When I add the ESP I get the red power light on and a flicker of blue, which is encouraging, but it never answers my web request. I know the code is okay because I can unplug this ESP and plug in into my programmer and when running there it responds to the web request just fine. But I notice the programmer has a voltage of 3.3v across VCC and GND even when the ESP is plugged in. In my target circuit with the LD33V etc it drops to 2.89 which might account for the non-response.
I've got a 10k resistor connecting RST to VCC and another connecting CH_PD to VCC (3.3v VCC in both cases). Nothing else is connected. I've looked at lots of circuits that show exactly this (eg http://absaransari.com/2018/01/25/how-to-power-esp8266-from-5v-supply/) and I gather the LM1117-3.3V and the LD33V are the same thing. Also that example has RX and TX hooked up and I have not done that yet, but I will when it starts working.
Anyway, I must have missed a step somewhere. Anyone spot it?
Thanks