SparkFun Electronics Commentsurn:uuid:214d0e4e-f1b1-d287-ce26-ac5b4c9f82492024-03-28T04:47:40-06:00SparkFun Electronicssantaimpersonator on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266santaimpersonatorurn:uuid:d3240dc8-faea-7c0b-9c2f-c24b291a3a7f2020-05-27T10:27:46-06:00<p>Hi there, it sounds like you are looking for <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/technical_assistance" rel="nofollow">technical assistance</a>. Please use the link in the banner above, to get started with posting a topic in our <a href="https://forum.sparkfun.com/" rel="nofollow">forums</a>. Our technical support team will do their best to assist you.</p>
Customer #1599974 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #1599974urn:uuid:08285e95-c0d3-f525-98e0-ff7f14e3196a2020-05-21T23:28:47-06:00<p>Hi Guys,<p>Had this board like a few weeks ago. With the Blynk energy point. But once I started to test with a simple data collection using the onboard temp/humid sensors. (Wanted to collect my room parameters). The issue is that once the battery was run dry and I recharge it using the USB power supply. The board will not automatically connect back with the WIFI connection. Does anyone here face the same problem? How do u solve it?</p><p>For now, i have to add in a physical switch to disconnect the battery power to the board and reconnect after a while.</p></p>
Red Squirrel on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Red Squirrelurn:uuid:1d98a198-1eed-aba4-b37c-92cd80a7890d2019-04-12T16:52:10-06:00<p>I'm not 100% sure but I think the model must be scaled up 105% (1.05X) before it is to scale.</p>
Nickolay on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Nickolayurn:uuid:072d9d05-3f44-4b40-5049-fc481efcc9da2017-09-17T00:32:48-06:00<p>hi, why better use lmv358 in ADC scaling? if compere with classic voltage divider which using just two series resistors. Thank You!</p>
bboyho on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266bboyhourn:uuid:929e536b-fba0-da92-e519-35cb30c9e19b2016-12-09T17:09:01-07:00<p><strong>Blynk Board Add On</strong><p>Make sure that you have the Blynk board add-on installed. If you have not installed the board add-on in the Arduino IDE , try looking at this tutorial [ <a href="https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/blynk-board-arduino-development-guide#install-the-blynk-board-arduino-addon" rel="nofollow">https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/blynk-board-arduino-development-guide#install-the-blynk-board-arduino-addon</a> ].</p><p><strong>SparkFun Blynk Board Not Showing Up?</strong></p><p>Are you not seeing the <em>SparkFun Blynk Board</em> board definition in <em>Tools>board</em> after installing the board add-on? This might have something to do with your Arduino IDE version. I heard from another tech support representative that v1.6.13 did some weird merging of different board definitions.</p><p>Try uninstalling any board add-ons called "<em>esp8266 by ESP8266 Community</em>" and the Blynk board add-on. After closing out your board manager, try reinstalling the Blynk board add-on. You might want to uninstall/reinstall the Arduino IDE or delete any temporary files related to Arduino.</p><p><strong>Disabling the Self Test</strong></p><p>If you are uploading the Default Blynk Firmware, make sure that you comment out line 29 in the <em>Blynkboard_Core_Firmware.ino</em> where by adding "//" where it says:</p><pre><code>#define SELF_TEST_ENABLED
</code></pre><p>Once you are done uploading, the LED will blink blue. Just let the board configure itself and do remove the board. After a couple of seconds, the LED will begin to blink white. You would just need to follow the steps to re-provision your board</p><p>Otherwise, you might see the RGB LED flash red, green, and blue repeatedly. The WiFi name might also be called "ESP_CCXXXX" instead of "BlynkMe-XXXX". The XXXX will be different depending on how the board randomizes the WiFi SSID.</p></p>
MrMolex on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266MrMolexurn:uuid:812329cc-1124-33f8-b750-6aafb8411c152016-07-07T07:24:10-06:00<p>this board (with this firmware) can handle interruptions?</p>
Customer #481709 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #481709urn:uuid:8789f990-5bf8-dfca-9ca3-6a1260e0d26e2016-06-17T23:01:31-06:00<p>Is there a list of what all 32 virtual pins are and do?</p>
Shawn Hymel on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Shawn Hymelurn:uuid:10e8f6c4-214b-0539-7503-516e459350e42016-06-07T13:05:49-06:00<p>It's no longer 80% - I just checked on the app, and you get the full 100% back when you recycle a widget.</p>
juanitajonez on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266juanitajonezurn:uuid:ba7564e6-b663-c133-7563-332edeb52c162016-06-02T14:14:02-06:00<p>Because the board runs hot, the temperature sensor seems to read somewhere around 90F no matter the temperature of the room, rendering it somewhat useless for monitoring the temperature in a room. Anyone have a simple solution to this ?</p>
M-Short on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266M-Shorturn:uuid:e16ed869-ecba-1c64-8f3c-0e23e2ae6dbd2016-05-31T09:35:58-06:00<p>The Blynk App itself is free to use and comes with a few energy credits. Basically the energy lets you add more widgets and more advanced widgets. 15k is quite a bit of energy and it sounds like you can recycle widgets and get 80% of that energy back as well. For more information check out the <a href="http://community.blynk.cc/t/introducing-blynk-energy-first-paid-services/4975/21" rel="nofollow">announcement</a> on their forums. As for the app, I'd check their forums and posts, but my guess is they are aware about it and working on it.</p>
Red Squirrel on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Red Squirrelurn:uuid:5b985add-ab8f-97da-6bb9-f69cd9cc486f2016-05-28T08:39:19-06:00<p>What is the Blynk subscription service and how does the 'Energy' work? Are there premium features that require additional payments? Also, when I go to the IOS App Store, the app is only available for iPhone and displays in a bad aspect ratio on my iPad Air 2.<p>"Blynk subscription code card (15k Energy at a $10 value), which will be needed to connect the Blynk Board to your Blynk account, connect to a Wi-Fi signal and you are ready to start Blynking!"</p></p>
CF on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266CFurn:uuid:5bc56ba7-752e-d842-3bda-ff1e4ae2eb082016-05-05T10:22:58-06:00<p><strong>-------------------- Tech Support Tips/Troubleshooting/Common Issues --------------------</strong><p><strong>Default Blynk Firmware</strong></p><p>If you ever need to reload the original Blynk firmware to your board:</p><ul>
<li><p>Download the <a href="https://github.com/sparkfun/Blynk_Board_ESP8266/archive/master.zip" rel="nofollow">this file</a> from Github that contains the core firmware plus the Blynk board Eagle files.</p></li>
<li><p>Unzip that file, and in Arduino, navigate to the <em>BlynkBoard_Core_Firmware</em> folder in the file you unzipped.</p></li>
<li><p>Open the <em>BlynkBoard_Core_Firmware.ino</em> file in Arduino. You should see several other tabs open besides the main sketch.</p></li>
<li><p>Click upload and you should be good to go!</p></li>
</ul><p><em>Note: It takes a long time to compile. This was tested in Arduino v1.6.6.</em></p><p><strong>Re-Provisioning Blynk Board</strong></p><p>If you only need to re-provision your Blynk board take the following steps:</p><ul>
<li>Remove power from the board.</li>
<li>Re-apply power.</li>
<li>When you see the LED flashing blue quickly, press and hold the '0' button.</li>
<li>The LED should fade on and off in a white color. Hold the button for about 4-5 seconds while the LED fades white.</li>
<li>After 4-5 seconds, release the '0' button. The LED should start flashing a four color code.
At this point you're ready to re-provision your board in the Blynk app.</li>
</ul></p>
Alexi Carey on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Alexi Careyurn:uuid:5b06142a-45ac-17d8-2e40-1aa86ebaf6042016-04-19T11:55:19-06:00<p>IS there a way to add an Antenna to this board?
We are having a lot of problems when we are not in good range of router.</p>
M-Short on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266M-Shorturn:uuid:b026f332-3fa6-19e8-9379-85fb4a6c14092016-04-18T13:06:42-06:00<p>Remember the ESP8266 does little on it's own. You need to provide it with power, it using a battery you need to make sure it is charge, you need to provide sensors etc. You rarely end up at $2 when you are done. We definitely believe that a plain ESP8266 has it's uses which is why we still carry them. But what about someone who just wants to start programming and learning? What about a school that doesn't want to have to keep track of parts and have kids soldering sensors on? Now you can learn to get data to the internet and all you need to do is power the board. As for the PAYG service we've played with it and for someone who just wants a quick app and doesn't know how to write there own it is a great option to start with. And if you do know how and want to write your own you can. While we worked with Blynk on this board and specifically getting the firmware to talk with it, the service itself is completely optional. In other words we're trying to provide you with option and more options. This board isn't for everyone just like the ESP8266 bare module isn't for everyone.</p>
nThanksForAllTheFish on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266nThanksForAllTheFishurn:uuid:3a0e963f-b7ba-eb6b-ffb6-3e35f6007ed52016-04-16T00:58:23-06:00<p>We love the ESP8266 because it just works.. but mostly because of it's price sub $2 - "...thousands-of-sensors-launched-out-of-a-cannon cheap...". Are you really adding 10X value here.. and endorsing a PAYG subscription - even if you use your own server? Are we losing our way Sparkfun?</p>
Customer #539200 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #539200urn:uuid:2d34ad72-853a-5d77-ccf1-4d0c14d118402016-04-15T08:44:33-06:00<p>Does it talk via SSL to the Blynk Server?</p>
nlshrake on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266nlshrakeurn:uuid:b24f9f4a-7856-ad90-b0c9-53567faa9ae52016-04-12T12:45:49-06:00<p>so many companies and individuals rushing into this sphere. the concept of paying virtual currency for a slider button just makes my skin itch. very nice hardware though.</p>
Customer #156863 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #156863urn:uuid:23b7c328-8358-1a62-6c8c-5a9257935b452016-04-09T13:17:11-06:00<p>I am having the same problem, but I can not compile BlynkBoard_Core_Firmware.ino. I think all the libraries are loaded correctly, but the errors I get are:
sketch\SFEblynkCore.ino.cpp.o:(.text.setup+0x3c): undefined reference to <code>initHardware()'
sketch\SFEblynkCore.ino.cpp.o:(.text.setup+0x40): undefined reference to</code>checkSelfTestFlag()'
sketch\SFEblynkCore.ino.cpp.o:(.text.setup+0x44): undefined reference to <code>performSelfTest()'
sketch\SFEblynkCore.ino.cpp.o:(.text.setup+0x48): undefined reference to</code>checkFailAPSetupFlag()'<p>Do you have any thoughts for me? Thanks.</p></p>
Benjamin Shockley on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Benjamin Shockleyurn:uuid:03fbc3ad-bb95-ef5b-be9d-09b7de8bb4052016-03-31T11:51:37-06:00<p>Thanks for the info! I'll keep that in mind. I've already got my other board in hand, but for future reference these may be a nice way to do it. Since I was a Blynk backer on Kickstarter, I've got plenty of "energy" to build projects.</p>
jimblom on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266jimblomurn:uuid:c996cce3-72a5-8406-4aa7-0e5df28fc96d2016-03-31T08:24:00-06:00<p>Glad you got it all working!<p>The Blynk Arduino library includes a few examples which might help you get started developing your own code. Check out the <a href="https://github.com/blynkkk/blynk-library/blob/master/examples/BoardsAndShields/ESP8266_Standalone/ESP8266_Standalone.ino" rel="nofollow">ESP8266_Standalone</a> sketch under the File > Examples > Blynk > BoardsAndShields menu. That's a great skeleton - the bare minimum you'd need to start your own Blynk project. The hardware pins (0, 5, ADC, etc.) will work out of the box with that sketch, then you can start mixing in NeoPixels, virtual variables, and other sensors.</p></p>
Customer #657317 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #657317urn:uuid:4def119f-0a86-edfe-d08d-8befc9c005362016-03-30T17:29:59-06:00<p>Well - I got this provisioned via laptop browser, and tried out a few of the demo projects on the android app.<p>I then wanted to see if I could modify an arduino sketch that I use on for a simple Neopixel project. I got it working just fine, but now I can't figure out how to get the "default" code/firmware back on the board (so I can try some more of the demo projects. I tried loading the Blynkblink sketch via arduino IDE, but it doesn't seem to work.</p><p>The serial output (via terminal or arduino IDE looks like this (repeated over and over):
8ŸŽþ‚ƒ‡‡þÿ[344] Blynk v0.3.4
[344] Getting IP...
[647] DHCP Failed!</p><p>Any suggestions?</p><p>EDIT: I found the forum and posted this there too!
EDIT 2: Solved. I found the firmware section on github and loaded the BlynkBoard_Core_Firmware.ino sketch.
Thanks!</p></p>
jimblom on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266jimblomurn:uuid:e35ad2ea-80e4-6bdd-5ead-f3e554ace91c2016-03-30T15:33:59-06:00<p>The board's WS2812 is powered at 3.3V as well - cuts it close on the blue LED forward voltage, but eliminates any undervoltage potential on the DIN line. The datasheet's I've seen for the WS2812 recommend a minimum of 0.7VDD for a high, so 3.3V might be a little dicey going into a 5V-powered LED.<p>I had the board driving a <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12025" rel="nofollow">1m LED Strip (60 LEDs)</a>. Current was lower than I'd expect (~890mA) when all LEDs were set to max, so I suspect the regulator was dragging it down. I wouldn't recommend that many LEDs (or more) without cutting the "WS2812 VCC" jumper and supplying the LED power externally - and, in that case, supplying the LEDs with a LiPo or something a bit less than 5V would probably be safest.</p></p>
Benjamin Shockley on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Benjamin Shockleyurn:uuid:5a35ee1d-394b-6492-6048-9c4586d572682016-03-30T12:21:49-06:00<p>I'm wondering how well controlling the WS2812 LEDs work with a DIN at 3.3V? How about a string of WS8212s - assuming their max current is 20mA each and leaving some for the ESP8266 how does a string ~25 LEDs long work at 3.3V? Anyone try this yet?<p>I ask because I just designed a custom shield for a Particle Photon that takes in 5V, supplies the WS2812 string at 5V (up to 1A) and provides logic level from 3.3V (Photon) to 5V (WS8212). Had I known this existed, I might have ditched that idea and gone with this. Maybe next time.</p></p>
jimblom on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266jimblomurn:uuid:84a2abd3-7553-bc1b-f44b-36c6a5f013642016-03-29T08:09:27-06:00<p>Kinda sorta. In addition to the WiFi info, you'll need to supply the board with a Blynk auth token, which you may already have if you've provisioned the board before.<p>Any of the alternative provisioning methods <a href="https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/getting-started-with-the-sparkfun-blynk-board#troubleshooting" rel="nofollow">discussed here</a> should work. If you need to get it from connected mode, back into provisioning mode, <a href="https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/getting-started-with-the-sparkfun-blynk-board#reconfiguring-a-blynk-board" rel="nofollow">this section of the tutorial</a> has a bit about that.</p></p>
Customer #657317 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #657317urn:uuid:59fb18fa-610f-11a5-35b4-7ae90157d8112016-03-28T17:26:53-06:00<p>Is it possible to provision this board (connect to wifi) without the QR code card? I left it at work and want to experiment tonight!</p>
One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chris on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chrisurn:uuid:6b544aa3-abcf-deb6-1467-aa61834167a32016-03-26T00:17:56-06:00<p>I believe you can run your own server. Check it out here: http://docs.blynk.cc/#blynk-server</p>
Scottm on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Scottmurn:uuid:5b0028fe-fb08-8eba-3c97-2c97f87d03222016-03-25T22:21:54-06:00<p>My worry is 5 or 10 years from now (or sooner) the cloud connection will disappear and I'll have to throw away any work I've done developing it. I don't like subscription web-based options. I want to run my own server.</p>
AdamTolley on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266AdamTolleyurn:uuid:d2974e7d-a5bc-cf42-7254-e10c25ee5e632016-03-25T15:11:35-06:00<p>feels a little too clash-of-clans for my tastes.</p>
One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chris on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chrisurn:uuid:83cea33b-738a-d3ee-9801-be06e649f1422016-03-25T14:21:31-06:00<p>Brilliant! So with the $15 of energy that comes with this board you should get between 13k and 28k 'Energy.' We should know the exact number you receive soon.<p><strong>Update:</strong> I just heard back and the value isn’t $15, it is actually $10 and you get 15k Energy. Hopefully this clears things up. I also updated the description!</p></p>
Customer #789360 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #789360urn:uuid:4a4da1c0-d307-7c60-1325-560c4b5e56f42016-03-25T14:16:57-06:00<p><a href="http://i.imgur.com/6qMKknv.png" rel="nofollow">I screenshotted the "price structure."</a> Hopefully that helps!</p>
Nate on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Nateurn:uuid:74f25dd0-da36-4439-23b8-2f95faa5d2812016-03-25T13:53:44-06:00<p>You are very welcome! That's <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/users/150033" rel="nofollow">M-Short's</a> awesome work. She did a whole <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1947" rel="nofollow">homepage post</a> if you want to read how she generates them.</p>
One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chris on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chrisurn:uuid:8b14ec1e-e21f-6c03-9485-1f743235a9d62016-03-25T13:30:50-06:00<p>Indeed. I just asked the powers at be to give a little more insight on how much 'Energy' you actually get with $15. I will be updating the page and comment again when I find out.<p><strong>Update:</strong> I just heard back and the value <em>isn't</em> $15, it is actually $10 and you get 15k Energy. Hopefully this clears things up. I also updated the description!</p></p>
Sembazuru on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Sembazuruurn:uuid:419e495b-fabe-502e-fbf0-4819af1e6ad92016-03-25T13:24:50-06:00<p>Thanx. Reading that post and the associated comments does answer many of my questions. And considering it was posted about 2 hours ago, I can see why I couldn't find a static page about it. (It's all in flux!)</p>
One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chris on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266One Chris Two Chris Red Chris Blue Chrisurn:uuid:1cb287e6-ee39-3a20-7cf2-35af05ce52392016-03-25T13:11:36-06:00<p>Also, here is this: http://community.blynk.cc/t/introducing-blynk-energy-first-paid-services/4975<p>Each Blynk subscription code card contains $15 worth of 'Energy.'</p></p>
Izerna on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Izernaurn:uuid:23c6319c-adc7-94d9-ab77-b8c02f4353012016-03-25T11:58:56-06:00<p>Hey I just wanted to say thanks SparkFun for the deadly Graphical Datasheets, I can understand new boards very quickly. Great Idea!<p>Cheers.</p></p>
Customer #597910 on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Customer #597910urn:uuid:5fa6f572-d266-ae92-2f6d-fc86534e14832016-03-25T11:20:03-06:00<p>Good Afternoon,<p>I found the info on the Blynk subscription , link below</p><p>http://community.blynk.cc/t/blynk-will-introduce-paid-subscription-in-q1-2016/3177</p><p>Hope this helps.</p></p>
Sembazuru on WRL-13794 - SparkFun Blynk Board - ESP8266Sembazuruurn:uuid:c2fd22bd-13ba-d950-1af5-615f86ed91822016-03-25T10:15:47-06:00<p>I'm not that familiar with Blynk. I've quickly looked at Blynk's web-site but I can't find the information that I want:
I see on the subscription card language about "free" energy points. This tells me that transactions take points and there must be a way to pay to recharge the account. I didn't find information on exactly how energy points are used or how much it costs to recharge in my 3 minutes of searching. I did see something about setting up a private Blynk server, would that eliminate fees? Would you be able to provide a direct link(s) to the energy usage and recharging information? I understand that you aren't Blynk so you don't have any control over the usage fees, I'm just hoping you can point me in the right direction.<p>Thanx.</p></p>