Wiring and Programming the ESP-12E with

Arduino Nano
Follow these steps carefully to wire the ESP-12E module, AMS1117 3.3V regulator, and Arduino Nano so that
the Nano acts as a USB‑to‑serial bridge for flashing. The schematic below illustrates the key connections
(3.3V power rails, pull‑ups and pull‑downs, and TX/RX wiring). All grounds must be common. Use the
component values and pin states given to ensure the ESP boots into the correct mode and receives stable
3.3V.

Diagram: Breadboard wiring for ESP-12E programming. 3.3V from the AMS1117 (with decoupling capacitors)
powers VCC and CH_PD; EN (CH_PD) and RST are pulled high with 10 kΩ; GPIO0 and GPIO15 get pull‑down or
pull‑up as shown. Arduino Nano’s reset is tied low (disabling its MCU), and its TX/RX pins connect to the ESP (with
level shifting on TX). Pull‑ups/pull‑downs ensure correct boot mode 1 2 .

1. Power Supply – AMS1117 Regulator and Decoupling

• Battery input: Connect the external battery pack (e.g. ~4–6V) to the AMS1117-3.3V input (VIN, pin 3
on TO-220 AMS1117). Since the AMS1117 has ~1–1.2V dropout, ensure the battery can stay above
~4.5V so the regulator can maintain 3.3V output (e.g. 2×AA in series, or a Li-ion pack).

• Regulator capacitors: Place a 10 µF (or larger) low-ESR capacitor on the regulator’s input (between
VIN and GND) and a 10–22 µF capacitor on the output (between 3.3V and GND) for stability 3 4 .
For example, a 22 µF tantalum or electrolytic at the output is recommended by the AMS1117
datasheet to ensure stability 4 . (Ceramic bypass caps ~0.1 µF can also be added in parallel.) As
shown above, a larger capacitor (47–470 µF) across the 3.3V and GND rails further buffers spikes 5
6 . Ensure correct polarity on electrolytic/tantalum caps.

• Power rails: Wire the AMS1117 output (3.3V) to the breadboard’s + rail and ground to the – rail. Use
these rails to power the ESP-12E VCC and to tie all pull‑ups. Connect the battery negative/ground and
the Arduino Nano GND to this common ground.

2. ESP-12E Power and Basic Connections

• ESP power pins: Connect the AMS1117’s 3.3V output to the ESP-12E module’s VCC pin. Connect ESP
GND to the common ground. Do not feed the ESP with 5V; it must run at 3.3V 7 .
• EN (CH_PD): Tie the ESP-12E’s CH_PD (Chip Enable, labeled EN on some breakouts) to 3.3V through a
pull‑up resistor (typically 10 kΩ) 8 . This must be held HIGH (EN=1) to enable the chip.
• Reset (RST): Pull the ESP’s RST pin up to 3.3V with a 10 kΩ resistor (so the module runs normally).
You may also wire a momentary push-button from RST to GND for manual resetting. RST should
normally be HIGH, and only pulled LOW when you want to reboot or enter programming mode 8
9 .

1
 • GPIO15 (MTDI): Pull GPIO15 down to ground with a 10 kΩ resistor (GPIO15 must be LOW on boot for
both normal and flash modes) 10 2 .
• GPIO2: Tie GPIO2 up to 3.3V with a 10 kΩ resistor (GPIO2 must be HIGH on boot) 2 . (Many ESP-12E
boards have this built in; if not, add the resistor.)
• GPIO0 (boot mode select): Pull GPIO0 up to 3.3V with a 10 kΩ resistor (normal running uses
GPIO0=HIGH) 2 . To enter the bootloader/programming mode, you will momentarily connect
GPIO0 to ground (see Step 5). Often a push-button from G0 to GND is used: its “normally open” leg
goes to GND, and the other leg connects to G0, so that pressing it pulls G0 low.

Boot-mode table: On reset, the ESP8266 samples GPIO15, GPIO0, and GPIO2 to decide
mode. For normal execution: GPIO15=LOW, GPIO0=HIGH, GPIO2=HIGH 2 . For flashing new
code: GPIO15=LOW, GPIO0=LOW (G2 still HIGH). Maintain EN=HIGH always.

3. Serial Connections (Arduino Nano ↔ ESP-12E)

• Disable Nano MCU: Tie the Arduino Nano’s RESET pin to GND. This holds the ATmega chip in reset,
effectively turning the Nano into a USB‑serial converter 11 . (No code should run on the Nano; its TX/
RX lines will now connect only to the USB interface.)

• TX/RX wiring: Connect the Nano’s hardware serial lines to the ESP: wire Arduino D1 (TX0) to the
ESP-12E’s RX pin, and Arduino D0 (RX0) to the ESP-12E’s TX pin. This crosses the lines so that each TX
drives the other’s RX. Some tutorials instead tie TX→TX and RX→RX when the MCU is disabled, but
the standard approach is TX→RX and RX→TX for proper data flow. In any case, ensure the USB-to-
serial chip on the Nano sees both TX/RX lines. In the example above, a 2‑channel switch is used to
disconnect TX/RX from the ESP when not programming 12 .

• Level shifting (5V→3.3V): The Nano’s TX0 pin outputs 5V logic, but the ESP expects 3.3V max. To
protect the ESP, place a simple voltage divider on the Nano TX→ESP RX line (for example, a 10 kΩ and
22 kΩ in series yields ≈3.4V output 13 ). This ensures the ESP never sees more than ~3.6V (its input
clamp limit) 14 . Alternatively, use a logic-level shifter. Note that the ESP’s TX output (3.3V) can safely
drive the Nano’s RX (5V) without shifting (3.3V is above the Nano’s high‑level threshold) 15 .

• Common ground: Double-check that the Nano GND, the ESP-12E GND, and the battery GND are all
connected together. A missing common ground is a common cause of communication failure.

4. Pull‑ups and Capacitors – Summary of Values

• Resistor values: Use pull‑up/pull‑down resistors in the 2–10 kΩ range. Typical values are 10 kΩ for all
pull-ups (EN, RST, GPIO0, GPIO2) and 10 kΩ for pull-down (GPIO15) 1 2 . Some builds use 5 kΩ for
CH_PD/GPIO15 16 ; any reasonable value in that range works. (Lower resistance improves noise
immunity, but increases draw.)
• Decoupling capacitors: On the AMS1117, place at least 10 µF on input and output (tantalum or low-
ESR electrolytic is preferred) 3 . The datasheet suggests 22 µF on the output for stability 4 . Also
decouple the ESP’s supply with a 0.1 µF ceramic close to its VCC pin if possible. We also recommend a
bulk capacitor (≥ 47 µF) across the 3.3V rail to handle current spikes 6 .

2
 • Stable 3.3V: Verify the regulator output stays at 3.3V under load. The ESP8266 can draw >300 mA in
bursts, so ensure the AMS1117 has a heatsink and your battery can supply the current. A beefy
capacitor (100–470 µF) on the 3.3V rail near the ESP can catch transients 5 6 .

5. Entering Bootloader (Flashing) Mode

1. Set GPIO0 LOW: To program the ESP, ground GPIO0. You can do this by pressing the “FLASH” push-
button (if wired) or manually shorting G0 to GND. Keep GPIO0 LOW.
2. Reset the ESP: Pulse the ESP RST pin LOW (or power-cycle the ESP) while GPIO0 is grounded. The
ESP will now boot into its serial bootloader instead of running existing code 2 .
3. Open Arduino IDE: Select “Generic ESP8266 Module” (or the correct ESP board) and the USB port for
the Nano. With the Nano’s ATmega off, the USB port now leads directly to the ESP8266.
4. Upload the sketch: Click Upload. After the code compiles, the IDE will attempt to reset and flash the
ESP automatically. If you did not wire an auto-reset circuit, you may need to manually release RST
(i.e. let it go HIGH) just after compiling to trigger the upload.
5. Restore normal mode: Once uploading finishes, disconnect GPIO0 from GND (release the flash
button). Now GPIO0 is pulled HIGH (normal boot). RST should be allowed to remain HIGH as usual.
On next reset, the ESP will run the new firmware.

6. Safe Levels and Logic Compatibility

• 3.3V supply only: Never apply 5V to the ESP’s VCC or any GPIO. Supplying 5V “will probably fry it,” as
one guide warns 7 . Always use the 3.3V regulator output for the ESP power.
• Serial voltage levels: The Nano’s serial lines are 5V logic. As noted, use a divider or level-shifter on
the Nano→ESP TX line. A simple 10 kΩ (to GND) plus 22 kΩ (to Nano TX) divider will drop 5V to ≈3.4V
13 . The ESP’s TX pin outputs 3.3V, which is safely read as HIGH by the Nano (3.3V exceeds the

Nano’s input threshold).

• Disable auto-reset: Tying the Nano’s reset low prevents it from resetting when the serial port opens
17 11 . This is essential or else the Arduino’s bootloader will interfere.

Following this wiring and setup precisely will ensure the ESP-12E enters the correct mode for flashing and
has a clean, stable 3.3V supply. Double-check every connection, especially power and ground, before
connecting USB power. With the Nano acting purely as a USB‑Serial adapter (its MCU disabled) and the ESP’s
GPIO0 held low during reset, the Arduino IDE should successfully upload code to the ESP-12E.

References: Official ESP8266 boot-mode requirements 2 , AMS1117 datasheet/app-notes 3 4 , and

community guides on ESP-12E/Arduino wiring 1 12 7 . These sources detail the pin pull-ups (≈10 kΩ),
regulator caps, and safe voltage practices used above.

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3 DESCRIPTION
https://electron-kriti.gr/files/f865f.pdf

3
 4 mm.digikey.com
https://mm.digikey.com/Volume0/opasdata/d220001/medias/docus/5011/AMS1117.pdf

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