esp32-cam drops streaming after a while

[thermike]

I have recently bought an AI thinker module ESP32-cam and I am trying to make it stream reliably to my network.

I have loaded the example and the esp32cam is working just fine, meaning that i get a jpg stream on my firefox web browser. If the module is connected to my serial port in my arduino IDE I get the mjpg stream info as well and everything looks good.

However after 3-8 minutes streaming stops for no apparent reason, both in the IDE serial port and web browser (with a broken frame). At the beginning I thought that this could be a wifi issue but it isn’t as the esp is still connected. Just in case i added some code for wifi re-connection in the loop.

Is there a possibility that the esp goes into sleep, without invoking such condition by the code? Is there another explanation for this behavior or any suggestions as to what to look for? Thank you

[alanesq]

Hi,

I find power supply is always the first thing to suspect if an esp32 starts doing anything unusual

I have heard reports of the cameras getting very warm so maybe check it is not overheating

I have a sketch (Arduino IDE) which streams live video which you might like to try to rule out if it is the code you are using causing the issue?
https://github.com/alanesq/esp32cam-demo

[thermike]

Hi alanesq,

Thank you for your help!
I have placed a usb voltage detector between the laptop and the esp to monitor the power supply. I read between 5.02-5.05 v and 0.14 to 0.32 A with the esp on. I read 5.11v with the esp off. I think that it looks stable and enough.

I then rewired the whole setup and took the esp out of the breadboard for a more airy position. I confirm that it gets really hot ! It is hotter on the bottom side.

Streaming now doesn't drop! I will have to test it for longer but I already see a solution. Now I will have to think of a way to keep cool!!

I have downloaded your code and I will try it .
May thanks!

[ESP_Sprite]

Just for future reference: that is not really an useful way to check for power supply issues here... WiFi modules like the ESP32 tend to be pretty spikey in their power supply demands (as in: they will use a low amount 99% of the time but use a relatively high chunk of power for a very short while) and USB power detection thingamajigs tend to miss that.