Tutorial

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RoboRider Labs – ESP-IDF (Classroom)

ESP-IDF — Power Tools for ESP32 🛠️

🧭 What is ESP-IDF?

It’s the official, pro-level toolkit for ESP32. More control, more speed, more features than Arduino. Great for Wi-Fi/BLE projects.

Goal: install ESP-IDF → open an example → build → flash → say “hello.”

💻 Install (Windows/Mac/Linux)

  1. Install Python 3 and Git (if not already).
  2. Run the ESP-IDF Installer (Win) or use the ESP-IDF Tools setup for macOS/Linux.
  3. Make sure the “idf.py” command works in your terminal.
⚠️ On macOS, you may need to allow drivers in Privacy & Security for serial ports.

📁 Get an Example

  1. Open the “ESP-IDF PowerShell/Terminal” (the environment the installer set up).
  2. Create a project folder and copy an example: 
    idf.py create-project hello_idf
cd hello_idf
    or navigate to the examples folder and choose one you like.

🔧 Configure, Build, Flash

  1. Select the port (optional): idf.py -p COMx (Windows) or idf.py -p /dev/ttyUSB0.
  2. Menuconfig (optional settings): idf.py menuconfig.
  3. Build: idf.py build
  4. Flash + Monitor: idf.py -p <port> flash monitor
💡 Press Ctrl+] to exit the monitor.

🧯 Quick Fixes

  • Failed to connect? Hold BOOT while it starts flashing; release on “Connecting…”.
  • No port? Install CP210x/CH34x driver and try a different USB cable.
  • Python packages missing? Run the provided install.bat / install.sh again.

🎉 Next Steps

  • Try wifi/scan and http_server examples.
  • Use component manager for libraries.
  • Open the same project in VS Code with the ESP-IDF extension.

Welcome to the big leagues. 🏆

RoboRider Labs • ESP-IDF Quickstart