03 ‐ Initial Installation
The very first time you install the firmware onto a new ESP32, you must use a USB data cable and connect the ESP32 to a computer to flash the firmware. After the initial flash, future updates or firmware versions can be installed wirelessly over-the-air. Beyond a computer, USB data cable and an ESP32, you will need two additional items:
A local downloaded copy of the firmware
You can always find the lasted compiled .bin file for installation under the latest release section of this repo. The .bin file will be found under the Assets section and will follow a naming convention of:
RobotCarTimer_vx.xx_ESP32.bin(where x.xx is the release number)
Download a copy of this file (or extract if you downloaded a .zip of the entire repository) and save it locally.
Do not attempt to flash the source code .ino file directly to the ESP32. This will not work!
The source code must be compilied before it can be flashed (installed) onto the ESP32. See the wiki section on modifying the source code if you wish to compile your own version from the source code.
A Desktop Flashing Utility
There are numerous utilities for flashing firmware to an ESPx board. Two of the most common are NodeMCU PyFlasher (Windows & Mac) and ESPHome Flasher (Windows, Mac & Linux). Simply navigate to the latest release section and download the file(s) for your operating system. In most cases, these utilities work without installation. I’ll be showing ESPHome Flasher here (no… you do not need to have or use ESPHome for this flasher to work). Most utilities work in a very similar manner.
Once you have these two items, you are ready to flash the firmware. Connect the ESP32 to your computer using the USB data cable. Make sure the cable supports data use and isn’t just a charging cable. A new COM port should appear on your device. Note this COM port number.
For this utility, you only need to select the COM port where the ESP32 is connected and then browse to and select the .bin firmware file. Then simply click ‘Flash ESP’. Watch the output or console window for information. If the flash is successful, you should see a message similar to the above. You can now close the flashing utility, unplug the ESP32 from the USB port and place or power it from the controller board. Alternatively, you can power the device temporarily via the USB port until onboarding is completed.
If your see a message that the connection to the board failed, you may need to press and hold the BOOT button on the ESP32 before starting the flash and until the board connects. This is necessary for certain ESP32s to put the board into flashing mode.
Once the firmare is installed, the board isn't quite ready for use. Next, you need to complete the onboarding and first time setup steps.
If you have issues with flashing, see the Troubleshooting section of this wiki.