Flashing Guide

●Stable

How to flash WLED onto GlowFlora home devices, or custom BLE firmware onto wearable and flow-line devices.

Method 1 — WLED Web Installer (Easiest)

For flashing stock WLED only, no toolchain needed:

1. Open Chrome or Edge (Web Serial required — not Firefox/Safari)
2. Go to install.wled.me
3. Connect device via USB-C
4. Click Install and select your port
5. Follow the on-screen steps

Xiao boot mode

If the device isn't detected, hold the BOOT button while plugging in USB to force bootloader mode.

Method 2 — esptool (Command Line)

For flashing pre-built .bin firmware files:

# Install esptool
pip install esptool

# Erase flash first (clean slate)
esptool.py --chip esp32c3 --port /dev/ttyUSB0 erase_flash

# Flash WLED
esptool.py --chip esp32c3 --port /dev/ttyUSB0 \
  --baud 460800 write_flash \
  --flash_mode dio --flash_freq 80m \
  0x0 bootloader.bin \
  0x8000 partitions.bin \
  0xe000 boot_app0.bin \
  0x10000 firmware.bin

Port examples:

• macOS: /dev/cu.usbmodem* or /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART
• Linux: /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0
• Windows: COM3 (check Device Manager)

Method 3 — Arduino IDE / PlatformIO

For building and flashing BLE device firmware from source:

Arduino IDE:

1. Install ESP32 board support: Preferences → Additional Boards URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
2. Board Manager → Install esp32 by Espressif
3. Select board: XIAO_ESP32C3 (Clip) or XIAO_ESP32S3 (Home)
4. Select port and click Upload

PlatformIO:

; platformio.ini
[env:xiao_esp32c3]
platform = espressif32
board = seeed_xiao_esp32c3
framework = arduino
monitor_speed = 115200

Partition Scheme

WLED requires a custom partition scheme for OTA support. Use the Minimal SPIFFS (1.9MB APP / 190KB SPIFFS) partition scheme in Arduino IDE.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
No serial port found	Install CH343/CP210x drivers, check cable supports data
Failed to connect	Hold BOOT during plugin, reduce baud to 115200
Wrong boot mode	Erase flash completely before re-flashing
Stuck at upload %	Try a different USB cable (many are charge-only)