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Getting the COM port to show up to flash the TigerScale V3

The TigerScale V3 uses an ESP32-S3 chip. To flash the firmware, your computer needs to see the board as a COM port / serial port.

On most recent computers this port shows up on its own when you plug the board in. If no port appears in the flasher, a small driver is missing: follow the section for your system below.

Before you start

  • Use a real USB data cable (some cables only charge and carry no data).

macOS — nothing to install

Section titled “macOS — nothing to install”

No driver needed. Plug in the board, open the flasher, and the board shows up directly in the list. Select it and start the flash.

If it doesn’t appear: swap the USB cable and try again.

Windows — install the driver (if no COM port appears)

Section titled “Windows — install the driver (if no COM port appears)”

If the flasher shows no port, the Espressif USB driver is missing. Here is how to install it, step by step:

  1. Download the tool — click this link, it downloads idf-env.exe straight from Espressif’s own server (by default it lands in your Downloads folder): https://dl.espressif.com/dl/idf-env/idf-env.exe
  2. Open PowerShell as administrator — click the Start menu, type powershell, right-click Windows PowerShell and choose Run as administrator.
  3. Copy this single line, paste it into PowerShell, then press Enter:
Terminal window
cd $env:USERPROFILE\Downloads; .\idf-env.exe driver install --espressif

Saved the file somewhere other than Downloads? Replace only $env:USERPROFILE\Downloads with that folder — for example C:\Users\yourname\Desktop. The rest of the line stays the same.

  1. Wait for it to finish (a few seconds).
  2. Unplug and plug the board back in.
  3. Reopen the flasher: the port (e.g. USB JTAG/serial debug unit (COM3)) should now appear.

Downloading the tool yourself, rather than pasting a one-line command that fetches and runs an executable with administrator rights, means you can see what you are about to run and where it came from. It is one extra click.

✓ Select this port and start the flash.

Linux — grant access to the serial port

Section titled “Linux — grant access to the serial port”

The port usually shows up on its own (/dev/ttyACM0), but your user needs permission to access it.

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Add yourself to the group that manages serial ports:
Terminal window
sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER
  1. Log out and log back in (or reboot) for it to take effect.
  2. Plug the board back in and reopen the flasher.

Tip: if you use the flasher in a browser (Web Serial), use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge; Firefox does not support this feature.

Still not working

Section titled “Still not working”
  • Swap the USB cable (problem #1: a “charge-only” cable).
  • Try another USB port on the computer (preferably a direct port, not a hub).
  • On Windows, open Device Manager: if you see a device with a yellow exclamation mark, the driver is missing → redo the Windows section above.
  • To force flash mode: hold the BOOT button, press RESET once, then release BOOT, and try again.