Device is a W14 v5.1 purchased in 2022 and has been working since then. I first noticed I was missing information in Home Assistant. I tried connecting to the device’s IP address but the page would only partially load. Tried restarting the device and got the same result. Noticed that continuous ping would have many drops and high latency. Tried swapping the the SD card and got similar results. Pulled the device out to the bench. Plugged it in, got GRR LED which indicates an issue with the SD card. Reseated, tried original. Started smelling a burning smell. The chip behind the USB port is too hot to touch. Unplugged right away. Seems to be a physical issue with the board.
I’d say so. That chip is part of the nodeMCU, a single sub assembly. Probably caused by a defective USB power supply or a short on the PCB.
What’s my path going forward? Can the NodeMCU board be replaced?
It is wave soldered in, so difficult to remove and replace. Any ESP8266 nodeMCU should work, provided you find the reason it cooked in the first place.
Can a bare board be purchased?
No, but new units should be available soon.