will get a message "Done Uploading" on the message output box.

In the conclusion, we were able to make a ESP-01 programmer module using a FTDI Module and some basic components which we normally with us.

If you have any question or query, you can ask it in the comment section.

Stay safe and Happy Making.