Friend or Foe ESP32 Flasher

Flash current ESP32-S3 firmware — production node, seed node, and FoF Badge — directly from your browser.

Browser requirement: Web Serial requires Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (version 89+). Firefox and Safari are not supported.

Step 1 — Flash Firmware

Scanner Board (S3)

ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 — 2.4 GHz, no config needed

BLE Remote ID (ASTM F3411)
WiFi promiscuous capture (2.4 GHz)
DJI DroneID IE parsing
SSID pattern matching (104 patterns)
Bayesian sensor fusion

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Connect your ESP32-S3 via USB, then click to flash. That's it.

Seed Scanner Board (S3)

ESP32-S3 Seed/Mini carrier — 8 MB flash, no config needed

BLE Remote ID (ASTM F3411)
WiFi promiscuous capture (2.4 GHz)
Calibration-mode BLE UUID filtering
Seed UART pin mapping
Runtime identity: scanner-s3-combo-seed

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Use this for Gate/seed SATM scanner boards. It reports the seed variant explicitly.

Uplink Board (S3)

ESP32-S3 N16R8 — needs WiFi config (Step 2)

WiFi STA + backend upload
GPS NMEA parsing
Dual scanner UART slots
Calibration-mode fleet control
OTA relay to attached scanners

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Current production uplink target. Config (WiFi/URL) is preserved across updates.

FoF Badge Uplink

Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 — badge LCD + dual scanner UART

ST7735 badge display
BLE + WiFi scanner slots
Firmware cache for badge scanners
UART relay updates to attached scanners
Runtime identity: uplink-s3-fof_badge

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Flash the badge uplink once, then let it stage and relay scanner updates over its UART ports.

FoF Badge Scanner

Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 scanner module — no config needed

BLE + WiFi scanner build
Badge UART pin mapping
Scanner-managed firmware checks
OTA receiver with CRC/NACK relay
Runtime identity: scanner-s3-combo-fof_badge

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Use this for first-time recovery or bench setup; normal scanner updates come through the badge uplink.

Step 2 — Configure Uplink

After flashing the Uplink board, keep it plugged in via USB and fill in your settings below. The configurator writes directly to the board's flash memory over serial.

WiFi Network Name

WiFi Password

Stored on the ESP32 only — never sent to any server.

Backend URL

Your Friend or Foe backend server address.

Device ID

Unique name for this sensor node.

AP Network Name

Optional. WiFi hotspot name for direct phone connection. Leave blank for auto.

AP Password

Optional. Default is "friendorfoe". Stored on the ESP32 only.

System Architecture

+-------------------------------+ UART 921600 +---------------------------+ | ESP32-S3 "SCANNER" | -------------> | ESP32-S3 "UPLINK" | | | JSON messages | | | Dual-core, 2.4 GHz WiFi | | WiFi STA (always on) | | BLE extended discovery | | HTTP POST -> backend | | | | GPS, OLED, LED, Battery | | BLE scan + WiFi promisc | | Dual UART RX | | Bayesian fusion + UART TX | | | +-------------------------------+ +---------------------------+ | v +-------------------+ | FastAPI Backend | | /detections/ | | drones | +-------------------+

Quick Start

Get the hardware — ESP32-S3 scanner/seed boards + ESP32-S3 uplink + GPS module + OLED display. See INSTALL.md for the full BOM (~$25-40 total).
Flash the Scanner — connect the ESP32-S3 via USB, click "Flash Scanner (S3)" or "Flash Seed Scanner (S3)" above. No configuration needed — it auto-starts scanning.
Flash the Uplink — connect the ESP32-S3 uplink board, click "Flash Uplink (S3)".
Configure the Uplink — with the S3 uplink still plugged in, fill in WiFi and backend settings in Step 2 above and click "Send Configuration to Board". Settings are saved to flash.
Wire the boards — connect TX/RX/GND between Scanner and Uplink, attach GPS and OLED to the Uplink. See the wiring diagram for pin assignments.
Power on — both boards via USB or a shared 5V supply. The OLED will show connection status, GPS fix, and drone detection count.

Wiring Reference

Scanner ESP32-S3 Uplink ESP32-S3 +----------------+ +----------------+ | TX ---+-- GPIO 17 ---> | GPIO 20 -- RX | | RX ---+-- GPIO 18 <--- | GPIO 21 -- TX | | GND ---+----------------+-- GND | +----------------+ +----------------+ Seed Scanner ESP32-S3 Uplink ESP32-S3 +----------------+ +----------------+ | TX ---+-- GPIO 1 ---> | scanner RX | | RX ---+-- GPIO 2 <--- | scanner TX | | GND ---+----------------+-- GND | +----------------+ +----------------+ Uplink ESP32-S3 Peripherals: GPIO 4 (SDA) ---> SSD1306 OLED SDA GPIO 5 (SCL) ---> SSD1306 OLED SCL GPIO 6 (TX) ---> GPS module RX GPIO 7 (RX) <--- GPS module TX GPIO 8 ---> Status LED (+ 220ohm -> GND) GPIO 3 (ADC) <--- Battery voltage divider midpoint 3.3V ---> OLED VCC, GPS VCC GND ---> OLED GND, GPS GND, LED GND

How It Works

This page is deployed automatically via GitHub Pages with CI-built firmware binaries. When you click a flash button, your browser downloads the firmware from this site and writes it to your ESP32 over USB — no installs, no toolchain, no command line.

The configuration step also uses the browser's serial connection to write your WiFi credentials and backend URL directly to the ESP32's flash memory. Your credentials never leave your browser — they go straight to the board over USB.

Troubleshooting

"No compatible device found" — make sure you're using a data-capable USB cable (not charge-only).
"Failed to connect" — hold the BOOT button on the ESP32 board while clicking flash, then release after connection starts.
Button says "Not supported" — switch to Chrome or Edge. Firefox and Safari do not support Web Serial.
Config says "No response" — press the RST button on the S3 uplink board, then quickly click "Send Configuration". The board waits 3 seconds for config at boot.
Firmware files missing — the CI may not have run yet. Check Actions or download from Releases.

Friend or Foe ESP32 Drone Detector — v0.64.68-live-follow — Full Install Guide — Detection Parity — GitHub