Hardware Connection & Initial Setup Guide
The badges feature an ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa microcontroller with native USB (USB-OTG / USB-JTAG).
1. Connecting to the Badge
Connect the badge to your computer using a high-quality USB-C data cable. Check if the device is recognized:
Linux:
dmesg | grep -i tty
# Usually appears as /dev/ttyACM0 or /dev/ttyUSB0
macOS:
ls /dev/cu.usbmodem*
Windows:
Check Device Manager under Ports (COM & LPT) for USB JTAG/serial debug unit.
2. Reading Serial Logs
Open a serial terminal with a baudrate of 115200:
# Using screen:
screen /dev/ttyACM0 115200
# Or using minicom:
minicom -D /dev/ttyACM0 -b 115200
# Or using esp-idf / python:
python -m serial.tools.miniterm /dev/ttyACM0 115200
3. Flashing Firmware via esptool
To flash official firmware or custom builds:
esptool.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 -b 460800 write_flash 0x0 firmware.bin
If you face connection timeouts or bootloader issues, hold the BOOT button while plugging in the USB cable or pressing RESET.
