ESP32-S3 (Adafruit Feather board) bootloader randomly stuck in firmware download mode

[beriberikix]

I'm still feeling my way around FreeRTOS but I have a general understanding of kernel concepts. I currently have two sensors, lc709203f & scd30, correctly logging readings from a single task as seen here. When I split them into two tasks (here,) I only see "waiting for download" while running idf.py monitor, which is a sign things aren't working right.

Are tasks the right approach? Is there an example of a recommended way?

[UncleRus]

Your problem has nothing to do with FreeRTOS and programming. The bottom line is that the GPIO0 (BOOT0) pin must be pulled up to +3.3V in order for the bootloader to start executing the program and vice versa, if it is pulled to the ground, the bootloader waits for the firmware when the chip starts up, which happens in your case.

Your hardware has a bug, fix it by soldering a 10k resistor between GPIO0 and +3.3V.

[trombik]

I don't understand why you ask us. we are not a manufacturer.

[keenanjohnson]

@UncleRus stated that he believed it to be a hardware bug, but I don't see how given the official docs. So I am trying to learn more about what I don't know.

[beriberikix]

I originally asked here because I believe it's a software bug, not hardware (still do.) But I'm pretty sure it's with the ESP-IDF tooling, not this library so I've reached out to Espressif. I'll update here if I learn anything.

[trombik]

@keenanjohnson the link you mentioned is espressif's doc, not the manufacturer of your board. if the chip is in download mode, it's not our problem. if you think otherwise, it is your responsibility to prove it. you haven't so far.

I recently noticed the upload process has changed in recent esp-idf versions. I did not bother to investigate it because my primary development environment is a plain esp32, and it works as before.

[trombik]

for others, who have similar issues (the bootloader is in download mode):

if you are an engineer, try to isolate the problem. upload other examples in our library. try other chips, such as esp32, or esp32c3. try other examples in other libraries. measure the voltage on GPIO0.

if you are not, Arduino might be a better choice.

[UncleRus]

Same problem with same board here: #464