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ARDUINO_NANO_ESP32_SETUP.md

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Arduino Nano ESP32 Setup Guide

Board Detection

Your ESP32-S3 board is: Arduino Nano ESP32

# Detect connected board
arduino-cli board list
# Output: /dev/ttyACM0  Arduino Nano ESP32  esp32:esp32:nano_nora

Correct Board Configuration

IMPORTANT: Use the correct FQBN for your specific board:

# CORRECT (for your Arduino Nano ESP32):
--fqbn esp32:esp32:nano_nora

# WRONG (generic ESP32-S3 - don't use):
--fqbn esp32:esp32:esp32s3

Compile Command

# Clean build
rm -rf build_esp32/*

# Compile for Arduino Nano ESP32 (RTTI-free mode)
arduino-cli compile \
  --fqbn esp32:esp32:nano_nora \
  --build-property "build.extra_flags=-DAST_NO_RTTI -fno-rtti" \
  --output-dir ./build_esp32 \
  examples/BasicInterpreter

Build Output:

  • Firmware size: ~900KB (28% of 3.1MB flash)
  • RAM usage: ~26KB (7% of 320KB)

Upload Methods

Method 1: Using Upload Script (Recommended)

./upload_to_nano_esp32.sh

Steps:

  1. Run the script
  2. Put board in bootloader mode (double-tap RESET or BOOT+RESET)
  3. Press ENTER in terminal
  4. Firmware uploads automatically

Method 2: Manual esptool Upload

# Put board in bootloader mode first!
~/.arduino15/packages/esp32/tools/esptool_py/5.1.0/esptool \
  --chip esp32s3 \
  --port /dev/ttyACM0 \
  --baud 921600 \
  --before default-reset \
  --after hard-reset \
  write-flash -z \
  --flash-mode dio \
  --flash-freq 80m \
  --flash-size 16MB \
  0x0 build_esp32/BasicInterpreter.ino.bootloader.bin \
  0x8000 build_esp32/BasicInterpreter.ino.partitions.bin \
  0x10000 build_esp32/BasicInterpreter.ino.bin

Method 3: arduino-cli upload (if bootloader mode works)

arduino-cli upload \
  --fqbn esp32:esp32:nano_nora \
  --port /dev/ttyACM0 \
  --input-dir ./build_esp32

Entering Bootloader Mode

The Arduino Nano ESP32 requires manual bootloader mode entry:

Option 1: Double-Tap Reset (Easiest)

  1. Press RESET button twice quickly (like double-clicking a mouse)
  2. Board enters bootloader mode
  3. Upload within a few seconds

Option 2: BOOT + RESET Method

  1. Hold down BOOT button
  2. While holding BOOT, press and release RESET
  3. Release BOOT button
  4. Board is in bootloader mode
  5. Upload immediately

Serial Monitor

# Monitor serial output (115200 baud for BasicInterpreter sketch)
arduino-cli monitor --port /dev/ttyACM0 --config baudrate=115200

Board Specifications

  • Chip: ESP32-S3-MINI-1-N8 (8MB Flash)
  • RAM: 512KB SRAM + 8MB PSRAM
  • USB: Native USB-OTG (TinyUSB)
  • Pin Numbering: Arduino style (default) or GPIO numbering
  • Bootloader: DFU-capable (hence the manual bootloader mode requirement)

Troubleshooting

Upload fails with "Could not configure port"

  • Solution: Put board in bootloader mode manually (see above)

Upload fails with "DFU device access error"

  • Solution: Use esptool directly instead of arduino-cli upload
  • Why: DFU requires special USB permissions, esptool works better

Board not detected

# Check USB connection
ls -l /dev/ttyACM*

# Check user is in dialout group
groups | grep dialout

Wrong board selected

# Always verify detected board first:
arduino-cli board list

# Use the exact FQBN shown (esp32:esp32:nano_nora)

Version Information

  • Project: ASTInterpreter v21.2.1
  • ESP32 Arduino Core: 3.3.2
  • esptool: 5.1.0
  • Compilation Date: October 15, 2025

WSL USB Passthrough

Your setup uses WSL with USB passthrough, which is why the board appears at /dev/ttyACM0. This is working correctly!

Verification:

arduino-cli board list
# Should show: /dev/ttyACM0  Arduino Nano ESP32