Software Overview
CH340 Driver🔗
Users will need to install the appropriate driver for their computer to recognize the serial-to-UART chip on their board/adapter. Most of the latest operating systems will recognize CH340C chip on the board and automatically install the required driver.
To manually install the CH340 driver on their computer, users can download it from the WCH website. For more information, check out our How to Install CH340 Drivers Tutorial.
How to Install CH340 Drivers
Arduino IDE🔗
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For first-time users, who have never programmed before and are looking to use the Arduino IDE, we recommend beginning with the SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK), which includes a simpler board like the Arduino Uno or SparkFun RedBoard and is designed to help users get started programming with the Arduino IDE.
Most users may already be familiar with the Arduino IDE and its use. However, for those of you who have never heard the name Arduino before, feel free to check out the Arduino website. To get started with using the Arduino IDE, check out our tutorials below:
What is an Arduino? |
Installing Arduino IDE |
Installing an Arduino Library |
Installing Board Definitions in the Arduino IDE |
Install Board Definition🔗
Install the latest ESP32 board definitions in the Arduino IDE.
Installing Board Definitions in the Arduino IDE
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For more instructions, users can follow this tutorial on Installing Additional Cores provided by Arduino. Users will also need the .json file for the Espressif Arduino core:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
When selecting a board to program in the Arduino IDE, users should select the SparkFun ESP32 Thing Plus C from the Tools drop-down menu (_i.e. Tools > Board > ESP32 Arduino > SparkFun ESP32 Thing Plus C). Alternatively, users can also select the ESP32 Dev Module; however, they may lose some pin assignments (i.e. LED_BUILTIN).
Select the SparkFun ESP32 Thing Plus C from the Tools drop-down menu in the Arduino IDE.