Ink recovery & troubleshooting
Sleeping boards, USB connections, Wi-Fi resets, and returning to stock firmware.
The browser cannot see my board
- Use desktop Chrome or Edge. The installer requires a secure HTTPS connection; an iPhone cannot perform this USB installation.
- Try a known USB data cable and a direct computer port. A charging-only cable will power the board without providing a serial device.
- Close serial monitors and any other flasher using the port.
- Press any board button to wake it. In deep sleep this board disappears from USB, and plugging in USB alone does not wake it.
- If still missing, unplug USB for a few seconds, reconnect, press a board button, and try again.
Wi-Fi or discovery stopped working
Confirm your phone and display are on the same home network. Guest networks, client isolation, and blocked multicast can stop discovery even when both devices have internet access.
If the router is temporarily unavailable, the board retries on its own. If you changed the Wi-Fi name or password, reset its network settings and set it up again.
- Hold Left and Right together for ten seconds to forget Wi-Fi. The display restarts into setup; its name stays.
- Join Hearthboard-XXXX on your iPhone, then use the setup page to reconnect it.
- Rejoin home Wi-Fi on the iPhone before searching for the display.
Reopen pairing
Hold Right for five seconds to show the pairing screen again. Compare confirmation digits on both devices before accepting. If the digits differ, cancel and begin again.
If a board is running on battery, wake it before attempting pairing. A sleeping board cannot accept a connection.
The panel flashes, or edits seem delayed
Black and white flashes during a full e-paper refresh are expected. Battery mode deliberately sleeps between refreshes, leaving the last picture visible without keeping Wi-Fi active.
Use USB power for initial setup and quick editing. A retained e-paper image does not by itself prove that the board is currently awake or connected.
Return to the manufacturer’s firmware
Hearthboard replaces the firmware on the ESP32 board. To return to SenseCraft or another stock image, use Seeed’s recovery instructions for the exact EE04 DIY kit and panel revision. This project does not distribute a manufacturer firmware backup.
Reflashing or erasing can remove saved settings. A USB reinstall is the current public recovery path; automatic over-the-air firmware updates are not available in the initial setup.