Auto vs. Manual Reset Into Bootloader
In addition to the RX and TX pins, the FTDI’s DTR pin is used to reset the ESP8266 and get it into bootloader
mode. The board includes circuitry to automatically reset and bootload the board; in most cases, you shouldn’t
have to do anything special to program it.
The auto-reset circuit can be a little flaky, however. If the board isn’t taking a program, you may see an error like
“error: espcomm_upload_mem failed”.
If this shows up repeatedly, you may need to manually reset into bootloader mode be holding pin 0 low while
resetting the ESP8266:
1. Hold down the “0” button
2. Press and release the “RST” button
3. Release the “0” button
The timing of this can be a little tricky. Try resetting it into bootloader mode, then quickly uploading your sketch.
Decreasing the upload speed baud rate to something around 115200 bps can also help improve the reliability of
the reset circuit.
Testing the Receiver
ESP8266 IR Remote Arduino Library
IRremoteESP8266
-- an IR Arduino library specific to the ESP8266 -- gets our recommendation for sending
and receiving IR signals with this board. You can download the library from their GitHub page, or by
searching out IRremoteESP8266 in your Arduino library manager.
Click the image for a closer look.
