ESPHome BLE Beacon Flasher

This project is a flasher utility for ESPHome BLE beacon configurations, using Docker to manage ESPHome flashing tasks. It is designed to run ESPHome configurations over USB to quickly set up and flash firmware to ESP32 devices configured as BLE beacons.

Prerequisites

To use this flasher, ensure the following:

Docker is installed and running.
Your ESP32 device is connected to the `/dev/ttyUSB0` port on your computer.

Usage

**Prepare the Configuration**
- Write your ESPHome configuration in a file called template.yaml. This file should specify the BLE beacon setup for your ESP32 device.
**Run the Flasher**
- Use the included Makefile to run the flasher script, which performs the following steps:
  - Generates required files with the correct settings.
  - Automatically flashes the device over USB.
To flash your ESP32 device:
```
make
    
```

Makefile Details

The Makefile includes the following targets:

run_script: Executes the Python script to generate necessary configurations.
run_docker: Runs the Docker container with ESPHome to flash the firmware over USB.
clean: Removes any generated files to reset the environment.

Docker Command Details

The Docker command used for flashing:

docker run --rm --privileged -v "${PWD}":/config --device=/dev/ttyUSB0 -it ghcr.io/esphome/esphome run template.yaml --device /dev/ttyUSB0

**–rm**: Removes the container after it finishes executing.
**–privileged**: Allows access to devices on your system.
**-v “${PWD}”:/config**: Mounts the current directory into the container at config, where ESPHome expects configuration files.
**–device=/dev/ttyUSB0**: Passes the USB device to the container, specifying the ESP32 connection.
**-it**: Runs interactively so you can monitor flashing progress.

Configuration Guide

Ensure your template.yaml file includes the necessary BLE beacon settings for ESPHome. Here’s a sample minimal configuration:

esphome:
  name: ble_beacon
  platform: ESP32
  board: esp32dev

esp32_ble_beacon:
  type: iBeacon
  uuid: 'YOUR-UUID-HERE'
  major: 1
  minor: 1

Replace YOUR-UUID-HERE with your desired UUID for the beacon.

Notes

The Makefile and this setup assume your ESP32 is connected as ttyUSB0. If your device connects differently, adjust the Docker command in the Makefile accordingly.
If you modify template.yaml, rerun the make command to generate and flash updated firmware.

Troubleshooting

Ensure your ESP32 is connected and recognized as ttyUSB0. Use ls /dev/ttyUSB* to confirm.
If Docker fails to find the ESP32 device, check your permissions or try adding your user to the dialout group.

This flasher simplifies flashing ESPHome BLE beacon configurations over USB, making the process consistent and easy to run on multiple devices.

ews/esphome-blebeacon-flasher