GalaxyRVR — ESP32-CAM handshake fails with [FAIL]; Camera probe error 0x105 and Brownout detected

Robotic kit for Arduino
1

Hi, I’ve spent many hours debugging my GalaxyRVR and I’d like help identifying which part is faulty.

Symptom
The RGB strip stays solid ORANGE and never turns green. No GalaxyRVR Wi-Fi network appears — only the camera’s default AI Camera-XXXX AP.

Serial output from the UNO:

GalaxyRVR version 2.0.0
Initialzing...
SET+RESET
...SET+RESET
...SET+RESET
...[FAIL]

I understand this means aiCam.begin() never receives [OK] from the ESP32-CAM, so it hits the while(1); in command() and the sketch freezes inside setup().

What I have verified

  • Battery fully charged (both indicators solid)
  • Measured 5.25 V steady at the camera connector
  • 7-pin cable has continuity on all lines
  • Camera cable/FPC reseated (this fixed an earlier Camera probe failed with error 0x105 (ESP_ERR_NOT_FOUND))
  • Re-uploaded galaxy-rvr.ino with SoftPWM + SunFounder AI Camera libraries installed
  • Tried the mode switch in both Upload and Run positions, pressing Reset after switching

Key evidence

  1. Monitoring the ESP32-CAM’s own serial, I can confirm it does receive SET+RESET and does reply:
[CAM_D] Reset
[OK] 1.5.4

So the camera is alive and responding — but the UNO never sees the reply.

  1. I also saw this from the ESP32-CAM:
Brownout detector was triggered
ets Jul 29 2019 12:21:46

repeating roughly every 400 ms, which suggests the camera is resetting under load even though the battery is charged.

Questions

  • Is this a known issue with the camera module, the 7-pin cable, or the expansion board?
  • Could the brownout indicate a faulty camera adapter board or shield regulator?
  • Which replacement part would you recommend?

Firmware: ai-camera-firmware v1.5.4
Code: galaxy-rvr v2.0.0

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

2

Thank you for your detailed testing and documentation – this is very helpful for our troubleshooting.

From the UNO serial output you provided:
GalaxyRVR version 2.0.0
Initialzing…
SET+RESET
…SET+RESET
…SET+RESET
…[FAIL]
This indicates that the UNO is unable to establish communication with the ESP32‑CAM, which causes the aiCam.begin() call to fail and the sketch to freeze in setup().

In most cases where the GalaxyRVR’s bottom RGB strip remains solid orange, the cause is a firmware version mismatch:

The UNO is running v2.0.0, but the ESP32‑CAM is running v1.4.x or older, and they cannot communicate properly.

You can follow this FAQ to recover the correct firmware:
:link: FAQ — SunFounder GalaxyRVR Kit for Arduino 1.0 documentation

However, your situation has a twist: you mentioned that the AI Camera-XXXX Wi‑Fi hotspot does appear, which suggests the ESP32‑CAM may have reverted to its factory default firmware.

To help us confirm this, could you please:

Connect to the AI Camera-XXXX Wi‑Fi network.

Open a browser and go to http://192.168.4.1.

Check the firmware version shown on the page and let us know what it is.

You also raised the possibility of a hardware issue with the camera module, the 7‑pin cable, or the expansion board – this cannot be ruled out.

If possible, please record a short video with the device powered on, focusing on:

The Camera Adapter – is its power LED lit?

The ESP32‑CAM – is the red LED solid, blinking, or repeatedly restarting?

Could you please try uploading the video to a cloud service such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, and then share the download link with us? Please make sure to grant us access permissions.

These visual clues will help us determine whether the issue is a communication failure or a hardware fault, and guide us on the next steps.

We look forward to your reply.