Trouble with DIY 2.4ghz transmitter

[severe bridge]

Hey guys! I built this transmitter: https://github.com/ExpressLRS/ExpressLRS-Hardware/tree/master/PCB/2400MHz/TX_SX1280
I'm trying to put together a Linux-based quad-flying handheld and this is the only thing holding the project up. I've attached some photos so that anyone interested can critique my soldering job 🙂

I was able to flash ELRS firmware to it before and could even change its settings over wifi, but it did not communicate well at all with this project:
https://github.com/kaack/elrs-joystick-control
or this project:
https://github.com/PixelyIon/DeckTX

so I wiped the ESP32 using esptool, thinking that maybe a simple re-flash of the firmware would fix it, and now I cannot for the life of me get the firmware re-flashed using ELRS Configurator. should I just abandon the prospect of building my own DIY transmitter? I was so close - I was able to briefly connect my transmitter to my tiny whoop using DeckTX (in Betaflight, the quad model even spun around wildly!), but the connection was quickly broken.

Any help at all would be appreciated! If it looks like my soldering job is somehow at fault please give it to me straight~

[severe bridge]

Maybe the ESP32 I bought was defective? 😅

[severe bridge]

@worthy wren would you kindly take a look

[acoustic quarry]

What happens now when you try to flash?

[severe bridge]

So, esptool is still able to talk to it apparently but the ELRS configurator instantly fails when I try to do the same.

[acoustic quarry]

Might be a weird port conflict thing with your PC. Try a reboot and a different machine.

[severe bridge]

Sadly I have. 3 different PCs, lots of different ports 😦

Thanks for the advice though! Appreciate it

[acoustic quarry]

You can use esptool to flash ELRS, give that a shot? Need offsets?

[severe bridge]

What do you mean by offsets 😅

[acoustic quarry]

when you run esptool write_flash it asks for filenames like firmware.bin and offsets like 0x0

Also have you tried the web flasher?

[severe bridge]

I certainly will!

[severe bridge]

@acoustic quarry thanks, your recommendation to use the web flasher worked, I was able to get the firmware back on my esp32! but I'm still facing communication issues here, maybe youd know something about this problem?

put a matching bind phrase in the quad and my transmitter. after hitting bind, the flashing red LED on my quad slowed down indicating that it had successfully binded, but is now looking for the transmitter. so there was a hint of real communication here but it's gone

quite a perplexing issue

the quad preview in the receiver section of betaflight moved slightly as well

perhaps it's the baud rate i'm using to communicate with the tx?

currently 921600

Or maybe I flashed the wrong firmware?

[acoustic quarry]

If you have a matching bind phrase, you don't need to hit bind

Go step by step, does the Lua script work? Does it show a "C" in the top-right? What's the LED on the receiver doing?

[severe bridge]

Where should I look for the C? In the web flasher?

Sorry I'm a bit inexperienced

[acoustic quarry]

In the Lua script that runs on your EdgeTX transmitter

[severe bridge]

I'm trying out the two open source desktop transmitter projects that require you to connect the TX module via USB. I've linked them above. other people seem to find success with them but I can't get a stable connection

the red LED on my receiver quickly blinks red (when in bind), then I hit bind in deckTX for example and the quad model in betaflight's preview spins around for a moment. then the LED slows down but still blinks indicating that it's looking for the transmitter that it was previously bound with

so close yet so far!

i just got it to work... unbelievable.. in the VERY small chance that anyone else is trying to fly on their PC via deckTX, make sure to crank the power level!!!!

@acoustic quarry thanks again for your help

[acoustic quarry]

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

no

10mW, the minimum power, has taken me 13km.

What's your RSSI? I'm not sure if deckTX can show that telemetry data.

[acoustic quarry]

-202dBm is not possible

[severe bridge]

I suppose decktx can't show rssi data after all 😔

[acoustic quarry]

If you're sure it only links at high power, it's most likely one of your antennas is disconnected or broken.