Can't flash tbeam from 1.0.0 on Mac

[MaxG4]

I have installed an Meshtastic Flasher v1.0.106

Since my tbeam came loaded with 1.0.0 (a version less than 1.2) I manually select the device type in the detect step.

When I try and flash I get the following error.

Step 1/4 esp32 full

ESPTOOL Using command:-b 921600 --port /dev/cu.usbmodem51850167381 erase_flash

esptool.py v3.3.1

Serial port /dev/cu.usbmodem51850167381

Connecting…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Detecting chip type…

Unsupported detection protocol, switching and trying again…

Connecting…

.

.

Detecting chip type…

ESP32

Chip is ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 (revision 3)

Features: WiFi, BT, Dual Core, 240MHz, VRef calibration in efuse, Coding Scheme None

Crystal is 40MHz

MAC: 30:c6:f7:1e:3f:64

Uploading stub…

Traceback (most recent call last):

File “/Users/maxbutin/some_dir/venv/lib/python3.8/site-packages/meshtastic_flasher/esptool_form.py”, line 70, in run

esptool.main(command)

File “/Users/maxbutin/some_dir/venv/bin/esptool.py”, line 4722, in main

esp = esp.run_stub()

File “/Users/maxbutin/some_dir/venv/bin/esptool.py”, line 891, in run_stub

self.mem_block(stub[field][from_offs:to_offs], seq)

File “/Users/maxbutin/some_dir/venv/bin/esptool.py”, line 755, in mem_block

return self.check_command(“write to target RAM”, self.ESP_MEM_DATA,

File “/Users/maxbutin/some_dir/venv/bin/esptool.py”, line 505, in check_command

raise FatalError.WithResult(‘Failed to %s’ % op_description, status_bytes)

esptool

.

FatalError

:

Failed to write to target RAM (result was 01070000: Operation timed out)

[MaxG4]

I have previously tried flashing from command line on other computers (all Mac at home) and with different USB cables to no avail.

Help would be appreciated as I would like to start using meshtastic.

[garth]

I would use the install script in the firmware download folder, right click and open terminal at folder and then run something like this for a tbeam for example

sh device-install.sh -f firmware-tbeam*.bin

[MaxG4]

max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro ~ % /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/device-install.sh -f /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin
Trying to flash /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin, but first erasing and writing system information
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/bin/python3: No module named esptool

Seems that all my cables will charge the tbeam, but maybe none of them are good enough for data transfer. Is there a known “good cable” I could buy?

[MaxG4]

Some progress on maybe a good cable, but still a no-go on install.

ax@Maxs-MacBook-Pro ~ % ls /dev/cu.wc
/dev/cu.wchusbserial51850167381
max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro ~ %
max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro ~ % bash /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/device-install.sh -p /dev/cu.wchusbserial51850167381 -f /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin
Trying to flash /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin, but first erasing and writing system information
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/bin/python3: No module named esptool

[MaxG4]

Confirmed I had installed esptool via Brew on my Mac

max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro ~ % brew install esptool
Warning: esptool 3.2_1 is already installed and up-to-date.
To reinstall 3.2_1, run:

• brew reinstall esptool*

[MaxG4]

Making progress, but still no dice. Tried running the installer script in the Phyton virtual environment.

(venv) max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro some_dir % /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/device-install.sh -f /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin
Trying to flash /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin, but first erasing and writing system information
esptool.py v3.3.1
Found 3 serial ports
Serial port /dev/cu.wchusbserial51850167381
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… Unsupported detection protocol, switching and trying again…
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… ESP32
Chip is ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 (revision 3)
Features: WiFi, BT, Dual Core, 240MHz, VRef calibration in efuse, Coding Scheme None
WARNING: Detected crystal freq 41.01MHz is quite different to normalized freq 40MHz. Unsupported crystal in use?
Crystal is 40MHz
MAC: 30:c6:f7:1e:3f:64
Uploading stub…
Running stub…
Stub running…
Erasing flash (this may take a while)…
Chip erase completed successfully in 10.6s
Hard resetting via RTS pin…
usage: esptool write_flash [-h] [–erase-all] [–flash_freq {keep,80m,60m,48m,40m,30m,26m,24m,20m,16m,15m,12m}]

•                       [--flash_mode {keep,qio,qout,dio,dout}] [--flash_size FLASH_SIZE]*
  

•                       [--spi-connection SPI_CONNECTION] [--no-progress] [--verify] [--encrypt]*
  

•                       [--encrypt-files <address> <filename> [<address> <filename> ...]]*
  

•                       [--ignore-flash-encryption-efuse-setting] [--compress | --no-compress]*
  

•                       <address> <filename> [<address> <filename> ...]*
  

esptool write_flash: error: argument : [Errno 2] No such file or directory: ‘system-info.bin’
(venv) max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro some_dir %

[MaxG4]

Tried device-update.sh instead

(venv) max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro some_dir % /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/device-update.sh -f /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin
Trying to flash update /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin.
esptool.py v3.3.1
Found 3 serial ports
Serial port /dev/cu.wchusbserial51850167381
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… Unsupported detection protocol, switching and trying again…
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… ESP32
Chip is ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 (revision 3)
Features: WiFi, BT, Dual Core, 240MHz, VRef calibration in efuse, Coding Scheme None
WARNING: Detected crystal freq 41.01MHz is quite different to normalized freq 40MHz. Unsupported crystal in use?
Crystal is 40MHz
MAC: 30:c6:f7:1e:3f:64
Uploading stub…
Running stub…
Stub running…
Changing baud rate to 921600
Changed.
Configuring flash size…
Flash will be erased from 0x00010000 to 0x001b2fff…
Compressed 1713904 bytes to 1000715…
Wrote 1713904 bytes (1000715 compressed) at 0x00010000 in 16.7 seconds (effective 820.4 kbit/s)…
Hash of data verified.

Leaving…
Hard resetting via RTS pin…
Erasing the otadata partition, which will turn off flash flippy-flop and force the first image to be used
esptool.py v3.3.1
Found 3 serial ports
Serial port /dev/cu.wchusbserial51850167381
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… Unsupported detection protocol, switching and trying again…
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… ESP32
Chip is ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 (revision 3)
Features: WiFi, BT, Dual Core, 240MHz, VRef calibration in efuse, Coding Scheme None
Crystal is 40MHz
MAC: 30:c6:f7:1e:3f:64
Uploading stub…
Running stub…
Stub running…
Changing baud rate to 921600
Changed.
Erasing region (may be slow depending on size)…
Erase completed successfully in 0.1 seconds.
Hard resetting via RTS pin…
(venv) max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro some_dir %

Seems it should have been successful (finally!), but now my tbeam has a blank screen and is not booting up. I now have a flashing red led (near the antenna port) that wasn’t lit up before.

[MaxG4]

Trying to run installer and still get the error:

esptool write_flash: error: argument : [Errno 2] No such file or directory: ‘system-info.bin’

Seeing power (solid red under LED) and GPS (red) led blinking, but the tbeam is not booting (blue led) to load a screen, or showing up in my meshtatic app.

[MaxG4]

Just pushing the update script to my second tbeam (which originally didn’t even connect) worked! It’s on 1.2.65.

(venv) max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro some_dir % /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/device-update.sh -f /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin
Trying to flash update /Users/max/Downloads/firmware-1-3/firmware-tbeam-1.2.65.0adc5ce.bin.
esptool.py v3.3.1
Found 3 serial ports
Serial port /dev/cu.wchusbserial51850166901
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… Unsupported detection protocol, switching and trying again…
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… ESP32
Chip is ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 (revision 3)
Features: WiFi, BT, Dual Core, 240MHz, VRef calibration in efuse, Coding Scheme None
Crystal is 40MHz
MAC: 30:c6:f7:1e:41:d4
Uploading stub…
Running stub…
Stub running…
Changing baud rate to 921600
Changed.
Configuring flash size…
Flash will be erased from 0x00010000 to 0x001b2fff…
Compressed 1713904 bytes to 1000715…
Wrote 1713904 bytes (1000715 compressed) at 0x00010000 in 17.0 seconds (effective 804.3 kbit/s)…
Hash of data verified.

Leaving…
Hard resetting via RTS pin…
Erasing the otadata partition, which will turn off flash flippy-flop and force the first image to be used
esptool.py v3.3.1
Found 3 serial ports
Serial port /dev/cu.wchusbserial51850166901
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… Unsupported detection protocol, switching and trying again…
Connecting…
Detecting chip type… ESP32
Chip is ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 (revision 3)
Features: WiFi, BT, Dual Core, 240MHz, VRef calibration in efuse, Coding Scheme None
WARNING: Detected crystal freq 41.01MHz is quite different to normalized freq 40MHz. Unsupported crystal in use?
Crystal is 40MHz
MAC: 30:c6:f7:1e:41:d4
Uploading stub…
Running stub…
Stub running…
Changing baud rate to 921600
Changed.
Erasing region (may be slow depending on size)…
Erase completed successfully in 0.1 seconds.
Hard resetting via RTS pin…
(venv) max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro some_dir %

The original tbeam (#1) is still bricked through, not sure what the difference was.

[garth]

Looks like esptool is not installed