A fatal error occurred: Packet content transfer stopped (received 8 bytes) on EPS32-S3 PCB.

[MrT Stephens]

Hi Guys,
I'm just wondering if i could get some help. I have been working on an esp32-s3 e-paper smartwatch and I have got an issue when trying to upload the code. This is the error "A fatal error occurred: Packet content transfer stopped (received 8 bytes)". You can also see it in picture below. I have also attached the PDF schematic so that you can look at that.

This is also what i am using to upload the code in arduino ide.

Any help would be amazing. Thanks.

[Sprite]

Does this also happen if you force the ESP32S3 into download mode, e.g. by holding BTN2 on powerup of the watch?

[MrT Stephens]

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[MrT Stephens]

Does this also happen if you force the ESP32S3 into download mode, e.g. by holding BTN2 on powerup of the watch?

If i dont force the esp32-s3 into download mode it will just keep disconnecting from the computer and reconnecting. But once i do force the esp32-s3 into download mode it then stays connected to the computer and then when i try to upload the code that's the error i get.

[Sprite]

Hm, not sure then... possibly you can run esptool manually with the --trace option to show where it goes wrong?

[MrT Stephens]

Hm, not sure then... possibly you can run esptool manually with the --trace option to show where it goes wrong?

Someone just mentioned to me in a discord that the flash mode that I am using is incorrect because they sent me this link "https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp ... modes.html".
That says about in QIO flash communication mode this will use GPIO 9 and 10 for flash communications. But in the ESP32-S3 hardware reference design they do not do this. So have you got any idea on the flash communication mode I am using? Because this could maybe be the reason i am getting this error. Thanks for your help.

[MrT Stephens]

Hm, not sure then... possibly you can run esptool manually with the --trace option to show where it goes wrong?

Also just noticed if you look in screenshot below the SPIQ and SPID lines are the wrong way around when compared to this section in the esp32-s3 datasheet as seen in other pick below, which im guessing could also be the error. What do you think @ESP Sprite.

[Jtlane]

Was this issue ever resolved? I am running into a very similar issue.

[toddkrein]

This is still a problem. An interesting datapoint: I'm running the Arduino IDE on two different laptops. Same version of the IDE, same version of the board tools, same sketch. On one machine, it works reliably 100% of the time. On the other, it very rarely works, unless I do the copy/paste into a command window and add the --no-stub option.

Makes me wonder if it's a timing problem in the ESPY tool.

[toddkrein]

The bug is in the stub used to speed up the app download. I posted an arduino work-around at https://github.com/espressif/esptool/issues/836