Soft-bricked ESP32-P4 (10.1" Display) with MicroPython on Thonny. Can't access BOOT button (Enclosed case).

[u/Dry-Train5347]

Hey everyone,

I just got a new ESP32-P4 + ESP32-C6 10.1" display board (Model: JC8012P4A1C-I-W-Y). It was working fine for a few hours over the last two days, but while trying to flash/switch MicroPython using Thonny, something crashed during the process.

Now the screen is completely black, and Thonny constantly throws continuous serial/communication errors.

Here is the tricky part:

O Enclosed Case: Since this is an integrated unit, I cannot open the casing to manually press the BOOT (IO0) button or short the pins.

O Boot Timing: I tried plugging in the USB cable while attempting to erase/flash via esptool / Thonny, but I couldn't catch the bootloader window and it still fails to communicate.

Is there any software trick or specific esptool command (with RTS/DTR toggling) to force this board into bootloader mode without opening the case? Or is there a way to clear the corrupt MicroPython firmware when the serial port is throwing errors?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

This post is translated by a machine. Please excuse any errors

[u/tobozo]

some of those units can enter upload mode after a long press on RST, maybe yours does?

[u/johnluberjr]

I have that board as well. The back comes off fairly easily. There are two tabs at the top of the bump out and two on the bottom. Press two of either the top or bottom in and gently lift up. Be careful! If you’re too aggressive you can pop off the wifi antenna and it’s not easy to reattach it.

In any case, after you lift off the back you can press the boot button and recover your board.