Installing Pixlet is free: the home screen and every free Pixlet cost nothing to put on the board. You bring the board, this page installs Pixlet on it from your browser. Prefer a longer walkthrough with troubleshooting? See the full tutorial.
PriceFreesoftware and every free Pixlet
NeedsChrome or Edgeon a Mac, Windows or Linux computer
TakesAbout a minuteplus joining your WiFi
Supported devices
Pixlet runs on one board today, the Guition JC3248W535: an ESP32-S3 with a 3.5-inch 480 × 320 IPS capacitive touch screen, a microSD slot, a speaker and USB-C, in a black case. The module inside is marked JC3248W535; the resistive-touch variant (JC3248W535R), the 4.3/7-inch boards and the ESP32 "cheap yellow display" family are not supported.
You also need: a microSD card formatted FAT32 (any size up to 32 GB is fine; it holds the Pixlets, your music and photos) and a USB-C cable that carries data, not just power.
How to install
Card inPut the FAT32 microSD card in the slot on the back of the board.
USB inConnect the board to this computer with the data cable. It powers up and shows the maker's demo; that is about to be replaced.
InstallPress the button below, pick the board's port in the browser prompt (it is usually the only one), keep "erase device" ticked the first time, and wait about a minute.
Join WiFiThe Pixlet home appears. Tap the gear, choose WiFi, pick your network and type the password on the screen.
Pick PixletsTap Pix Store on the home screen. Each Pixlet downloads to the card in a few seconds and appears in My Pixlets.
This browser cannot talk to USB devices. Use Chrome or Edge on a computer.Open this page over HTTPS to install.
What gets written: the bootloader, the partition table and the Pixlet home (launcher). The board's original firmware is replaced; the board is not modified in any other way and can be restored with the maker's tools. Pixlets you pick later are downloaded by the device itself, and the home screen updates itself from the Pix Store.
Without a browser installer
On Firefox, Safari or a phone the button does not work. Install esptool (pip install esptool) and run:
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Replace the port with yours (ls /dev/cu.* on a Mac, Device Manager on Windows). Download the four files from the links the command names; they are the same parts the button writes.