ESP32 Firmware Development

Environment Setup

Before any ESP-IDF command, source the environment:

bash

. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh

ESP-IDF is installed at ~/esp/esp-idf (v5.2.2). Python venv is at ~/.espressif/python_env/idf5.2_py3.13_env/.

Quick Reference

Action	Command
Build	`idf.py build`
Flash	`idf.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 flash`
Monitor	`idf.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 monitor`
Flash + Monitor	`idf.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 flash monitor`
Flash all	`for p in /dev/ttyACM*; do idf.py -p $p flash; done`
Clean	`idf.py fullclean`
Set Target	`idf.py set-target esp32s3`
Menuconfig	`idf.py menuconfig`

Device Information

•Port: /dev/ttyACM0 (first device), /dev/ttyACM1 (second device, if connected)
•Chip: ESP32-S3 (QFN56, revision v0.2)
•Features: WiFi, BLE, 8MB PSRAM, 16MB Flash
•Console: USB Serial/JTAG (configured via CONFIG_ESP_CONSOLE_USB_SERIAL_JTAG=y)

Build Workflow

bash

# Navigate to project (example: hello_world)
cd /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/hello_world

# Source ESP-IDF environment
. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh

# Build firmware
idf.py build

# Flash to device
idf.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 flash

Monitoring Serial Output

PROHIBITED COMMANDS - NEVER USE ON SERIAL PORTS:

•dd - NEVER use on /dev/ttyACM* or /dev/ttyUSB*
•cat - NEVER use to read serial ports
•head/tail - NEVER use on serial devices

Correct Approach

The idf.py monitor command requires a TTY. For non-TTY environments, use Python:

python

import serial
import time

ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyACM0', 115200, timeout=1)
start = time.time()
while time.time() - start < 10:  # Read for 10 seconds
    if ser.in_waiting:
        print(ser.read(ser.in_waiting).decode('utf-8', errors='ignore'), end='')
    time.sleep(0.1)
ser.close()

Run with ESP-IDF Python environment:

bash

. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh && python3 -c "$(cat <<'EOF'
import serial, time
ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyACM0', 115200, timeout=1)
start = time.time()
while time.time() - start < 10:
    if ser.in_waiting:
        print(ser.read(ser.in_waiting).decode('utf-8', errors='ignore'), end='')
    time.sleep(0.1)
ser.close()
EOF
)"

Project Structure

ESP-IDF projects require:

code

project_name/
├── CMakeLists.txt          # Top-level CMake file
├── sdkconfig               # Generated config (do not edit directly)
├── sdkconfig.defaults      # Default config overrides
├── main/
│   ├── CMakeLists.txt      # Component CMake file
│   └── main.c              # Application entry point
└── build/                  # Build output (generated)

Minimal CMakeLists.txt (project root)

cmake

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
include($ENV{IDF_PATH}/tools/cmake/project.cmake)
project(project_name)

Minimal CMakeLists.txt (main component)

cmake

idf_component_register(SRCS "main.c"
                       INCLUDE_DIRS "")

Common sdkconfig.defaults

For ESP32-S3 with USB console:

code

CONFIG_ESP_CONSOLE_USB_SERIAL_JTAG=y

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Device not found	Check `ls /dev/ttyACM*` and ensure user is in `dialout` group
Flash fails	Hold BOOT button while flashing, or check USB cable
No serial output	Verify `CONFIG_ESP_CONSOLE_USB_SERIAL_JTAG=y` in sdkconfig
Build errors	Run `idf.py fullclean` then rebuild

Creating New Projects

bash

. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh
mkdir -p /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/new_project/main
cd /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/new_project

# Create project files, then:
idf.py set-target esp32s3
idf.py build

Utility Scripts

Monitor serial output (for non-TTY environments):

bash

. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh && python3 scripts/monitor_serial.py /dev/ttyACM0 10

Flash and verify output:

bash

./scripts/flash_and_verify.sh /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/hello_world /dev/ttyACM0 "Hello"

Serial OTA Testing

Test firmware updates via USB-CDC without using esptool flash:

1. Build firmware (don't flash)

bash

cd /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/domes
. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh
idf.py build

2. Transfer via OTA sender

bash

/home/pncosta/domes/firmware/host/build/simple_ota_sender \
    /dev/ttyACM0 \
    /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/domes/build/domes.bin \
    v1.0.0

3. Verify with serial monitor

bash

python3 .claude/skills/esp32-firmware/scripts/monitor_serial.py /dev/ttyACM0 10

Or reset device and capture boot:

python

import serial, time
port = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyACM0', 115200, timeout=0.5)
port.dtr = False; port.rts = True; time.sleep(0.1); port.rts = False
start = time.time()
while time.time() - start < 8:
    data = port.read(1024)
    if data: print(data.decode('utf-8', errors='replace'), end='')
port.close()

Host tool build (if needed)

bash

cd /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/host
cmake -B build && cd build && make simple_ota_sender

Additional References

•Configuration options: See CONFIGS.md for sdkconfig options, partition tables, and pin mappings
•Project firmware guidelines: See firmware/GUIDELINES.md
•ESP-IDF documentation: https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/v5.2.2/
•OTA architecture: See research/architecture/08-ota-updates.md

Multi-Device Workflows

Identifying Connected Devices

bash

# List all connected ESP32 serial ports
ls -la /dev/ttyACM*

# List with USB device info (to distinguish devices)
for port in /dev/ttyACM*; do
  echo "$port -> $(udevadm info --name=$port --query=property 2>/dev/null | grep ID_SERIAL_SHORT || echo 'unknown')"
done

Flash Multiple Devices

bash

. ~/esp/esp-idf/export.sh
cd /home/pncosta/domes/firmware/domes

# Build once
idf.py build

# Flash each device
for port in /dev/ttyACM0 /dev/ttyACM1; do
  echo "=== Flashing $port ==="
  idf.py -p "$port" flash
done

Monitor Multiple Devices

bash

# Using the multi-device monitor script (colored output per device)
python3 .claude/skills/esp32-firmware/scripts/monitor_serial.py /dev/ttyACM0,/dev/ttyACM1 10

Test Both Devices with CLI

bash

CLI=tools/domes-cli/target/release/domes-cli

# Feature list on both devices
$CLI --port /dev/ttyACM0 --port /dev/ttyACM1 feature list

# Or using device registry
$CLI devices add pod1 serial /dev/ttyACM0
$CLI devices add pod2 serial /dev/ttyACM1
$CLI --all feature list

# Set LED on both devices
$CLI --all led solid --color ff0000

OTA Both Devices

bash

# Flash firmware to both devices sequentially
$CLI --port /dev/ttyACM0 ota flash firmware/domes/build/domes.bin --version v1.0.0
$CLI --port /dev/ttyACM1 ota flash firmware/domes/build/domes.bin --version v1.0.0

# Or using multi-device targeting
$CLI --all ota flash firmware/domes/build/domes.bin --version v1.0.0

ESP-NOW Testing (Two Devices Required)

bash

# Enable ESP-NOW on both pods
$CLI --port /dev/ttyACM0 feature enable esp-now
$CLI --port /dev/ttyACM1 feature enable esp-now

# Monitor both for ESP-NOW discovery messages
python3 .claude/skills/esp32-firmware/scripts/monitor_serial.py /dev/ttyACM0,/dev/ttyACM1 30