Development Platforms

Three primary development approaches are available for the Wireless Tracker, each suited to different goals and experience levels.

Platform Comparison

Arduino / PlatformIO

Best for: Library ecosystem, familiar workflow, rapid development

Pros: Huge library ecosystem, familiar syntax, active community

Cons: Abstraction overhead, may hide hardware details

ESP-IDF

Best for: Production applications, low-level control

Pros: Full feature access, official support, best performance

Cons: Steeper learning curve, more verbose code

MicroPython

Best for: Rapid prototyping, education, scripting

Pros: Fast iteration, interactive REPL, easy to learn

Cons: Slower execution, higher memory usage

Recommended Platform by Use Case

Use Case	Recommended
Meshtastic	Pre-built firmware
LoRaWAN projects	Arduino/PlatformIO
GNSS development	ESP-IDF or Arduino
Quick prototyping	MicroPython
Production devices	ESP-IDF

Setup Instructions

PlatformIO

PlatformIO provides a professional development environment with dependency management.

platformio.ini

[env:heltec_wireless_tracker]
platform = espressif32
board = heltec_wireless_tracker
framework = arduino
monitor_speed = 115200
lib_deps =
    heltec-automation/Heltec ESP32 Dev-Boards

Installation

1. Install VS Code with PlatformIO extension
2. Create new project with the configuration above
3. Build and upload with Ctrl+Alt+U

Arduino IDE

The Arduino IDE offers a beginner-friendly environment.

Board Manager Setup

1. Open File → Preferences
2. Add to “Additional Board Manager URLs”:

   https://resource.heltec.cn/download/package_heltec_esp32_index.json

3. Open Tools → Board → Boards Manager
4. Search for “Heltec ESP32” and install
5. Select Tools → Board → Heltec ESP32 Series Dev-boards → Wireless Tracker

Library Installation

1. Open Sketch → Include Library → Manage Libraries
2. Search “Heltec ESP32” and install

ESP-IDF

The official Espressif framework provides maximum control.

Prerequisites

1. Install ESP-IDF v5.x following official docs
2. Clone Heltec examples:

   git clone https://github.com/Heltec-Aaron-Lee/WiFi_Kit_series.git

Build Example

cd WiFi_Kit_series/esp-idf/examples/wireless_tracker
idf.py set-target esp32s3
idf.py build
idf.py -p /dev/ttyUSB0 flash monitor

MicroPython

MicroPython enables interactive development and rapid prototyping.

Firmware Installation

1. Download ESP32-S3 MicroPython firmware from micropython.org
2. Flash with esptool:

   esptool.py --port /dev/ttyUSB0 erase_flash
   esptool.py --port /dev/ttyUSB0 write_flash -z 0 esp32s3-*.bin

Basic Example

from machine import Pin, UART
import time

# Enable GNSS power (V1.1)
gnss_pwr = Pin(3, Pin.OUT)
gnss_pwr.value(1)

# Setup GNSS UART
gnss = UART(1, baudrate=115200, tx=34, rx=33)

while True:
    if gnss.any():
        print(gnss.readline())
    time.sleep(0.1)

Heltec Library Functions

The official Heltec library provides helper functions for common operations:

#include "HT_st7735.h"    // TFT display
#include "LoRaWan_APP.h"  // LoRaWAN stack
#include "HT_TinyGPS++.h" // GNSS parsing

// Display initialization
HT_st7735 display;
display.init();
display.clear();
display.drawString(0, 0, "Hello Tracker!");

// LoRa initialization
Mcu.begin(HELTEC_BOARD, SLOW_CLK_TPYE);
LoRaWAN.init(CLASS_A, ACTIVE_REGION);

Tip

Start with PlatformIO and the Heltec library for the smoothest development experience. Move to ESP-IDF when you need fine-grained control or are preparing for production.

Bootloader Access

If code upload fails, manually enter bootloader mode:

1. Device not connected: Press and hold USER before plugging in USB
2. Device already connected: Hold USER → Press RESET → Release RESET → Release USER

Timing requirement: Reset signal must be held for ≥10 ms.