Skip to content

Dedicated article for UNO R4 WiFi's with missing USB bridge firmware [HC-1549] #436

New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Merged
merged 5 commits into from
Oct 23, 2024
Merged

Dedicated article for UNO R4 WiFi's with missing USB bridge firmware [HC-1549] #436

Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from 1 commit
Commits
Show all changes
5 commits
Select commit Hold shift + click to select a range
5d9f9f8
Split espflash instructions to new article: "Restore the connectivity…
seaxwi Oct 15, 2024
d9e42ab
Apply suggestions from code review
seaxwi Oct 17, 2024
9618cd0
Linter fixes & clean-up
seaxwi Oct 17, 2024
d8908dd
Mixed improvements
seaxwi Oct 22, 2024
e123f11
Replace updater script with Arduino Firmware Uploader
seaxwi Oct 22, 2024
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
62 changes: 62 additions & 0 deletions ...e Support/UNO/Restore-the-connectivity-firmware-on-UNO-R4-WiFi-with-espflash.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
---
title: "Restore the connectivity firmware on UNO R4 WiFi with espflash"
id: 16379769332892
---

The UNO R4 WiFi has a ESP32-S3 chip, which handles the USB-to-serial communication. The firmware for this chip can normally be upgraded [using Arduino IDE or Arduino Cloud](https://support.arduino.cc/hc/en-us/articles/9670986058780-Update-the-connectivity-module-firmware-on-UNO-R4-WiFi#iot), but if this is not possible the firmware can be restored using **espflash**.

You may want to use this procedure if:

* Your UNO R4 WiFi is detected as a generic ESP32 board by Arduino IDE or Arduino Cloud.
* Your UNO R4 WiFi isn't detected as any board by Arduino IDE or Arduino Cloud, despite being connected to your computer with a working data USB cable.

---

Follow these steps:

1. Unplug any non-essential USB devices from your computer.
1. Short the pins highlighted in the image using a jumper wire:

![The GND and Download ESP32 pins.](img/esp32-data-pins.png)
1. Maintain the short between these pins as you connect the UNO R4 WiFi board to your computer with a USB cable.
1. Download and extract the .ZIP file for your system:
* [unor4wifi-update-windows.zip](https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/releases/latest/download/unor4wifi-update-windows.zip){.link-download}
* [unor4wifi-update-macos.zip](https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/releases/latest/download/unor4wifi-update-macos.zip){.link-download}
* [unor4wifi-update-linux.zip](https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/releases/latest/download/unor4wifi-update-linux.zip){.link-download}
1. Open your system's command line application inside the extracted folder.
* **Windows:** Hold <kbd>⇧Shift</kbd> and right-click any blank space inside the extracted folder. In the context menu, select **Open command window here / Open PowerShell window here**.
* **macOS:** Control-click on the unzipped `unor4wifi-update-macos` folder and select "**New Terminal at Folder**" from the context menu. A terminal window will open.
* **Linux:** Open [a command line terminal](https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/command-line-for-beginners) in the extracted folder.
1. Run the command:
* **Windows:** `bin\espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 (Get-Item .\firmware\UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin).FullName`
* **macOS/Linux:** `./bin/espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 firmware/UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin`
1. The terminal window might now show a list of the serial ports present on your computer. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select the port for the board and then press the <kbd>**Enter**</kbd> key.
* **Windows:** The board will have a name like "USB Serial device". <!-- TODO: Confirm name -->
* **macOS:** The board will be named "USB JTAG_serial debug unit". Two ports with this name will be available, select the port that starts with `/dev/cu.usbmodem*`. <!-- TODO: Same for Linux, probably. Confirm this. -->
* If you can't find it, try following steps 1–3 again.

1. The terminal window will now show the following prompt:

```text
? Remember this serial port for future use? (y/n) ›
```

Press the <kbd>**N**</kbd> key on your keyboard.
1. The flashing process should now start. Wait for it to finish, as indicated by output that looks something like this:

```text
[2023-07-11T08:59:44Z INFO ] Connecting...
[2023-07-11T08:59:45Z INFO ] Using flash stub
Chip type: esp32s3 (revision v0.1)
Crystal frequency: 40MHz
Flash size: 8MB
Features: WiFi, BLE
MAC address: dc:54:75:c4:c6:54
[00:00:14] [========================================] 689/689 0x0
```

1. Close the terminal window.
1. Disconnect the USB cable of the **UNO R4 WiFi** board from your computer.
1. Connect the **UNO R4 WiFi** board to your computer with the USB cable again.

<!-- `/dev/cu.usbmodem13301 - USB JTAG_serial debug unit` -->
94 changes: 14 additions & 80 deletions .../Hardware Support/UNO/Update-the-connectivity-module-firmware-on-UNO-R4-WiFi.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -3,22 +3,18 @@ title: Update the connectivity module firmware on UNO R4 WiFi
id: 9670986058780
---

Learn how to update the firmware of the ESP32-S3 connectivity module on the UNO R4 WiFi.

Updating the firmware is required to use UNO R4 WiFi with Arduino Cloud, and can resolve issues with UNO R4 WiFi not being detected by Arduino IDE and other development tools.
Learn how to update the firmware of the ESP32-S3 connectivity module on the UNO R4 WiFi. This firmware is required to use your board with Arduino Cloud and for the board to be correctly detected on a USB port by Arduino development tools.

In this article:

* [Use the Firmware Updater in Arduino IDE](#ide)
* [Use Arduino Cloud to update the firmware](#iot)
* [Use the updater script](#unor4wifi-updater)
* [Run espflash directly](#espflash)
* [Use Arduino Cloud to update the firmware](#cloud)
* [Use the "updater" script](#unor4wifi-updater)
* [If you can't update the firmware](#if-you-cant-update-the-firmware)

---

<a id="ide"></a>

## Use the Firmware Updater in Arduino IDE
## Use the Firmware Updater in Arduino IDE {#ide}

Updating the connectivity firmware is easy when using the Firmware Updater in Arduino IDE 2.2.1 or later.

Expand All @@ -36,9 +32,9 @@ Follow these steps:

![Firmware Updater window displaying the board selection menu and the "check updates" button](img/firmware-updater-arduino-ide-2-check-updates.png)

> If your UNO R4 WiFi doesn't appear in the list, make sure it's securely connected with a working data USB cable, and try pressing the RST button on the board. If it still doesn't appear, it may be missing the USB bridge firmware. Follow the steps in [Run espflash directly](#espflash) to resolve the issue.
> If your UNO R4 WiFi doesn't appear in the list, make sure it's securely connected with a working data USB cable, and try pressing the RST button on the board. If it still doesn't appear, it may be missing the USB bridge firmware. Follow [these instructions](https://support.arduino.cc/hc/en-us/articles/16379769332892) to resolve the issue.

5. Select the latest firmware version on the drop-down menu and click **Install**
5. Select the latest firmware version on the drop-down menu and click **Install**.

> [!NOTE]
> Installation will overwrite any existing sketch on your board.
Expand All @@ -59,19 +55,15 @@ Follow these steps:

---

<a id="iot"></a>

## Use Arduino Cloud to update the firmware
## Use Arduino Cloud to update the firmware {#cloud}

When you add a new device to Arduino Cloud, the connectivity module firmware is automatically updated.

<a class="link-chevron-right" href="https://support.arduino.cc/hc/en-us/articles/10501616961564-Update-connectivity-module-firmware-with-IoT-Cloud">Learn more</a>
[Update connectivity module firmware with Arduino Cloud](https://support.arduino.cc/hc/en-us/articles/10501616961564-Update-connectivity-module-firmware-with-IoT-Cloud){.link-chevron-right}

---

<a id="unor4wifi-updater"></a>

## Use the updater script <!-- TODO -->
## Use the "updater" script {#unor4wifi-updater}

The code repository for the firmware provides an [updater script](https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/tree/main/unor4wifi-updater) that can be used as an alternative to the above options.

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -260,68 +252,10 @@ If you get a `VCRUNTIME140.dII was not found` error, download and install the <a

---

<a id="espflash"></a>

## Run espflash directly

The above methods will not work if the board cannot be identified as a UNO R4 WiFi. This can happen if the custom firmware for the ESP32-S3 connectivity module is missing completely, or is not functioning correctly. However, the board can still be restored by [running espflash directly](https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/tree/main/unor4wifi-updater#option-2).

Follow these steps:

1. Unplug any non-essential USB devices from your computer.
1. Short the pins highlighted in the image using a jumper wire:

![The GND and Download ESP32 pins.](img/esp32-data-pins.png)
1. Connect the UNO R4 WiFi board to your computer with the USB cable.
1. Download and extract the .ZIP file for your system:
* <a class="link-download" href="https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/releases/latest/download/unor4wifi-update-windows.zip">unor4wifi-update-windows.zip</a>
* <a class="link-download" href="https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/releases/latest/download/unor4wifi-update-macos.zip">unor4wifi-update-macos.zip</a>
* <a class="link-download" href="https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/releases/latest/download/unor4wifi-update-linux.zip">unor4wifi-update-linux.zip</a>
1. Open your system's command line application inside the extracted folder.
* **Windows:** Hold <kbd>⇧Shift</kbd> and right-click any blank space inside the extracted folder. In the context menu, select **Open command window here / Open PowerShell window here**.
* **macOS:** Control-click on the unzipped `unor4wifi-update-macos` folder and select "**New Terminal at Folder**" from the context menu. A terminal window will open.
* **Linux:** Open [a command line terminal](https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/command-line-for-beginners) in the extracted folder.
1. Run the command:
* **Windows:** `bin\espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 (Get-Item .\firmware\UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin).FullName`
* **macOS/Linux:** `./bin/espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 firmware/UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin`

<!-- Instructions per OS

### Windows

1. Unplug any non-essential USB devices from your computer.
1. Connect the UNO R4 WiFi board to your computer with the USB cable.
1. Download <a class="link-download" href="https://github.com/arduino/uno-r4-wifi-usb-bridge/releases/latest/download/unor4wifi-update-windows.zip">unor4wifi-update-windows.zip</a>
1. [Unzip](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/f6dde0a7-0fec-8294-e1d3-703ed85e7ebc) the downloaded file.
1. Open the extracted `unor4wifi-update-windows` folder in Command Prompt.
1. Run the following command: `bin\espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 (Get-Item .\firmware\UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin).FullName`

### macOS

1. Open the `unor4wifi-update-macos` in Terminal.

2. Run the following command: `./bin/espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 firmware/UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin`

Example output:

```
sebastianwikstrom@mba unor4wifi-update-macos 4 % ./bin/espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 firmware/UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin

[2023-10-12T12:34:07Z INFO ] Detected 6 serial ports
[2023-10-12T12:34:07Z INFO ] Ports which match a known common dev board are highlighted
[2023-10-12T12:34:07Z INFO ] Please select a port
❯ /dev/cu.wlan-debug
/dev/tty.wlan-debug
/dev/cu.MOMENTUMTW2
/dev/tty.MOMENTUMTW2
/dev/cu.Bluetooth-Incoming-Port
/dev/tty.Bluetooth-Incoming-Port
```

### Linux
<a id="espflash"></a> <!-- This section previously contained the full procedure, keep this for old URLs -->

1. Open the `unor4wifi-update-linux` in Terminal.
## If you can't update the firmware {#if-you-cant-update-the-firmware}

2. Run the following command: `./bin/espflash write-bin -b 115200 0x0 firmware/UNOR4-WIFI-S3-*.bin`
The above methods will not work if the board cannot be identified as a UNO R4 WiFi. This can happen if the custom firmware for the ESP32-S3 connectivity module is missing completely, or is not functioning correctly. However, the board can still be restored using the espflash utility:

-->
[Restore the connectivity firmware on UNO R4 WiFi with espflash](https://support.arduino.cc/hc/en-us/articles/16379769332892){.link-chevron-right}