Installing the GeoMCU Firmware

Getting the Source Code

1. Download the latest GeoMCU firmware from GitHub: NohPei/geoscope-sensor.

2. Ensure you have the required hardware:

   • GeoMCU board

   • a Geophone element

   • Power Cable

   • Serial Adapter Cable

Building the Firmware

1. Determine the IP address of your computer (the machine that will host the MQTT broker):

   • Log into your router.

   • The router’s IP address is usually printed on its label (unless you use a custom network setup).

2. Set up your development environment. Do one of:

   • Install Visual Studio Code with the PlatformIO IDE for VSCode

   • Install PlatformIO Core (CLI) (pip install platformio is usually enough)

   • Install Arduino and manually ensure the dependencies in platformio.ini are all installed

     • This will also require installing the ESP8266 Arduino Core or ESP32 Arduino depending on the board version

3. Build the firmware

   • pio run is the primary command for PlatformIO

   • See Arduino’s instructions if using Arduino IDE

1. Open the GeoMCU firmware directory you downloaded earlier, and make the following configuration edits.

   data/config/mqtt:

   • clientid → Change from the default S-21 to a unique name

   • ip → Set to the IP address of your MQTT broker (e.g., your laptop).

   Note

   if flashing multiple boards — each needs its own ID

   data/config/net:

   • dns → IP address of your router

   • gateway → IP address of your router

   • ip → the IP address for the sensor to use

   • ssid → Name (SSID) of your Wi-Fi network

   • key → Password for your Wi-Fi network

   Note

   You can have the sensor get its address automatically by setting dns, gateway and ip to 0.0.0.0.

   You still always need to set ssid and key to match your network.

Flashing to the PCB

1. Connect the ESP8266 GeoMCU board to your computer using a USB-to-serial cable with the following wiring:

   ESP8266 Pin	USB Serial Pin
   GND TX RX	GND RX TX

   Provide power to the GeoMCU board through the 12 V barrel jack adapter.

2. Flash the board firmware with:

   platformio run -t upload --upload-port /dev/ttyUSB0
   

3. Upload the filesystem:

   platformio run -t uploadfs --upload-port /dev/ttyUSB0
   

4. Verify the board is running correctly. Open a serial terminal (see Assembly Tools) and press Enter — you should see a prompt like CMD>. You can also press the Reset button on the board to view startup messages.

   minicom -b 115200 -D /dev/ttyUSB1
   

Flashing Configuration in Bulk