ESP32-S3-Zero (ESP32-S3FH4R2) flash/psram issue - board config unknown for platfromio.ini

[Queequack]

I have three ESP32-S3-Zero (ESP32-S3FH4R2, should probably have Flash: 4MB QD and PSRAM: 2MB QD) from Aliexpress. Seems to be the same as mentioned in thread #1318. I have the same problem with all of them. I usually work with ESP32-S3 (ESP32 and others), I'm using PlatformIO and I run hundreds of applications with dozens of different boards.

First of all: The upload works as expected. After restarting the board, the serial monitor displays the following error message.
At the end of the error message: It seems that the PSRAM is not recognized. And if there is a partition problem like in thread #1318, I don't know how to solve it.

E (246) esp_core_dump_flash: Core dump flash config is corrupted! CRC=0x7bd5c66f instead of 0x0
Rebooting...
ESP-ROM:esp32s3-20210327
Build:Mar 27 2021
rst:0xc (RTC_SW_CPU_RST),boot:0x8 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
Saved PC:0x40377ac4
SPIWP:0xee
mode:DIO, clock div:1
load:0x3fce3808,len:0x4bc
load:0x403c9700,len:0xbd8
load:0x403cc700,len:0x2a0c
entry 0x403c98d0
E (196) opi psram: PSRAM ID read error: 0x00000000, PSRAM chip not found or not supported, or wrong PSRAM line mode
E (197) spiram: SPI RAM enabled but initialization failed. Bailing out.
E (215) spi_flash: Detected size(4096k) smaller than the size in the binary image header(16384k). Probe failed.

assert failed: do_core_init startup.c:328 (flash_ret == ESP_OK)

I've also tried this setup from thread #1318, this setup and this file without success.
This is my current platformio.ini, which also leads to the error (from thread #1318).

; Flash: 4MB QD, PSRAM: 2MB QD
[env:ESP32-S3-ZERO-TEST]
platform = espressif32
framework = arduino
monitor_speed = 115200
board = esp32-s3-devkitc-1
board_build.extra_flags = 
  -DBOARD_HAS_PSRAM

board_build.arduino.memory_type = qio_qspi
board_build.flash_mode = qio
board_build.psram_type = qio
board_upload.flash_size = 4MB
board_upload.maximum_size = 4194304

The sketch doesn't really play a role. I just want a simple serial output for test purposes.

#include <Arduino.h>

void setup() 
{
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Serial.println("STARTED");
}

void loop() 
{
  Serial.println("TEST");   // not nice, only a test
}

Thank you and regards

[valeros]

Hi @Queequack, I see you've changed a lot of settings regarding flash memory, but not the partition table filename. The esp32-s3-devkitc-1 board uses default_8MB.csv by default. Maybe that's your problem? Try something like this:

board_build.partitions = default.csv

[Queequack]

Hi @valeros, many thanks for your support. Very good advice, thank you very much! The upload works, it's up and running! :)

So that I can see something on the serial monitor, I have also added these build_flags:

   -D ARDUINO_USB_CDC_ON_BOOT=1
    ;-D ARDUINO_USB_MODE=1 ; This flag had no effect

However, there is still a small problem that I can't figure out. I have added a timer to the code.

• First so that 2 serial messages are output alternately.
• Then so that the on board RGB LED is switched on or off (library: FastLED).

FastLED works reliably and from time zero. Only the serial communication does not run smoothly (at the beginning).

After the successful upload:
Good: I open the serial monitor and see ON/OFF alternately, analogous to the flashing LED.
Bad: If I reset the board, no more serial messages are received.
Good: If I restart the serial monitor in PlatformIo, I see ON/OFF alternating again.
Bad: STARTED, which should be output in setup(), is not visible.

To narrow down the problem, I added a few delays() and while(!Serial).
All without success. I'm not sure if it's a problem with the board (it's the same with all three), or if it's possibly due to an incomplete configuration in platformio.ini.

In the following tests it was irrelevant whether I used delay(1000) or while(!Serial).

Test 1
If I reset the board, the monitor no longer displays anything new. It simply stops after the last ON/OFF (PlatformIO task still running). However, the board restarts, the LED first lights up blue as in the code and then continues to flash green.

Test 2
Is the board running or have I just reset it (status after test 1):
If I restart the serial monitor in PlatformIO, I see ON/OFF alternating again.

Test 3
Is the board running or have I just reset it (status after test 1):
If I restart the serial monitor in PlatformIO, press Reset on the board and only release it again when the monitor is open, I also see STARTED.

Regards René

Full main.cpp:

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <FastLED.h>

bool timerExpired(unsigned long, unsigned long);

CRGB rgbLed[1];
#define ledPin 21
#define numLeds 1

bool ledState             = true;
unsigned long lastTimeLed =    0;
unsigned long delayLed    =  500;

void setup() 
{
  //delay(1000);
  Serial.begin(115200); 
  //while(!Serial);

  FastLED.addLeds<SK6812, ledPin, GRB>(rgbLed, numLeds);
  FastLED.setBrightness(25);
  rgbLed[0] = CRGB::Blue; FastLED.show();
  ledState = true;

  delay(1000);

  Serial.println("STARTED");
}

void loop() 
{
  if (timerExpired(lastTimeLed, delayLed))
  {
    lastTimeLed = millis();

    if(ledState) 
    { 
      rgbLed[0] = CRGB::Black; FastLED.show(); 
      ledState = false; Serial.println("OFF"); 
    }
    else         
    { 
      rgbLed[0] = CRGB::Green; FastLED.show(); 
      ledState =  true; Serial.println("ON"); 
    }
  }
}

bool timerExpired(unsigned long lastTime, unsigned long delay)
{
  if (millis() - lastTime >= delay) return true;
  return false;
}

Full platformio.ini:

[env:ESP32-S3-ZERO-TEST]
platform = espressif32
framework = arduino
monitor_speed = 115200

board = esp32-s3-devkitc-1
board_build.partitions=default.csv
board_build.arduino.memory_type = qio_qspi
board_build.flash_mode = qio
board_build.psram_type = qio
board_upload.flash_size = 4MB
board_upload.maximum_size = 4194304

build_flags =
    -DBOARD_HAS_PSRAM
    -D ARDUINO_USB_CDC_ON_BOOT=1
   ;-D ARDUINO_USB_MODE=1 ; This flag had no effect

lib_deps =
    fastled/FastLED @ ^3.6.0

[valeros]

I believe the internal USB peripheral is used to implement a virtual COM port? If so, then such behavior is somewhat expected, because your OS needs some time to recognize your board and represent in as a COM port. You can try another serial monitor to make sure the behavior is quite similar.

[robertlipe]

This issue is all over the place, making it very hard to offer help.

If the question is "should it take an S3 a moment to be recognized as a serial device?" the answer is "yes." It also takes some time to become available internally; that's why the while(!Serial); on startup is recommended for emulated serial devices.

Upon reset, the internal S3 USB device will be reset, the emulated CDC device will disappear and reappear a few moment's later. It's normal for the host OS to take a few seconds to recognize the hot plug event and make that device (a com port in the Windows case) available to the users.

Please consider closing this issue and starting with a minimal, concise one if needed.

[Queequack]

Hi @Queequack, I see you've changed a lot of settings regarding flash memory, but not the partition table filename. The esp32-s3-devkitc-1 board uses default_8MB.csv by default. Maybe that's your problem? Try something like this:

board_build.partitions = default.csv

Setup works, serial monitor delay is not a problem. Can be closed.

[robertlipe]

You have the power to close it, @Queequack