ESP32-H2 power on reset issues?

Hardware
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1

I have deployed several ESP32-H2 SuperMini Thread devices. One thing I notice is that they do not come up 100% reliably after a power interruption. After running several experiments I suspect there is a power-on-reset bug:

  1. They always work reliably when connected to my PC (of course).
  2. They never work correctly when connected to an Xtar USB power bank.
  3. They sometimes work correctly when connected to an EHO USB brick, but usually not.
  4. On some USB bricks, they only work reliably when you hotplug the brick to/from the AC mains.
  5. On other USB bricks, they only work reliably when you hotplug the USB-C connector itself.
  6. Whenever the ESP32-H2 fails to come up, manually pressing the Reset button is sufficient to correct the issue.

Do these boards need a hardware mod, like an RC circuit on the reset pin, to correct this problem? I can try modding one of mine, but if someone already found a solution, I’d like to follow a known good “recipe.”

3

Hmm, got an email notification but the reply disappeared here:

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Regarding the pullup, I see it in the schematic. No cap, so I’ll try adding one.

Regarding the power bank, it probably does time out after a few minutes but that isn’t the issue in my test case. When it’s plugged into the Xtar I see the green battery indicator light on the ESP blinking. And if I hit the Reset button, the board connects to the Thread network and works correctly.

4

Notice the completely unrelated link in the message you received?

It was a spammer using an LLM to generate a reply. So they were banned.

The advice is just generic LLM bullshit.

1 Like
5

So, it turns out most of these boards come with a pull-up resistor already, but the capacitor often plays hide-and-seek, either it’s way too small or just MIA! Adding some capacitor can do wonders, helping your USB power stabilize while the chip is warming up. Kind of like giving it a little coffee before it starts working! :coffee:

As for the power bank, here’s the kicker: if the esp isn’t pulling enough power, it may go into some low-current shutdown mode. It’s like that awkward friend who thinks nobody’s talking to them at a party, so they just leave! The bank thinks nothing’s plugged in and decides to take a break. It’s almost as if even power banks need a day off now and then slop ends! :raised_back_of_hand: