Can't upload code to ESP32-Cam

I have no idea what is wrong, I switched to using the following board, it is a 'normal' setup without FTDI. https://amz.run/5pVB "https://amz.run/5pVB"

That is the Canadian amazon so change the .ca to whichever country is correct for you.

I think @zander is quite expert in this field.  I'm subscribed, to hear his or anyone else's answer as one of these days I'm going to have blow dust off my ESP32-CAMs.

@zander - Well, my Internet is so slow... you already answered since I was able to see this thread. 😣 

@bttorres You mention pressing the reset button (on the left) but what about the boot button (on the right) that is the one needed to upload a sketch.

Posted by: @inq

@zander - Well, my Internet is so slow... 

Tsk tsk 🙂 Did Ben Franklin or Thomas Edison complain about their bandwidth ? 🙂

@zander Unfortunately, I don't have an ESP32-CAM-MB. I only have the ESP32-CAM and the FTDI that Bill uses so there isn't a "boot button (on the right)" to press. There's only the reset button on the ESP32-CAM itself. At this point, I am willing to get another ESP32-CAM with the USB-TTL module though.

@bttorres If you are going to buy another board, get the MB, it's so much easier to work with. What sketch are you trying to upload?

@zander I've tried uploading the example sketches: "CameraWebServer" and "Wifi Scan"

Hi @bttorres,

 I hesitate to mention this, as it breaks every rule in the book, but if your present ESP card is heading for the bin, you may decide there is nothing to lose.

If so, that is your decision, I am not recommending this course of action, as it 'should' risk damaging the ESP32!

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USB power and data are all based on 5V levels ... most, but not all, Arduinos are the same, but ESP32s are 3.3V data logic levels ... in fact the ESP32 processor chip is only designed to see 0 to 3.3V on all of its pins. The ESP32 Cam (and other ESP32 cards) have a 5V to 3.3V power regulator on board, so it is possible to supply 5V from the FTDI card, to the 5V pin of course.

But the ESP32 requires only all data/logic signals, including those from the FTDI board, to be 3.3V. Hence, you should have selected the 3.3V setting on the FTDI board. And it should have worked!!!

When I followed Bill's excellent tutorial, it worked first time and that is with the FTDI jumper set to 3.3V.

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However, I had a number of message exchanges with another person on this forum ... including on this topic .... and the only way he got his to program, was with the FTDI card jumpered to 5V. I also saw someone else reporting similar observations on the Web.

As I can't see the cards affected, I can't connect scope probes, etc, so. I have no way of knowing what is going on. It might be one of those 'two wrongs making a right' .... which I was always taught didn't happen!

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I might also mention, although the problem could be the ESP32 card, I have a feeling some of the FTDI cards around are responsible for a lot of the problems ... perhaps their 3.3V/5V jumper system doesn't work as expected? But that is only a hunch, not a fact.

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Good luck with your project, I hope you can resolve it. Best wishes, Dave

@davee Before I do anything like that, I'll see if anyone has any remaining advice and I'll also get the ESP32-CAM with the MB. If there isn't any remaining advice and my current card doesn't work with the future MB, I'll try that out before tossing it.

UPDATE:

I received the new ESP32-CAM-MB and it was plug and play. No issues at all.

@bttorres BACKGROUND The sample sketch for the camera web server is broken.

Now you need to choose, either switch to the V4 unofficial version, or backlevel your esp32 boards to 1.0.6.

Let me know your choice and I will give you guidance.

@zander I'm on esp32 version 2.0.4 and camera web server worked fine.

I am having a problem with Bill's "ESP32-CAM Robot Car" code though.

On 1.0.6, I get multiple errors like this:

C:\Users\brand\Documents\Arduino\IDK\app_httpd.cpp.ino:405:18: note: previous declaration 'esp_err_t index_handler'
static esp_err_t index_handler(httpd_req_t *req){
^
C:\Users\brand\Documents\Arduino\IDK\app_httpd.cpp.ino: In function 'void startCameraServer()':
app_httpd.cpp:419:5: error: invalid conversion from 'esp_err_t {aka int}' to 'esp_err_t (*)(httpd_req_t*) {aka int (*)(httpd_req*)}' [-fpermissive]
};

On 2.0.4, I get this one error:

fatal error: dl_lib_matrix3d.h: No such file or directory
#include "dl_lib_matrix3d.h"
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.
exit status 1
dl_lib_matrix3d.h: No such file or directory

@bttorres What sketch are you trying to compile?