Installation Guide

Prerequisites

Banshee uses two linked MCUs: an ESP32-C5 (driving the display) and an ESP32-S3 (primary compute/IO) connected over UART via GhostESP’s GhostLink.

Before starting, make sure you have:

• A Banshee device (dual-SoC: ESP32-C5 display + ESP32-S3)
• A modern web browser (Google Chrome, Brave, or Microsoft Edge is recommended, as Firefox doesn’t support WebSerial)
• An appropriate USB cable (USB-C, ensure it’s a data cable, not a charge-only cable)

Note

For best results, disable any VPN or firewall that might block the flashing process, as some network configurations may interfere with the web flasher.

Battery Requirements (IMPORTANT)

Banshee ships without a battery. Install a certified 1S lithium pack that meets all of the following:

• Type: Lithium-Ion or Lithium-Polymer (LiPo)
• Configuration: 1S (single cell)
• Nominal voltage: 3.7 V (max charge 4.2 V)
• Capacity: minimum 5000 mAh
• Protection: Integrated PCM/protection circuit (over-charge, over-discharge, over-current, short-circuit)
• Certification: UN 38.3, IEC 62133, UL-equivalent, or similar safety standard

Safety notice: The device charges up to 2.5 A. Batteries below 5000 mAh may overheat and must not be used.

Do not use:

• Unprotected lithium cells
• RC/hobby LiPo packs
• Multi-cell (2S+) batteries
• Power banks or USB battery packs
• Uncertified or unbranded cells

Using non-compliant batteries is considered improper use and is excluded from warranty or liability.

Flashing Methods

Choose your preferred method:

• Web Flasher Method (Recommended)
• USB Connection Method

Web Flasher Method

1. Prepare

   • Open the web flasher in Chrome.
   • Close apps using the serial port. If the site glitches, clear cache.

2. Enter Bootloader

   • Hold BOOT → plug USB → release.
   • If needed: hold BOOT, tap RESET, keep holding BOOT 1–2 s, release.

3. Flash

   • Flash both the C5 (display) and S3 chips. Click Connect and follow the prompts.
   • For detailed firmware features, see the GhostESP Wi-Fi toolkit, BLE scanning, and NFC guide.

4. Verify

   • Unplug and replug. Continue with Post-Installation.

Tips: After flashing, you will need to restart the device to initialize the new firmware. Disconnect and reconnect your Banshee. If the flasher times out, retry after a fresh USB reconnection.

For command reference, see the GhostESP CLI documentation.

USB Connection Method

Use when selecting files and offsets manually.

1. Download

   • Get firmware from the releases page.
   • Extract the .zip with your preferred tool.

2. Connect

   • Enter bootloader
   • Hold BOOT → plug USB → release.
   • If needed: hold BOOT, tap RESET, keep holding BOOT 1–2 s, release.

3. Flash via ESP Huhn Tool

   • Click Connect, select the COM port labeled with your chipset.
   • Load binaries with offsets:

   Chip	bootloader.bin	partitions.bin	firmware.bin
   ESP32-C5	0x0	0x8000	0x10000
   ESP32-S3	0x0	0x8000	0x10000

   • Click Flash and wait.

4. Verify

   • Replug the board and connect to a serial console to see logs from your device.

Post-Installation

As soon as the flash finishes, your Banshee boots its default access point so you can pick the control surface that fits your workflow.

Control Options

1. Web Interface

   • Connect to the GhostNet
   • Open a browser and navigate to ghostesp.local or 192.168.4.1 to access device settings.
   • Use the GhostLink tab to send commands from the S3 to the C5.

2. Display Interface

   • The device will boot into its built-in display interface, showing system status and basic controls.
   • Navigate menus using the joystick or encoder. Click either down to select the currently highlighted option.
   • Use the GhostLink menu to send commands from the C5 (connected to display) to the S3, or use the standard Wi-Fi, BLE, NFC, Infrared menus to use commands on the C5 chip.

3. Serial Command Line

   • Connect via the GhostESP Serial Tools for direct command-line control, screen mirroring and a file browser.
   • Provides full access to Banshee’s command suite and is ideal for advanced users or troubleshooting.
   • For command reference, see the GhostESP CLI documentation.

Common Installation Issues

• Boot loops: Usually power or board-target mismatches—verify you flashed the right image and try a known-good USB-C cable.
• Flash errors: Ensure the chip is in bootloader mode (Refer back to the Web Flasher section); swap USB ports or hubs if it times out.
• Connection issues: Try installing the USB-to-UART driver.
• Browser issues: If the web flasher misbehaves, reload the page, clear cached site data or switch to a different browser like Chrome, Brave or Microsoft Edge.
• Firmware issues: For firmware-related help, see the GhostESP FAQ.

For more detailed troubleshooting, see the Troubleshooting page.