ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

vlado90
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 11:48 am

ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby vlado90 » Thu May 24, 2018 11:53 am

Hi guys..Ok, so here is the problem..
I just got my ESP32. I installed everything, arduino software, esp, xtensa...
when i start my arduino software I cant choose on which port is my ESP32. And in device manager I cant see it at all.
I have no idea what to do.
The LED on ESP32 is working so its getting juice from the pc.
Please help
Thanks

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kolban
Posts: 1683
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2015 4:43 pm
Location: Texas, USA

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby kolban » Fri May 25, 2018 5:36 pm

If it were me, the first thing I would do is list my USB devices and serial ports using Windows device manager. I would then plugin (or pull) the ESP32 connector and see if anything changes. If nothing, I would try a different USB cable and see if that changes any of the stories.
Free book on ESP32 available here: https://leanpub.com/kolban-ESP32

rodmcm
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 3:31 am

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby rodmcm » Thu May 31, 2018 1:00 am

I just purchased a new ESp32 yesterday and have exactly the same problem..I can see the USB connection and the correct port. The unit broadcasts an AP SSID of ESP_85EE26.
I cannot get any other activity...

grasvezel
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 4:54 pm

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby grasvezel » Thu May 31, 2018 6:40 pm

Apart from what kolban said, I would like to add two comments:

1) Nowadays there are a lot of cheap (Chinese) USB cables that can only be used for charging or powering devices. I assume these have only 2 out of 4 wires: ground and +5V, but no data lines. If you would use a cable like that, the result would be what you described. So make sure you have a 'real' USB cable by testing it on another device. Don't just check if it charges your phone, but check if you are actually able to transfer data.

2) The USB connection is not handled by the ESP32, as an ESP32 only has serial lines (rx and tx), no USB. A dev board typically includes some sort of USB to serial converter chip (sometimes refered to as FTDI). This chip communicates with your computer, resulting in the creation of a virtual COM port. If you have a driver for that chip instaled, otherwise it won't work. Without a driver the chip probably turns up as unsupported or unrecognised device in your hardware list. Although the ESP32 module may be the same, you might have a dev board with a different USB to serial converter than other devices you might have tested on your computer. So if one dev board works and another one doesn't, that does not necessarily mean the board is defective. You might just need to install a driver for the USB to serial chip on your dev board.

With a good cable and the right driver installed, your PC shoud present a COM port even if you would completely remove the ESP32 module from the board, because the USB communication is not handled by the ESP32.

rodmcm
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 3:31 am

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby rodmcm » Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:18 am

Yes you are correct about the variety of USB cords
The problem is I am using the same cord to program other units

herbert@vitzthum.at
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 7:10 am

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby herbert@vitzthum.at » Sun Sep 02, 2018 7:15 am

Did run into the same problem, but is solved.
I needed to learn which USB to UART bridge was on my ESP32.
In my case it was the CH340, after installing the COM-port was working fine.
https://sparks.gogo.co.nz/ch340.html
another one can be found here: https://www.silabs.com/products/develop ... cp-drivers

Hope this helps!

msysmilu
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2019 7:50 pm

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby msysmilu » Fri Sep 27, 2019 7:52 pm

herbert@vitzthum.at wrote:
Sun Sep 02, 2018 7:15 am
Did run into the same problem, but is solved.
I needed to learn which USB to UART bridge was on my ESP32.
In my case it was the CH340, after installing the COM-port was working fine.
https://sparks.gogo.co.nz/ch340.html
another one can be found here: https://www.silabs.com/products/develop ... cp-drivers

Hope this helps!
Excelent! It worked! Thank you so much!

freeride01
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 05, 2021 11:00 am

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby freeride01 » Wed May 05, 2021 11:22 am

Hi, bringing up an old topic because I have a similar problem.
I have an ESP32 Ethernet Kit v1.2 and am running Windows 8.1. When I connected the chip to the USB port on the PC and turned it on, it did not show as two virtual COM ports in Device Manager as it should.
It showed under Other Devices as two RS232 devices.
I searched on the net and downloaded the VCP drivers from here - https://ftdichip.com/drivers/vcp-drivers/.
Installed them, but now the devices show under Universal Serial Bus controllers as USB Serial Converter A and B.
Still no new COM ports.
Any help?

Dezzer
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2021 12:05 pm

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby Dezzer » Wed Jun 09, 2021 12:08 pm

Installing this driver has worked ... thank you so much for your help.

https://www.silabs.com/products/develop ... cp-drivers

freeride01
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 05, 2021 11:00 am

Re: ESP32 not recognized by PC. No COM port problem!

Postby freeride01 » Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:57 pm

The CP210x drivers work when you have a USB-to-UART bridge, as in ESP32-PICO-KIT for example.
This is not applicable to the ESP32 Ethernet Kit .
It has a FTDI chip on board, for which you need a virtual COM port driver, as I understand it.
However, when installing the driver, the board still does not appear as two virtual COM ports, but as two Universal Serial Bus controllers.

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