GUIDE · FIRMWARE

METEO P4 firmware with ESP-IDF and esptool

This guide explains how to install a ready-made firmware BIN file on METEO P4 with ESP32-P4. The procedure uses ESP-IDF 6.0.1 and the included esptool utility.

Important. Do not use Flash Download Tool 3.9.3: it does not support ESP32-P4. Do not disconnect USB or power while erasing flash memory or writing firmware.

1. Check the firmware package

BIN file

The extracted package must contain a firmware file with the .bin extension. It is located one folder above the Manual directory.

Manual

The Manual directory contains the installation guide and, when required, the CH341SER driver.

Before flash erase

Always confirm that Windows can find the BIN file and that the device is detected as ESP32-P4.

2. Connect the device

Connect METEO P4 directly to the computer with a proper USB data cable. A charging-only cable will not work.

Open Windows Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT) and identify the port that appears after connecting the device.

If two USB JTAG/serial debug unit ports are visible.

On some computers METEO P4 may appear, for example, as:
• Interface 0 (COM11)
• Interface 2 (COM12)

For flashing and Serial Monitor, use the port with the lower COM number: COM11 in this example.

This is a practical METEO P4 rule. Before erasing flash, always confirm the selected port with chip-id.

CH341SER is not always required. If a COM port already appears in Device Manager, you do not need to install the driver. Use it only when no COM port is created and the hardware uses a CH340/CH341 USB-UART converter.

3. Install ESP-IDF 6.0.1

Download the official Espressif Installation Manager for Windows. During setup, select ESP-IDF 6.0.1.

Download Espressif Installation Manager →

After installation, open this shortcut from the Start menu:

ESP-IDF 6.0.1 PowerShell

Confirm that esptool is available:

python -m esptool version

If Python or esptool does not start.

1. Close the current PowerShell window.
2. Open ESP-IDF 6.0.1 PowerShell from the Start menu, not regular PowerShell.
3. Run:

python --version
python -m esptool version

If the commands still do not work, open Espressif Installation Manager and repair or reinstall ESP-IDF 6.0.1.

4. Set and verify the BIN file path

In Windows Explorer, hold Shift, right-click the BIN file and select Copy as path.

$Firmware = "C:\Full\path\to\METEO_P4_EN_p4_xxx.bin" Test-Path -LiteralPath $Firmware

The command must return True. If it returns False, the path is wrong. Do not erase flash memory until you receive True.

5. Set the COM port and identify the chip

$Port = "COM11" python -m esptool --chip esp32p4 -p $Port chip-id

Replace COM11 with the METEO P4 port detected on your computer. Continue only when the command displays ESP32-P4 information.

6. Erase the old firmware

Run this step only after both checks succeed: the BIN path is valid and chip-id detects ESP32-P4.

python -m esptool --chip esp32p4 -p $Port erase-flash

Wait for this message:

Flash memory erased successfully

7. Write the new firmware

python -m esptool --chip esp32p4 -p $Port -b 460800 --before default-reset --after hard-reset write-flash --flash-mode dio --flash-freq 40m --flash-size 16MB 0x0 $Firmware

After writing completes, the device should reset automatically. If the screen stays off, press RESET once or reconnect power.

8. If writing is unstable

If flashing fails at 460800, retry at a lower speed:

python -m esptool --chip esp32p4 -p $Port -b 115200 --before default-reset --after hard-reset write-flash --flash-mode dio --flash-freq 40m --flash-size 16MB 0x0 $Firmware

9. After flashing

First boot

Wait for the automatic device restart.

Wi-Fi

Configure Wi-Fi and other user settings on the METEO P4 screen.

Connection

After entering the Wi-Fi password, wait 1–2 minutes. Do not press buttons or reboot the device during this time.

Troubleshooting

File not found

Repeat Test-Path -LiteralPath $Firmware until the command returns True.

Access is denied / COM port busy

Close ESP-IDF Monitor, Arduino IDE, PuTTY and any other application that may be using the same port.

Failed to connect

Check the USB cable, selected COM port, direct PC connection and run chip-id again.

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