Tutorial ESPEasy Firmware Upload

When you buy the ESP module it will most likely have the factory AT or NodeMCU (LUA) firmware inside. To get the ESP Easy running, you need to replace the firmware with the ESP Easy firmware first.

This can be done with a special flash upload tool that uses the ESP serial interface. You can download the latest stable ESP Easy build from our website. This downloadable zipfile contains the flash tool, a command batchfile to launch the actual flash process and three versions of the binary firmware image.

Know your hardware

It's important to understand the hardware of your module. Some have USB to serial build in, some have not. Some modules can be flashed with an auto-reset mechanism, some need to be put in flash mode manually.

Also make sure that you know the flash size of the ESP module that you're going to flash with the firmware as you need the right firmware file for this particular module.

Flash size

Some information on well known modules:

512k Modules

ESP-01 blue colored modules 
ESP-201 modules 
ESP-12 modules 

1024k Modules

ESP-01 black colored modules  

4096k Modules

ESP-12E modules 
NodeMCU development board V1 
Wemos D1 and Wemos D1 Mini

Connecting the module

For your first experience with ESP Easy, we recommend the NodeMCU V1 development board, because it has a build in USB to Serial convertor and can be programmed without manual intervention.

This module requires CP2102 drivers on your host before the COM port will be recognized. Download and install these drivers before connecting the board to your computer.

The ESP-01 needs an external USB to Serial board to upload the firmware. Well known are FT232, PL2302, CP2102 based modules. Make sure you install the right drivers first.

To make life easier for ESP-01 you can also use this board that has a CP2102 convertor and auto-reset circuitry for ESP-01:

Flashing the module

Step 1 - Find the right flash size of your module
Step 2 - Download the zipfile here: Firmware and unpack to a folder of choice.
Step 3 - Double Click "flash.cmd". A command windows should start with three questions.
Step 4 - Select the com port that your module or FTDI module is using
Step 5 - Select the flash size, 512, 1024 or 4096
Step 6 - Select the build version like 108 or newer.

After successful uploading, reboot the ESP module (press reset if you have a button or power off/power on the module)

The ESP module should start a Wifi Access point named ESP_0

Setup

Proceed to your first setup: EasySetup