You can load RemoteSign ESP software onto your own microprocessor board using a feature new in RemoteSign Sequencer 3.9
Supported hardware
RemoteSign ESP has been tested on the following ESP8266 boards only- ESP8266 NodeMCU
- WEMOS D1 mini processor
Other ESP8266 boards with Wi-fi might also work, and RemoteSign Sequencer will attempt to load the software. Please let me know if you test other boards successfully.
Steps
- Install RemoteSign Windows
- Install arduino-cli (using the Windows msi installer download)
- Plug your ESP8266 device into a USB port. The cable must be a proper USB data cable, not just a power charging cable.
- Start RemoteSign Sequencer
- Select File->Load RemoteSign ESP
- The first time it runs it will perform some setup operations. If you are prompted to provide installation and access permissions, you should grant such permissions. Once finished;
- Select the board type
- If there is more than one COM port pick the one you think is your board.
- Select your screen type
- Click the 'Load' button
- Wait for the process to complete.
- The RemoteSign ESP should now start up and it will create a wi-fi network called "RemoteSign"
- Connect your phone to the RemoteSign network and enter the network credentials you want the RemoteSign ESP to use.
- It should the restart and join your network, if it fails to connect go back to step 7. Once connected it will wait for commands over the network.
If you wish to see the serial output of a RemoteSign ESP, you can launch the arduino-cli serial monitor. The RemoteSign ESP should report its version, host name, IP address, etc. and important responses to commands etc. Here is a sample output of the serial monitor window:
Notes
- These features rely on the arduino-cli - software that is still in beta but is freely downloadable and already extremely stable.
- If your system cannot find your ESP8266 device, it may be missing a driver. Typical drivers are called CH340, CH341 or CP2102.
- The ESP8266 does not have to be connected to a screen to load a software version that supports a screen. You can connect a screen afterwards if you like.
- RemoteSign Sequencer will fetch the latest version of the RemoteSign firmware the first time you attempt to load that version onto a board. It caches the firmware in a subfolder of the RemoteSign installation folder, named ESP. If you want to update the firmware, simply delete the files from the ESP folder and Sequencer will fetch the latest next time.
- All the ESP8266 boards supported by arduino are listed, in case you have a board that is compatible with the Wemos D1/NodeMCU. These boards have not been tested and are not even expected to work. Try as your own risk.
