Preparing the dev board

Once you have all your parts, you’re ready to start assembly. As well as physically connecting all your shiny new bits, there is also firmware that needs to be loaded onto the development board. It’s worth completing this step first while the dev board is still easy to access

Option 1: Browser flasher for Windows users

Chromium only

The ESPTool requires a chromium-based web browser such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Brave

• This is the easiest installation method for most Windows users.
• Use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
• Go to the ‘releases’ page in the BODAQS github repository here and download the latest firmware binary.
• Connect the dev board to your computer with a USB data cable.
• Open the Adafruit WebSerial ESPTool here: Adafruit WebSerial ESPTool.
• Click Connect.
• When Windows shows a list of serial devices, select the port for your BODAQS board and approve access.
• In the first file row, enter offset 0x0.
• Click Choose a file and select the downloaded BODAQS firmware binary.
• Leave the other file rows empty.
• Click Program.
• Wait for the flash process to complete.
• If the board does not start automatically after flashing, press the Reset button on the board or unplug and reconnect it.

Option 2: ESPtool for Mac, Linux, and advanced users

• This option is recommended for Mac and Linux users, and for Windows users who prefer a command-line method.
• Go to the ‘releases’ page in the BODAQS github repository here and download the latest firmware binary.

Via Pip (preferred)

Note

For comprehensive setup for Apple computers see The official installation guide

• Install Python 3.10 or newer if it is not already installed.
• Install esptool by running:

  pip install esptool

Via Homebrew (MacOs only)

Caution

The homebrew method is a quick way to get esptool installed on macOS, but it may not always have the latest version. For best results, install via pip

If you have Homebrew installed, you can install esptool by running:

brew install esptool

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Once you have your firmware file and ESPtool installed, follow these steps to flash the firmware:

• Connect your BODAQS board to your computer with a USB data cable.

• Identify the serial port used by the board:
• Windows: something like COM3
• Mac: something like /dev/cu.usbmodem...
• Linux: something like /dev/ttyACM0 or /dev/ttyUSB0
• Open a terminal or command prompt in the folder containing the downloaded firmware file.
• Run the following command, replacing the port name and file name as needed:

esptool --chip esp32s3 --port YOUR_PORT write-flash 0x0 bodaqs-firmware.bin

• Example on Windows:

esptool --chip esp32s3 --port COM3 write-flash 0x0 bodaqs-firmware.bin

• Example on Mac or Linux:

esptool --chip esp32s3 --port /dev/cu.usbmodemXXXX write-flash 0x0 bodaqs-firmware.bin

• Wait for the flash process to complete.
• If the board does not start automatically after flashing, press the Reset button on the board or unplug and reconnect it.

If flashing does not work

• Check that your USB cable supports data, not just charging.
• Try a different USB port.
• Close any serial monitor or other software that may already be using the serial port.
• Try unplugging and reconnecting the board.
• If needed, restart the board and try again.
• If browser flashing does not work, use the ESPtool method instead.