Flashing the firmware

Warning

Flashing the firmware can make your receiver unusable.

Before proceeding, please check whether the receiver board has BOOT & RESET buttons soldered, which can help to recover it. Also there is a way to back up the stock firmware, so you can roll back to it if you want.

Firmware files

A firmware archive contains the following files:

  1. CHANGELOG.md - a text file that describes what’s new in each firmware version

  2. ats-mini.ino.bootloader.bin - a bootloader (should be flashed at address 0x0)

  3. ats-mini.ino.partitions.bin - a partition table (should be flashed at address 0x8000)

  4. ats-mini.ino.bin - a firmware itself (should be flashed at address 0x10000)

  5. ats-mini.ino.merged.bin - the three previous files combined into one (should be flashed at address 0x0)

So, you need to flash your receiver using just one of the following two ways:

  • Flash the three files (2 - bootloader, 3 - partitions, 4 - firmware using the right addresses. The receiver settings might be reset in some versions.

OR

  • Only flash the last file (5 - merged) using the 0x0 address. The receiver settings will be always reset.

Flash using a web browser

Works on: Windows, macOS, Linux

This is the simplest method, but you need a browser that supports the Web Serial API. This means Chrome and some other browsers. No, Firefox and Safari can’t do it.

Tip

On Linux, please make sure that the user account that runs your browser has the necessary permissions to access the serial port.

  1. Connect your receiver to a computer using USB and power it on.

  2. A new serial port should appear. On Windows check the USB Serial COM port in the Windows Device Manager, on macOS it will look like /dev/tty.usbmodemXXXX, on Linux like /dev/ttyACMX.

  3. Open the following link: https://espressif.github.io/esptool-js/

  4. Press the Connect button and choose the right serial port.

  5. Add either the three separate firmware files at the right addresses, or the merged one at 0x0.

  6. Press the Program button.

  7. Wait until the following text will appear in the black serial log window: Leaving... Hard resetting via RTS pin...

  8. Press the Disconnect button.

  9. Power off and power on the receiver.

  10. Check out the firmware version in Menu -> Settings -> About on the receiver.

Flash Download Tool

Works on: Windows

  1. Download the Expressif Flash Download Tool, unpack the archive.

  2. Connect your receiver to a computer using USB and power it on.

  3. A new serial port should appear, check the USB Serial COM port in the Windows Device Manager.

  4. Run the flash_dowload_tool executable file.

  5. Choose Chip Type: ESP32-S3, WorkMode: Develop, LoadMode: UART.

  6. Add either the three separate firmware files at the right addresses, or the merged one at 0x0. Enable the check boxes next to the file bars.

  7. Set the COM port and other settings.

  8. After checking all information is correct, press the START button.

  9. Wait until the following text will appear in the black log window: is stub and send flash finish

  10. Power off and power on the receiver.

  11. Check out the firmware version in Menu -> Settings -> About on the receiver.

esptool.py

Works on: Windows, macOS, Linux

  1. Install uv (Windows, macOS, Linux) https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/

  2. Connect your receiver to a computer using USB and power it on.

  3. A new serial port should appear. On Windows check the USB Serial COM port in the Windows Device Manager, on macOS it will look like /dev/tty.usbmodemXXXX, on Linux like /dev/ttyACMX.

  4. Run just one of the two following commands (the first one uses three separate firmware files, the second one uses the single merged firmware file):

    uvx --from esptool esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port SERIAL_PORT --baud 921600 --before default_reset --after hard_reset write_flash  -z --flash_mode keep --flash_freq keep --flash_size keep 0x0 ats-mini.ino.bootloader.bin 0x8000 ats-mini.ino.partitions.bin 0x10000 ats-mini.ino.bin

# OR

uvx --from esptool esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port SERIAL_PORT --baud 921600 --before default_reset --after hard_reset write_flash  -z --flash_mode keep --flash_freq keep --flash_size keep 0x0 ats-mini.ino.merged.bin

  5. Check out the firmware version in Menu -> Settings -> About on the receiver.