Is the Xiaomi ESP32-C6 module I have faulty?Is my Xiaomi ESP32-C6 module faulty?

Products & Technology XIAO
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I’m using a few Xiao ESP32-C6 modules I own without connecting them to any circuit. In other words, I’m just experimenting with the modules themselves. No matter what I do, the current the module draws is below 6mA.I’m using a few Xiao ESP32-C6 modules I own without connecting them to any circuit. In other words, I’m just experimenting with the modules themselves. No matter what I do, the current the module draws…I couldn’t get it below 6mA. I tried light sleep, that didn’t work. I tried deep sleep, that didn’t work either. Even turning it off in RTC memory without setting a timer doesn’t work. Could there be a problem with my module?Or am I doing something wrong?It actually seems quite simple. There’s no complicated cycle or anything. I simply say wait 10 seconds, then go into deep sleep. While waiting, it’s 18-20 ma, and when you go to sleep, it’s 7-8 ma. I tried turning off peripherals before going to sleep. I’m typing in C and I’ve turned off many things that esp-idf allows me to interfere with. MODEM , XTAL , RC_FAST , RTC_PERIPH , VDDSDIO , CPU. I probably don’t even use most of them. But I read in some online sources that you need to manually turn them off, so I tried that. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it below 6ma.Later, I suspected the problem might be with the battery or the measurement part, so I focused on those areas. I was trying with a 3.7V battery, then decided to use an LDO. I set the source output to 3.3V, and the result dropped to around 6mA. But even that seems ridiculous, because the module doesn’t work below 3.3V anyway. Where am I going wrong?

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// Board Library : esp32 by Espressif 3.0.0-rc1
// Board Select  : XIAO_ESP32C6, XIAO_ESP32S3, XIAO_ESP32C3
// ArduinoIDE compile options left at default
// Vbat = 3.8V

void setup() {
  esp_deep_sleep_start();
}

void loop() {
}

Try it out with this sketch.
You might also find the link below helpful.

‘Comparison of Sleep Currents for XIAO ESP32C6, S3, and C3’

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“I tried it, but nothing changed, and I am now certain that my module is faulty. I must have done something wrong. Now I’m going to remove the metal casing of the board and check it. I think a diode or something blew, otherwise this doesn’t seem possible. I’ll write down the results of my inspection. Thank you.”

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“I’ve taken a bunch of measurements on the card, and the results are pretty depressing because there are no weird readings on any diodes, resistors, or ICs. That leaves only C6 itself. I think, unfortunately, I might have fried something inside C6. It feels a bit weird, but I couldn’t find anything else.”

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There may be some misunderstanding. I’d like to understand your situation accurately, so I’ll be asking a lot of questions—please provide as much detail as possible.

  1. Please show me a photo or wiring diagram that illustrates your experimental setup.
  2. If there are any soldered connections (e.g., between the XIAO and the pin header, or wiring to the battery pads), I’d also like to see a photo that clearly shows the condition of the solder joints.
  3. What kind of meter are you using to measure the current, and what method are you using?
  4. How many XIAO units are experiencing this issue where they don’t all read the same 6 mA?
  5. Can these XIAO units run a simple sketch (such as blink.ino) without any problems?
  6. The attached sketch sleeps for 5 seconds and wakes up via the RTC. I’ve confirmed that the sleep current is 14 µA. Please try it out. Please modify the line #include “C:\Users\msfujino\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp32\tools\esp32-arduino-libs\idf-release_v5.1-632e0c2a\esp32\include\driver\gpio\include\driver\rtc_io.h” to match your environment. Be sure to use the “esp32 by Espressif 3.0.7” board library.
    ESP32C6_XIAO_DeepSleep_RTC.zip (865 Bytes)

If you could share your sketch with me, I can test it on my XIAO to see if the 6 mA issue occurs.

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Your test with a 3.3 V LDO is useful because it changes the measurement setup. I would compare the same board using the same supply and meter, then run the minimal deep-sleep sketch shown above.

It would also be interesting to compare the result with USB completely disconnected. That would help rule out current paths through the USB connection or other connected equipment.

Have you measured the current directly in series with the XIAO’s 3.3 V supply?