field-power-and-connectivity-triager

Field Power And Connectivity Triager

Use this skill when the project works on the bench but breaks when powered the way it will be used in the real world. Apply it to any board or load whose voltage/current path is uncertain; the ESP32 examples are common cases, not a claim that the same limits apply to every board.

Resources

• references/power-path-triage.md - USB vs VIN vs 3V3 diagnosis workflow
• references/wifi-and-peak-current.md - WiFi startup, brownout, and current-peak behavior
• references/measurement-checklist.md - what to measure before blaming the code
• ../../docs/board-support/uno-r4-family.md - Uno R4 family board caveats where relevant

When to Use

Use this skill when the request includes:

• "works on USB but not on my power supply"
• WiFi connects on the bench but not in deployment
• field-only resets, brownouts, or sensor instability
• suspected regulator or wiring-path weakness
• battery, VIN, or 3V3 supply-path questions

Workflow

1. Reproduce the split:
   • USB works
   • intended power path fails
2. Open references/power-path-triage.md to classify the supply path.
3. If WiFi or radio startup is involved, open references/wifi-and-peak-current.md.
4. Capture actual measurements from references/measurement-checklist.md before assuming the failure is in user code.
5. If the target is Uno R4 WiFi, open ../../docs/board-support/uno-r4-family.md and keep the connectivity-side hardware split explicit.

Core Rules

• "Works on USB" is evidence about the power path, not proof the code is sound.
• WiFi startup current peaks are first-class suspects on ESP32-class boards.
• Diagnose the supply path before tuning network code blindly.
• Treat sensor instability under field power as a possible power-integrity issue until measurements say otherwise.
• Do not use nominal voltage or an idle current reading as proof of peak-current safety; compare the measured load path with the board and component limits.

Verification

• Confirm the failure reproduces only on the intended power path.
• Confirm voltage and current conditions during the failing phase, not only at idle.
• Confirm whether the failure happens at boot, during WiFi association, or later under load.
• Confirm whether the same sketch behaves consistently once the power path is corrected.

Integration

• Pair with power-budget-calculator when the issue may be under-sized source capacity.
• Pair with ota-deployment-guardian when OTA fails only under field power.
• Pair with circuit-debugger when the board wiring itself is suspect.

Shared Output Contract

Use the shared Arduino skill contract: state assumptions, required tools and versions, implementation steps, tests/evidence by proof stage, known limitations, and recovery/security notes.