Get started with ESP32 DoomsDay

This guide takes a new device from first power-on to a working SD card, Wi-Fi connection, firmware update, app installation, and optional accessory.

1. Prepare the microSD card

Use a reliable FAT32-formatted microSD card. Insert it while the physical power switch is off, then power on. Open Settings → Storage and confirm that the card is mounted.

The firmware creates its own system directories. Do not manually edit /apps, /appdata, or /system.

Recommended user folders:

/Offline-Map/map list/       Offline city and trail packages
/OTA-Firmware-Update/        Main firmware update image
/captures/                   Authorized wireless evidence
/tracks/                     Recorded GPS paths

2. Learn the controls

The four directional buttons move through lists and pages.
The center OK button opens or confirms.
BACK returns to the previous screen.
Hold BACK for two seconds to open Power. In soft-off, hold BACK again to wake.

The physical battery switch remains the only complete electrical disconnect.

3. Connect to Wi-Fi

Open Settings → Connections → WiFi, choose Add network, select a scanned network, and enter its password. Saved networks can be managed or forgotten later under Saved networks.

When the device is connected, its Web Portal can run on that shared network. When it is not connected, the portal creates its own hotspot. The device screen shows the exact address.

4. Install an app

The fastest way is with no computer at all: once you're connected to Wi-Fi, open App Store on the device, browse the four-row app list, select an app, review its summary, and choose Install. It downloads and installs itself with separate progress, percentage, and byte-count rows. See App Store & online updates for what the Featured sparkle and GET/UPDATE/READY states mean.

If you'd rather work offline, download an .eft package from the web store and copy it anywhere outside the protected /apps, /appdata, and /system folders, then on the device:

Open File Manager.
Select the .eft file.
Review its identity, version, and requested permissions.
Choose Install.

Installed app payloads stay on the SD card either way. The firmware uses a disk-backed catalog, so there is no fixed installed-app count.

5. Update firmware safely

Open Settings → Firmware Update → Online Update while connected to Wi-Fi. Online Update is selected first and begins checking automatically. If a newer release exists, confirming downloads and stages it automatically — this needs the one-time USB recovery setup described in Firmware update & recovery to already be done.

No Wi-Fi, or prefer to stage it yourself? Copy the main firmware .bin into /OTA-Firmware-Update/ on the SD card and open Settings → Firmware Update → From SD Card — both paths land in the same validated installer.

Keep the battery charged and do not use the physical switch until the update completes. See Firmware update & recovery before using factory or recovery images.

6. Add an accessory

Open Accessories, choose the module family, and follow the two-row pin guide before connecting power. UART GPS uses GPIO14 as ESP RX and GPIO15 as ESP TX. I²C modules need appropriate pull-ups. SPI modules share bus lines with the SD card and must use correct chip-select behavior.

Always power off before changing wiring.

Getting started