ESP32 Forum

I’m a software developer and recently got involved in a project that requires programming an ESP32-WROOM-32E chip. This is my first time working with an ESP32, and since I don’t have the chip physically, I’ve been generating a .bin file on my end to send to the team responsible for flashing it onto the hardware.

I used the Arduino IDE and followed various tutorials to set up the ESP32 board and generate the .bin file, but the team is facing some issues during the flashing process. They’ve reported the following:

A message saying “NO XMC flash detected!” appears during the process.
Although the programming procedure shows messages like “Stub running...” and seems to complete, the chip is not functioning as expected after the flash.
The device is not visible when searched, which suggests the flash was not successful.
I’ve spent some time searching for solutions but haven’t yet figured out what’s causing the problem. I’m not sure if the issue lies in:

The way I’ve generated the .bin file in Arduino IDE.
Additional steps I might be missing to ensure the program works properly on the chip.
Whether the “NO XMC flash detected!” message points to a specific issue I’m overlooking.
This is a new area for me since my primary work is software, and hardware development is a bit of a learning curve.

I’d appreciate any help with:

Clarifying what the “NO XMC flash detected!” message means and how to resolve it.
Offering a step-by-step guide for generating and flashing a .bin file for the ESP32-WROOM-32E using Arduino IDE.
Any best practices or tips for avoiding common mistakes when working with ESP32.
Thanks in advance for any advice or insights you can share!

Edit:

I have already requested a board and permission from my manager as well as suggested using the IDE directly to the other team. My manager hasn't replied yet, and in a company setting, I would assume it will take a few days to arrive here. The other team is a manufacturing unit, so the code needs to be finalized in a way that it can be manufactured and flashed at the end, even though we are just trying to finalize the product and code at the moment. This is why, even if the team solves the problem using the IDE currently (which they’re slightly unwilling to do), they will need the .bin file later. I’m afraid we might face the same problem again then, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry if this might seem like a dumb question/problem overall, but I am very new to this, so everything is a bit confusing to me!

Hi vaasvitmc,

Thanks for reaching us! I'm glad you are taking the first steps with the ESP-IDF.

This issue is commonly associated with a bad memory setting in the Arduino IDE. Can you please share the configuration you're using to build the project (you can find it in the Tools menu on the IDE)?
Also, the procedure for flashing is important, can you describe it (please share the settings on the flasher tool)? As more information you share, the better we can help you.

You can get started with the Arduino Core for the ESP32 official documentation.

If you don't have the board, you can use Wokwi Simulator either with Arduino or ESP-IDF.

Here is the Espressif FAQ, a complete documentation with a lot of common issues and mistakes that can be solved easily.