Powering an ESP12E

[tetd (Gast)]

Hello,
short question. For simple use I can connect VCC to 3.3V and GND to GND 
of an ESP12E than the ESP should power up or do I need additional stuff 
to connect?

Thanks

[Heinz R. (heijz)]

yes you could :-)

[Steve van de Grens (roehrmond)]

The ESP-12 modules need external parts to start properly.

VCC = 2.8 - 3.6 Volt
GPIO15 = LOW via a resistor, e.g. 2.2 kΩ
ENABLE * = HIGH (may be directly connected to VCC)

*) Also called CHIP_EN, CH_PD or CHIP_PU

A capacitor of 100 - 220 µF directly soldered between the VCC and GND 
pins is highly recommended.

To upload a firmware, you need to connect GPIO0 with GND. For normal 
operation you may leave the pin unconnected.

If you forget to connect GPIO15, the chip may fail to start randomly. 
You must not pull down the two TxD Pins (GPIO1 and GPIO2) down during 
startup, otherwise the chip does not start.

During startup, the following pins output pulses for a short period: 
GPIO 0,1,2,3,16

See also 
https://stefanfrings-de.translate.goog/esp8266/?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en