ESP32 not showing up on USB serial

[Vinz87 (Vinz)]

Hi I received this ESP32 board, but I can’t perform the first flash through USB.

I plugged it in the USB port of my Raspberry Pi 3, host of Home Assistant OS.
From the ESPHome add-on, I followed the tutorial for the first configuration, but the board doesn’t show up in the serial ports available.

The same happens if I plug it in my Macbook Pro M1 with macOS Big Sur, after I installed the suggested drivers.

I tried a couple of different USB cables, what could I try to do to effectively test the USB cable and rule it out from the issue?
Other suggestions?
thanks

[tom_l]

Having problems with ESP32

Are you running windows on your laptop? If so this utility is is handy for notifying you of new com ports without having to drill down into device manager: https://helmpcb.com/software/serial-port-monitor It can be tricky to get ESP32s into boot mode. i) Power on / connect the ESP ii) Start the flash tool connecting iii) Press and hold both buttons on the ESP board iv) Release the EN button while continuing to hold the IO0 button v) When the flash tool discovers the device you can relea…

[Vinz87 (Vinz)]

Hi, thanks for your answer but as I wrote in my post I’m using a Macbook and the Raspberry Pi which is the host of HA OS.
Also the board I’m referring to has only a single reset button, not two as it’s mentioned in that post (please see the link I provided for showing which board I’m referring to).

[tom_l]

@Vinz87

I’m using a Macbook and the Raspberry Pi

That does not matter. You are using a web browser to access ESPHome. Just ignore the 1st point and concentrate on the boot procedure in point 2.

@Vinz87

the board I’m referring to has only a single reset button

The board has a reset button and has an IO0 pin (labelled 0/R11 on your board), use them.

[mcr (Michael Richardson)]

I went through this, only to realize that the USB cable I was using is either power/charge only, or maybe just broken. The obvious way to validate the cable is okay is to plug something else in that you know works.

[Facilon (Jose Manuel Echevarria Victoria)]

check if you have the correct driver (don’t know if Mac use driver) and if the esp is recognized by the computer.
Plug in the esp into your computer and check if your browser can access serial / USB connection.