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New Member - Currently trying to get my ESP32 CAM to work

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Pete Huesmann
(@pete)
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New member here,
 
I'm a DuPont retiree now for several years and when I find time I'm trying to get back into understanding electronics. It was a side interest in college 50 years as a Biology/Chemistry major where I also took a few courses in Computer Science and Physics-Electronics. Of course then it was Fortran and Punch Cards. On the electronics side I did build a high pass-Low pass filter for the schools Mass Spectrometer based on a design from the equipment supplier. Really simple but peaked an interest that I hoped some day I could get back to.
 
So I've been learning from the great videos here and building up my parts and supplies. I hope eventually I will get my grandchildren into this passion as well. Also I've put together my own PCs over the last 30 some years without really understanding most of what I was doing except for slapping together components so I hope to get a deeper understanding here as well. 
 
I could go on but won't bore you further except to say I have been having trouble getting a couple different ESP32 CAM's to work even after trying the great guidance here - including (power USB)  I am hoping to do some nature monitoring with this device or another setup like the Huskey Lens reviewed here. I'm also into amateur astronomy so I hope to eventually use the ESP32 in a remote camera setup by a WIFI link.
 
I did not have any trouble getting several ESP32 products including an ADA fruit Feather ESP32 and the Several that I obtained through Digi-Key and on amazon.com.
 
I'm using a MAC mini and a Nvidia nano 4GB . I haven't tried my Windows PC yet. I'm getting the typical brownout message with the ESP32 CAM which I did not seem to get with the ESP32 board.
 
I'll keep on working on this but in the meantime I'm studying the great 555 timer and logic chip videos that Bill presented. These are GREAT!
 
Best Regards,
Pete Huesmann

   
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Pete Huesmann
(@pete)
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Responding to my own post already. I did a search after posting and see the Developer Module for the ESP32 CAM so I'll study that. Any other guidance would be gratefully received.

Pete


   
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Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
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Joined: 4 years ago
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@pete Hi Pete, welcome aboard my first love is computers/electronics but my second was chemistry in HS. I have about a dozen of the ESP32-CAM modules and they all worked first try. It's been a while since I played with them but what brand and what are your specific problems. I just got stymied by a wrong part on my current project, so I will hook up one of these cams and make sure it works then we c an maybe compare notes. Attached are pictures of my ESP32-S-CAM. I have a collection of different cameras and different length connectors.

IMG 6799
IMG 6800

 

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
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Pete Huesmann
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Ron,

Thanks so much for responding.

One board I received from amazon and its lising is "HiLetgo ESP32-CAM Camera Module ESP32-S OV2640 2MP Camera Development Board Wireless WiFi Bluetooth with TF Card Slot for Arduino Raspberry Pi". It looks the closest to yours but the writing on the Chip cover is different than yours.

The other I bought from Digi-Key and is listed as "ESP32-CAM 2MP WIFI+BT AI-THINKER" and it has a black covering over the onboard antenna.

Both have the ESP32-S version designation.

Regards,

Pete 

 


   
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Pete Huesmann
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Ron, Also, the Arduino IDE seems to load the program OK but then when I hit the reset button after removing the jumper, I get the brownout message repeated as it tries to set up a WIFI link. 

Removing the jumper and resetting is kind of clumsy so I wonder if I am having an issue with procedure here?

Regards,

Pete


   
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Ron
 Ron
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@pete WiFi consumes a lot of power, what are you powering the board with?

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
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Ron
 Ron
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@pete Those boards are probably the same. AI-Thinker is a good brand. Understand re clumsy, that board is double sided so is a challenge. Bill has a great video about making a testing platform to resolve all the problems those boards present. It's a good sized project with a lot or soldering, but go slow. Just search his YT chan for ESP32-CAM.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
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Pete Huesmann
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Thanks Ron, I shall do that ...

THanks again,

Pete


   
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Pete Huesmann
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Also, per Bills directions I did get a powered USB but still seem to have the same problem. I bought an FTDI from ADAFRUIT I plan to try that before building the testing module which I will need to do anyway for the projects I have planned.

Pete


   
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Ron
 Ron
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@pete Are you familiar with RandomNerdTutorials? They have an ESP32-CAM project and the instructions will get you up and running a web cam in a few minutes. I have the paid course, but I think there is a free version as well. Let me know and I will try to find it. Also, the sample code in the IDE for ESP32 is very good as long as you know the trick. Do you know about this

void setup() {
WRITE_PERI_REG(RTC_CNTL_BROWN_OUT_REG,0);//disable brownout detector
Serial.begin(115200);
.
.
etc
What sketch are you running?
 

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
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Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
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@pete Here is the key part. Use that AI-THINKER. The sketch is the example. That should get you going.

Screen Shot 2022 03 21 at 15.22.05

 

Screen Shot 2022 03 21 at 15.19.32

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
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Pete Huesmann
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Posts: 13
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Not familiar with those tutorials. I’ll check it out.

i did try something similar to that script. I’ll try that one out later tonight.

i was trying the first sketch Bill sows from the Arduino examples that gives the ESP32CAM an address and activates the camera. Right from Bills video.

ill try it again with your script.

Pete


   
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Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
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@pete That is the same one, Examples/ESP32/Camera/CameraWebServer.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
My personal scorecard is now 1 PC hardware fix (circa 1982), 1 open source fix (at age 82), and 2 zero day bugs in a major OS.


   
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Pete Huesmann
(@pete)
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Ah, I started answering before seeing your descriptive directions! Thanks again.


   
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Pete Huesmann
(@pete)
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Ron,

Tried running again and here is the message I receive ...

"

ets Jun 8 2016 00:22:57

rst:0x1 (POWERON_RESET),boot:0x13 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
configsip: 0, SPIWP:0xee
clk_drv:0x00,q_drv:0x00,d_drv:0x00,cs0_drv:0x00,hd_drv:0x00,wp_drv:0x00
mode:DIO, clock div:1
load:0x3fff0030,len:1324
ho 0 tail 12 room 4
load:0x40078000,len:13508
load:0x40080400,len:3604
entry 0x400805f0

Brownout detector was triggered "

...

I also tried " WRITE_PERI_REG(RTC_CNTL_BROWN_OUT_REG,0);//disable brownout detector ... but received an error message ending with " 'RTC_CNTL_BROWN_OUT_REG' was not declared in this scope"

So I guess there is a class or function I need to access with a #Define statement.

Pete


   
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