ESP8266: NodeMCU Custom Build

My colleague Marcel recently developed a web based tool that lets you choose the modules which will be compiled into the NodeMCU build. This saves you the trouble to setup your own build server with tool chain and can save you a lot of space on the LUA heap, depending on how many modules you need to run your code: http://frightanic.com/nodemcu-custom-build/

Marcel’s NodeMCU Custom Build

You select all the modules you need, enter your email address so you can be notified with the download link once the build has finished. The email will come with two links, one for the integer build and one for the build coming with floating point Math.

Curious on how much space on the heap this can save you I compared the current default build, downloaded from NodeMCU’s github page with a very minimalistic 7 module build (recommended default in the tool). The values come from a brand new NodeMCU Dev Kit V1.0 (the updated version) by sending =node.heap() directly after a clean start:
  • Original Build: 20744 bytes
  • Custom Build with 7 (default) modules: 26152 bytes 
This means a difference of more than 5kb! This can be a welcome difference for a big project…
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Posted by Daniel Eichhorn

Daniel Eichhorn is a software engineer and an enthusiastic maker. He loves working on projects related to the Internet of Things, electronics, and embedded software. He owns two 3D printers: a Creality Ender 3 V2 and an Elegoo Mars 3. In 2018, he co-founded ThingPulse along with Marcel Stör. Together, they develop IoT hardware and distribute it to various locations around the world.

4 comments

    • Found this by chance…Not sure I fully understand your question but there’s also a Docker image (from yours truly) with which you can build on Windows without the hassle of setting up the toolchain yourself.

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