Solution to esptool.FatalError: Failed to connect to ESP8266: Timed out waiting for package header

I ran into this problem while messing with an ESP-03.

esptool.FatalError: Failed to connect to ESP8266: Timed out waiting for package header

(If you want to read my whole troubleshooting adventure, see this post.)

Arduino version 1.8.12, additional board manager from this URL, esp8266 board package version 2.7.1. AT Commands respond appropriately, so I know UART is working.

Turns out out that GPIO16 on ESP-03 is by default not connected to RST. So the oft-parroted sequence of GPIO0 low, GPIO16 low then high, GPIO0 high didn't work.

Solution!

The brute-force solution for any ESP module is

1. Remove power
2. GPIO0 low
3. Provide power
4. GPIO0 high

Another solution for ESP-03 is to bridge the jumper near VCC and GPIO14. This connects GPIO16 to RST, allowing external hard reset.

Picture courtesy of nathan.chantrell.net

Why they couldn't have broken out RST to that N/C pin is beyond me, but they didn't ask me. Maybe that's why the ESP-03 has been discontinued.

Different Pin Numbers Depending on Footprint

My latest question:

Hi there!

When creating a schematic symbol, is it possible to have numbers in the Designator spot be generated from the footprint rather than the designator number?

For example, in the attached picture from the datasheet of an MCP23017, in the SOIC version GPB0 is pin 1. However in the QFN version, GPB0 is pin 25.

I want the same component and symbol, but to show different numbers next to GPB0 depending on which footprint I'm using.

Thanks!
Matthew

The attached photo:

Again, something that happens by default in EAGLE.

I'm calling my shot now: They're going to tell me to set up different part modes depending on which footprint I'm using.

I'll update when I get a response.

Update 2019-07-12

After a few messages back and forth, here's the exciting conclusion.

I got a reply 2019-07-08

This can be achieved through the following:

1. Open properties of the component.
2. Go to the Footprints section, and edit desired footprint to use different pin designator (select footprint >> click Pencil icon)
3. In the PCB model dialog, click Pin Map...
4. Locate Component Pin Designator and edit linked Model Pin designator to a different value.
5. Click OK

Therefore, the Component Pin designator is 1 and Model Pin Designator of footprint QFN would be 25.

Reference link: https://www.altium.com/documentation/19.1/display/ADES/Sch_Dlg-ImplementationMapForm((Model+Map))_AD

I hope this helps.

Well no, not really, since that's not what I was asking about.

I reply back 2019-07-09

That doesn't seem to have done what I want. When I place the component, it still shows GPB0 as pin 1. I want GPB0 to show up as pin 25 when I place the schematic symbol and have the QFN package specified. See "Pinout 2" and "Pinout 3" for examples of what I've done so far.

"Pinout 2" Attachment

"Pinout 3" Attachment

 The final reply:

 Thank you for attaching the image files. I believe your end goal is to have the symbol pins match the corresponding pins defined for each individual model where the footprint pin maps are different with each other, is this correct?

If so, this cannot be done when one component has multiple models used. Alternatively, you can take a copy of the component and paste it the number of times necessary for each individual footprint model, and then map the pins for each component uniquely.

Yes, that is what I want.

Quite frankly, this is ridiculous. Different pinouts is an extremely common thing to happen when choosing ICs, and EDA packages a fraction of the price of Altium support this functionality. I guess my next step is to post on Altium Bugcrunch for it to be ignored.

Default Designator and Comment Font Being Changed on Me

Something odd about Altium is that there doesn't seem to be a way to set a universal font. The default is Times New Roman, and frankly, I'm just not usually a fan of serif fonts on CAD files. I'm just not used to it. Apparently you have to set the default font for each separate thing. I did that, but have still been having issues with this being reverted. Below is a message I almost sent to support:

I'm having an issue with my default fonts for designator and comment being reverted to Times New Roman.

I placed a component from the Vault onto my schematic, then to have a little more control over it, I selected it, copied, then pasted into one of my own schematic libraries. I created a footprint for it, then compiled the integrated library.

Meanwhile, I set my default fonts for the designator and comment to Arial with different justification and sizes.

When I try to place that part, the designator and comment are changed to Times New Roman 10 pt. There was another part (resistor) I copied the symbol from the "Miscellaneous Devices.IntLib". When I try to place that one, the reference designator stays in Arial, but the comment reverts back to Times New Roman. . .

The issue is that there is not an obvious way to control anything about the designator and comment other than the whole system default.

It's about this time I took one more look around, and found my solution.

While in a SchLib: Tools > Document Options...

The Properties window/pane will change and you'll see an option saying "Show Comment/Designator", helpfully highlighted below:

Wow! Look at that super useful option! I sure can't imagine why anyone might want selected as default! It's not like I might have a better idea than a dumb program of where to artfully put a designator that's close yet unobtrusive!

Here's the appropriate help article.

Altium

About a month ago I've started using and learning Altium Designer 19.1.5 as part of some extra engineering work. Up until then I've spent my entire (albeit short) professional career using EAGLE; as such, I have certain workflow habits ingrained into myself. Because of this, I am continually running into things that I find ridiculous and dumb about Altium.

To add insult to injury, this $8000 retail piece of software has bad documentation, terrible linking between pages, and even worse searching of those documentation pages. On top of that, their "bugcrunch" and forums are, as far as I can tell, unindexed, so you can't even use a good search engine.

My current conspiracy theory is that this is all done so you're obliged to re-up at $2000 a year or whatever so you have someone to ask when you inevitably run into something that shouldn't have even been an issue to start with.

As a result, whenever I'm having trouble doing something, I'm going to try to keep a record of my solutions as I find them, whether that's by clicking around, or getting help from support. These posts will probably be written assuming the reader knows the basics of Altium, so be forewarned.

Quick Update

Not that I think anyone reads this, but I thought I might go ahead and post a quick update on my life. I have some thoughts related to this blog that I may or may not continue with, but I figured this would be a good start.

I graduated from UNT in May 2016 with two bachelors degrees: one in electrical engineering and one in mathematics. For about a year all I was doing was play music and apply to jobs; I started playing with a swing band in I think September 2016 and was playing with a few other groups. I got an electrical engineering (EE) job in May 2017 and have been working there since. I'm fortunate to still have time and flexibility to play lots of music, and have recently started working there less and doing some other EE a little bit elsewhere.

Allen Wrenches

I got a new pedal steel guitar recently, and it needed some adjustments, some of which require an allen wrench. My dad had an extra set I could use, the only problem was that it was missing one. No problem, I can just find a replacement one. My first stop was Googling what seemed to be the brand (Bondhus), so I quickly found the website. After looking around, I found what I needed, but I also came across this:

(Image courtesy Northern Tool)

Nope. You're not insane (well, maybe). That's exactly what it looks like. 14K gold plated allen wrenches. The thing I find fascinating about these is that they are not cheap aftermarket diamond encrusted bling tools because why the heck not. These are sold as professional tools, and as having a real use in the real world! Not only that, but they have a perfect 5-star rating on Amazon!
I'm not making any derogatory comment about them, I just felt the need to post something, didn't have anything else to post, and discovered these tonight.
On that note, is there anything in particular that y'all would like me to do? I'd really like to post some more, but I'm pretty limited in what I can do at UNT. I'd post the occasional school assignment, but I'm afraid of getting into some weird "academic dishonesty" trouble for copying the work that I posted. There is a Cessna 185 kit I have thought about doing, but that might be a bit too much. It could definitely be fun though.

Project Euler

Well, I haven't really done much of anything in the last six or so months. I've been working on a road case for my steel guitar, I might try to post that soon. The main thing I've been working on besides school is a really cool website called Project Euler. It's basically a site that has a bunch of different interesting math problems to solve in any way you see fit. Since I took a class last semester that focused on MATLAB, I've been doing them in that. I'm not sure is there's a completely mathematical way to solve all of them, but if you enjoy programming, or want to get into it, I highly recommend the site. If you're afraid of math, I still recommend trying it out, because the problems are really kind of more "number" based than "math" based.