Boards
Buy a cheap board, flash free software, pair your charger once.
📖 On this page
🛠️ This page is for building or flashing your own. If someone gave you a device and you just want to use it, you don't need any of this — head to Reading your WinterDash instead.
Getting your own WinterDash going is three steps:
- Buy a board — from about €10 for a TTGO (with a screen), or about €5 for a screenless ESP32. (Ballpark — often cheaper if you shop around, a little more with shipping/customs.)
- Flash it — one USB cable, in your browser: a one-click installer or a manual flow. See Install & update.
- Pair your charger once — enter its Instant Readout key. See Connecting your charger.
Then it runs on its own — glance at the screen, the web page, or Home Assistant whenever you like.
WinterDash runs on a few inexpensive ESP32 boards. Pick by whether you want a screen — then open its page for the full details, photos, and flash link.
| Board | Best for |
|---|---|
| TTGO T-Display — 1.14" screen, 2 buttons | Reading on the device itself. The main, recommended board. |
| Screenless ESP32 — status light + web page | The cheapest build; web + Home Assistant only. |
| CYD — 2.8" touch screen | A roomier touch screen, all in one board. |
Side by side:
| TTGO T-Display | Screenless | CYD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 1.14" · 2 buttons | — | 2.8" touch |
| Status light | — | mono LED | RGB |
| Update | over-the-air | over-the-air | USB only |
| Saved banners | 10 (16 MB) | 2 | 1 |
| Price | ≈ €10–20 | ≈ €5–10 | ≈ €20–25 |
🛒 Where to buy & which USB driver
Search these on Amazon / AliExpress:
- TTGO T-Display (≈ €10–20) → search "LilyGO TTGO T-Display ESP32 1.14 inch". Comes in 4 MB and 16 MB — the 16 MB is the fully-tested one (and holds more saved banners).
- Screenless ESP32 (≈ €5–10) → search "ESP32 WROOM-32 DevKitC 38-pin" (also "ESP32-DevKitC" / "NodeMCU-32S").
- CYD (≈ €20–25) → search "ESP32-2432S028R" or "Cheap Yellow Display 2.8".
USB chip → driver: the TTGO uses a CP2102 (CP210x driver); generic ESP32 boards use a CP2102 or CH340. Driver links are in Install & update.
💡 Clones may work — test them yourself. Cheaper TTGO clones (e.g. TENSTAR, ~€10) use the same reference design and will likely run WinterDash, but we haven't verified one — so treat a clone as buy-and-try. Want a specific board confirmed? Lend or send it.
Left: the TTGO T-Display. Middle: a screenless ESP32-WROOM-32. Right: the CYD 2.8" touch board.
Lending or sending the hardware is the way to get it built and tested for real — see Request a board or charger. Charger compatibility lives on Chargers.
Next: pick a board above, then Install & update to flash it.