Flash MicroPython firmware on ESP32-C3

Updated@2022-06-19

~ Flash MicroPython v1.19 firmware on ESP32-C3 (ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1/NodeMCU ESP-C3-32S-Kit)

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It is aimed to flash MicroPython firmware on ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1 with unknown ESP32-C3 (revision 3) and 4MB flash. I can't find any official installation instruction, it's found out by my guessing and trying. Not sure is it correct approach, it seem work for me anyway.

Download MicroPython for ESP32-C3:

Visit https://micropython.org/download/all/, search "esp32c3" firmware for ESP32-C3, download the .bin file. It's esp32c3usb-20211018-unstable-v1.17-84-gba940250a.bin I tried.

Identify port and chip/flash:

To identify the ESP32 device connected USB port, chip and flash, refer to the last post.

It's unknown ESP32-C3 (revision 3) and 4MB flash on  ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1, connected to /dev/ttyUSB0.

Flash MicroPython firmware:

Erase flash, enter the command:

$ esptool.py --port /dev/ttyUSB0 erase_flash

Flash firmware with:

$ esptool.py --chip esp32c3 -p /dev/ttyUSB0 -b 460800 \
--before=default_reset --after=hard_reset write_flash --flash_mode dio \
--flash_freq 80m --flash_size 4MB \
0x0 esp32c3usb-20211018-unstable-v1.17-84-gba940250a.bin

* write firmware to on ESP flash from 0x0

Wrote 1495696 bytes (888871 compressed) at 0x00000000 in 26.6 seconds (effective 449.2 kbit/s)...

ref:

~ https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32c3/get-started/index.html#step-9-flash-onto-the-device

To verify that data in flash matches a local file:

$ esptool.py verify_flash --diff yes 0x0 <.bin>

ref:

~ https://github.com/espressif/esptool/wiki/Advanced-Commands#verify_flash

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MicroPython code tried:

mpyESP32C3_info.py

"""
MicroPython/ESP32C3 exercise run on ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1,
to display info.
"""
import uos
import usys
import machine
import esp

print("from uos.uname():")
for u in uos.uname():
    print(u)
print()

print("from usys:")
print("usys.platform: ", usys.platform)
print("usys.implementation: ", usys.implementation)
print()

print("====================================")
print(usys.implementation[0], uos.uname()[3],
      "\nrun on", uos.uname()[4])
print("====================================")
print("Flash size:", esp.flash_size())
print("CPU frequency:", machine.freq(), "(Hz)")

mpyESP32C3_RGB.py

"""
MicroPython/ESP32C3 exercise run on ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1,
to control the onboard GB LED (WS2812), driven by GPIO8.
"""

import uos
import usys
import machine
import neopixel
import time

print("====================================")
print(usys.implementation[0], uos.uname()[3],
      "\nrun on", uos.uname()[4])
print("====================================")

np = neopixel.NeoPixel(machine.Pin(8), 1)

np[0] = (0, 0, 0)
np.write()
time.sleep(1)
np[0] = (100, 100, 100)
np.write()
time.sleep(1)
np[0] = (0, 0, 0)
np.write()
time.sleep(1)

for i in range(256):
    np[0] = (i, 0, 0)
    np.write()
    time.sleep_ms(10)
for i in range(256):
    np[0] = (0, i, 0)
    np.write()
    time.sleep_ms(10)
for i in range(256):
    np[0] = (0, 0, i)
    np.write()
    time.sleep_ms(10)

for i in range(256):
    np[0] = (255-i, 255-i, 255-i)
    np.write()
    time.sleep_ms(10)

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It's another form of the flash command, modified from  Getting started with MicroPython on the ESP32 > Deploying the firmware, change starting address to 0x0.

$ esptool.py --chip esp32c3 --port /dev/ttyUSB0 write_flash -z \
0x0 esp32c3usb-20211018-unstable-v1.17-84-gba940250a.bin

but it take longer time.

Wrote 1495696 bytes (888871 compressed) at 0x00000000 in 79.6 seconds (effective 150.4 kbit/s)...

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More ESP32-C3/MicroPython exercises:

~ with I2C SSD1306 OLED