using the raspberry pico to drive the electronics for a parcel delivery vault.

[MiR]

Seems I am late to the party…

Nice idea, let me know if you need anything to interface the pico.

Pico-W is not happening anytime soon but there are cheap ESP32-c3 modules that can be interfaced easily to the pico for WiFi usecases, don‘t know why Rasperry Foundation had to make WiFi that complicated…

Michael

[MiR]

 LILYGO® TTGO T-01C3 ESP32-C3 Development Board WIFI Wireless Bluetooth Module IPEX Antenna For ESP-01 With External Antenna Base
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EyAI3Ux

[Thaddy]

OK, ordered 2. Thx, Michael.

[dbannon]

LILYGO® TTGO T-01C3 ESP32-C3 Development Board ....

Michael, are you suggesting using the LilyGo device, running Arduino software providing the wifi link, then talk to it, from a Pico, using I2c or some such ?  I don't see any data sheet about the LilyGo, just a schematic of the board ....

Davo

[MiR]

This:

https://www.espressif.com/en/products/sdks/esp-at/overview

Is the documentation for the at commandset, you simply connect your pico over serial line to the esp module and can do https get requests with close to no effort and no load impact on the pico. Also no need for an arduino software in-between.

[MiR]

Here‘s a minimalistic sample:

https://github.com/michael-ring/pico-fpcexamples/tree/picosdk1.5.1/esp_worldtimeapi

[MarkMLl]

This:

https://www.espressif.com/en/products/sdks/esp-at/overview

Is the documentation for the at commandset, you simply connect your pico over serial line to the esp module and can do https get requests with close to no effort and no load impact on the pico. Also no need for an arduino software in-between.

I've done that using an 8266 and can confirm that it works. The one caveat is that I don't know how many subtly-different variants of the 8266 firmware are floating around, and have never established a definitive repository of rebuildable sourcecode. There's rumours that there are other half-completed implementations, e.g. to make an 8266 look more like a generic network device using the Packet Driver or whatever API.

Since we're talking about various devices, I'd throw in that I'm intermittently looking at a RISC-V based "MilkV Duo". This is really a very nice little board in "chewing gum" format for around £5, with a "big" core running Linux and a "little" core running Arduino etc. for realtime control. However it's got Ethernet rather than WiFi, so the same connectivity issues apply.

MarkMLl

[MiR]

I‘d strongly advise against using esp8266 with at commandset when you require https, this can work but is both slow and not very reliable.

Modern esp32 chips like the c3 or c6 are a better choice.

Building custom at images is pretty straightforward and documented:

https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-at/en/latest/esp32/Compile_and_Develop/How_to_clone_project_and_compile_it.html


https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-at/en/latest/esp32/AT_Binary_Lists/index.html

[Thaddy]

The ones I order are actually a combination! of a Pico and an ESP32..
I read, for the Pico, but I was too fast, it includes a pico.... Hm, oh, well, it is cheap enough and there is a great instruction video on youtube. These also include a small color screen in one packet.

It has a party feature that I never expected: depending on the polarity of the usb-c cable it boots either into the pico or the esp32...Huh? I did not know that was possible, plug in the cable the other way and you have a different boot. I can't wait for these to arrive...

 LilyGO T-PicoC3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1GSylUR36Q

[MiR]

You mean this board:

https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-pico?_pos=15&_fid=4a36353ca&_ss=c

I always wondered how those work and if the esp32 and the rp2040 can run at the same time and only usb is routed to either the one or the other...
 
You will find out soon enough!

The display is definitely only connected to the rp2040.

[Thaddy]

It is this one:
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005004164141662.html?aff_platform=true&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&isdl=y&src=bing&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21EUR%2117.22%2117.22%21%21%210%21%21%40%2112000031555551638%21ppc%21%21&albch=shopping&acnt=135095331&isdl=y&albcp=554602608&albag=1310618964174398&slnk=&trgt=pla-4585513252134971&plac=&crea=81913738473769&netw=o&device=c&mtctp=e&utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=PA_Bing_NL_PC_customlabel1-20230825&utm_content=customlable1%3D6&utm_term=LilyGO%20T-PicoC3&msclkid=96440b519b3c106d18ca6d117c97653e

[dbannon]

Here‘s a minimalistic sample:

https://github.com/michael-ring/pico-fpcexamples/tree/picosdk1.5.1/esp_worldtimeapi

Thanks Michael, yep, esp_at_c looks like great solution, I did not realise there was so much cross over between the ESP32 and Pico world....
And the ESP32, Espressif documentation and approach is vastly better than RasPi's Pico !

Glad to see your development branch appearing on your github site too. Thanks indeed.

Davo

[MiR]

Did you receive your boards? I also got one but I do neither see the com port of the c3 or the rp2040 on my mac....

Today I received this board:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005952730624.html

and it seems to work quite well...

[Thaddy]

Yes, two days ago. Need the weekend to set them up 

[MarkMLl]

I‘d strongly advise against using esp8266 with at commandset when you require https, this can work but is both slow and not very reliable.

In my context, it was a development board with connections for a Pico and an 8266 module (i.e. specifically not an ESP32) so basically what I was doing was getting the overall kit to an "as designed" state by adding the optional peripheral. I got it doing quite a lot including running Fuzix, but was hampered slightly by "less than standard" pin assignments for the memory card, console and so on. Hence...

Did you receive your boards? I also got one but I do neither see the com port of the c3 or the rp2040 on my mac....

Today I received this board:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005952730624.html

and it seems to work quite well...

Is that actually a Pico as designed (and trademarked) by the RPi Foundation? The thing that bothers me there is the /precise/ behaviour of the WiFi, access to the software-controlled LED and so on.

MarkMLl