Do not want to fry an ESP8266 module

I’ve successfully flashed a Huzzah ESP8266 module and it’s running.
However I’m concerned in my intended application that I may need an external antenna. So I’ve purchased an ESP-02, an ESP-05 and an ESP-07 module plus an external antenna to experiment with – try to flash the Huzzah firmware.
From my forum readings, I’ve seen an issue about 3.3v and 5 v – and I don’t want to fry my purchases!
I have an OEM shop CP2102 UART- USB programmer which has 3.3v & 5v lines. What if any mods or precautions should I take before embarking on my experiments?

for me i would either use a 3volt source or battery ,if powering it directly off the ardiuno 3v can cause power issues as it can draw 250mA or just buy a 5v adaptor board that compatible with yours example : http://www.dx.com/p/esp8266-serial-wi-fi-wireless-esp-01-adapter-module-3-3v-5v-compatible-for-arduino-403053#.WFBzLZ_NFU8 would be the safer bet. it all depends what you want to do in the end

or next time buy an esp8266 that has higher volt compatible esptoy ( $12) works directly with 5 volt on an arduino or you can get nodeMcu and it base ( $5) they are good to 6v - 24v power supply and you can power your arduino off it base too if you want all the way up to 24 volt power supply ie using a 12 volt solar panel and it has a open circuit of 21 volt

I didn’t explain myself well. It seems an emonTx does supply 3.3v to a Huzzah ESP module so that should not be a problem. My question relates to using the OEM shop CP2102 UART- USB programmer to initially flash the firmware.

The confusion over correct voltage levels comes from some devices having an on board voltage regulator to drop the voltage to the required 3.3v.

All the OEM devices (with the exception of the emonTx shield) are 3.3v devices that have an onboard voltage regulator so they can run from a 5v supply AT 3.3 VOLTS!

The Huzzah and similar esp8266 devices are exactly the same in that they are running at 3,3v from a 5v supply (or higher in some instances). So these devices are not “5v tolerant” when the term is used as intended.

The shop bought programmer is fine for use with the Huzzah esp8266 because the IO is 3.3v whilst the supply is 5v, just like the 6pin headers on the OEM devices.