PowerHub: Flash Firmware & Run Code

1. UiFlow2 Firmware Burning

1. Refer to the UiFlow2 Web IDE Tutorial to learn the basic workflow of using UiFlow2 and complete the installation of the M5Burner firmware burning tool.

2. Download the firmware compatible with PowerHub in M5Burner, as shown below.

3. Connect the device to the computer using a USB-C data cable. Press and hold the side BtnPWR button for 3 seconds until the indicator next to the black antenna flashes blue several times. The device will then enter download mode and wait for burning.

4. In M5Burner, click the Burn button for the corresponding firmware, select the corresponding device port, and click Start.

5. Fill in the Wi-Fi configuration required by the device, including Wi-Fi SSID and Wi-Fi Password, as well as any other device configurations that need to be added or modified. Then click Next to start burning.

Configuration information description:

• COM: Select the serial port corresponding to the device
• BaudRate: Baud rate for serial communication
• Server: Server address that the device connects to
• WIFI SSID/WIFI Password: Wi-Fi name and password that the device connects to
• SNTP Server
  • SNTP0: Alibaba Cloud NTP server (China)
  • SNTP1: Japan NTP server pool
  • SNTP2: Global public NTP server pool
• Timezone: Time zone setting
• Boot Option: Set the device startup mode after firmware burning is complete
  • Run main.py directly: After burning is complete, directly run the program in main.py without connecting to the network or displaying the UiFlow2 startup screen
  • Show startup menu and network setup: The device connects to the network, and devices with a screen will display the UiFlow2 startup screen
  • Only network setup: The device only connects to the network and does not display the UiFlow2 startup screen

6. When the prompt Burn successfully, click here to return appears, the burning is successful. Reset the device at this point.

7. After firmware burning is complete, if you need to modify the device configuration, keep the USB connection, restart the device, click the Configure option, and modify the settings according to the on-screen prompts.

2. Device Connection

The device supports connecting to UiFlow2 via Access Code (over a wireless network) or USB (wired connection to the computer) for program deployment and debugging. Refer to the following tutorial steps for details:

Access Code Wireless Connection

1. Visit uiflow2.m5stack.com to open the UiFlow2 Web IDE.

2. Make sure the device is connected to the network and obtain the Access Code: click WebTerminal in the lower-left corner of the interface, select the serial port of PowerHub in the dialog box, click Connect, and open the serial monitor. You can view the currently generated valid Access Code and Wi-Fi connection status. (If the corresponding information is not displayed, click the Soft Reset button to perform a soft restart.)

3. Click Select Your Controller (displayed when entering for the first time) or the Controller button on the page to enter the Select Device page.

4. Click Connect Device, enter the access code and a custom device name, then click Confirm to connect PowerHub to UiFlow2.

5. On the Select Device page, select the connected PowerHub device and click Confirm to enter the UiFlow2 programming interface.

USB Wired Connection

1. Visit uiflow2.m5stack.com to open the UiFlow2 Web IDE, and connect PowerHub to the computer via a USB cable.
2. Click Select Your Controller (displayed when entering for the first time) or the Controller button on the page to enter the Select Device page.

3. Select the PowerHub device from the device list, then click Confirm.

4. Click the WebTerminal button, select the serial port of PowerHub in the dialog box, and click Connect.

When the WebTerminal screen displays Connected to Serial Port!, the USB connection is successful.

3. Program Running and Downloading

After the device is connected to UiFlow2, you can drag Blockly blocks to edit the program.

After program editing is complete, click the Run Once button in the lower-right corner of the interface to run and test the program once. Click the Run Always button to download the program to the device.

You can also run once or download the program from the WebTerminal window.

4. Related Links

• UiFlow2 Blockly Introduction
• UiFlow2 Firmware Source Code