Introduction to Python and Microcontrollers

ESP32-S3 WROOM Setup — Linux

1. CH343 USB Driver

On most Linux distributions, the CH343 USB-to-serial driver is included in the kernel and loads automatically when the ESP32-S3 is connected. No manual driver installation is typically required.

Connect the microcontroller

How To connect board via USB

To verify the device is recognized after connecting via USB:

ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*

You should see a device such as /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0.

To ensure you have permissions to access the microcontroller, add your user to the dialout group then log out or restart:

sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER

Don’t forget to log out and back in for the change to take effect.

2. Install Thonny IDE

Thonny is the recommended Python IDE for programming the ESP32-S3 with MicroPython. Use the app store for your flavor of linux or Choose one of the command line installation methods below:

Recommended installer (installs a private Python 3.10 on x86_64):

bash <(wget -O - https://thonny.org/installer-for-linux)

pip (reuses your existing Python installation):

pip3 install thonny

Flatpak:

flatpak install org.thonny.Thonny

Debian / Ubuntu / Raspbian / Mint:

sudo apt install thonny

Fedora:

sudo dnf install thonny

3. Install Python 3

Python 3 is required to burn the MicroPython firmware. Most Linux distributions include it by default.

Check if it’s installed:

python3 --version

If not, install it via your package manager, e.g.:

sudo apt install python3       # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install python3       # Fedora

Or download from: https://www.python.org/downloads/

4. Flash MicroPython Firmware

The ESP32-S3 needs MicroPython firmware flashed onto it before you can run Python programs.

The firmware is located in setup/Python_Firmware/ESP32_GENERIC_S3-SPIRAM_OCT-20250809-v1.26.0.bin

How To connect board via USB

Flash the firmware:

  1. Connect the ESP32-S3 WROOM to your computer via USB cable.
  2. Open a terminal in the Python_Firmware folder: 
    cd ~/python_microcontrollers/setup/Python_Firmware
  3. Run the firmware script (same script as macOS): 
    python3 linux.py
  4. Wait for the firmware to finish burning. A completion message will appear when done.

5. Configure Thonny

  1. Open Thonny.
  2. Go to View → enable Files and Shell.
  3. Go to Run → Configure interpreter.
  4. Set the interpreter to MicroPython (ESP32).
  5. Set the port to your serial device (e.g., /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0).
  6. Click OK.

6. Test the Connection

In the Shell panel at the bottom of Thonny, type:

print('hello world')

Press Enter. If hello world is printed back, the connection is working correctly.

7. Running Code

Run Online (while connected to PC)

  1. In Thonny, click Open… → This computer.
  2. Navigate to 01_first_examples/code/HelloWorld.py
  3. Click Run current script (green play button).

Note: If you press the reset button on the ESP32-S3 while running online, the code will not restart automatically.

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