WAVESHARE · 3.97 INCH
Install CrossPoint.
Back up your board. Install the reader. Bring your own books.
01 / CONNECT
Check your board
Only the integrated ESP32-S3-ePaper-3.97: 16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM, 800 × 480 display. Chip detection cannot identify the panel or board model.
Use a USB-C data cable. Close other serial monitors. Connect the board and choose the Espressif USB serial port.
Open this page in desktop Chrome or Edge with Web Serial support. Installation requires HTTPS (or localhost). You can still read the guide here.
02 / KEEP A BACKUP
Save your starting point
The backup stays in your browser and Downloads. It is not uploaded. Keep it private: it may contain credentials. Back up before installing diagnostics, too.
Already have a backup? Select the saved file — no new read needed.
03 / INSTALL
Diagnostics first. Reader second.
On a new board, install diagnostics and follow the checks below. After they pass, reconnect and install the reader. Your original backup remains valid; do not replace it with a diagnostics backup.
Connection and installation log
No connection yet.
Check it, then start reading.
- Diagnostics: after installation is verified, unplug USB and plug it back in without pressing any buttons. Then open the console below and request a report. Look for the power chip, mounted SD card, and IMU. An unset RTC is expected. Follow the full arrival checklist.
- Display: run the opt-in display test while watching the panel. Expect complete white/black patterns and flashes. Stop if the panel is wrong or incomplete.
- Reader: stop the console, reconnect above, select your saved backup file, confirm it belongs to this board, and install the reader. After installation is verified, unplug USB and plug it back in without pressing any buttons. Leave the console closed and wait for the menu. Select a book, turn pages, then check sleep and wake.
Diagnostic console · board checks
After installing diagnostics, the board restarts. Choose its port again here. Stop the console before reconnecting the installer. Leave it closed after reader installation unless troubleshooting. Logs stay on this page; review them for private data before sharing.
Console closed. Open only for diagnostics or troubleshooting.
No text received in this session yet. With diagnostics running, press Report.
Your button cheat sheet
E-paper keeps its image while off. A stronger cleaning flash after eight fast updates is expected; menus also count.
No USB port, frozen screen, or failed installation?
- Try a known data cable and a direct computer USB port. Close other serial apps and browser tabs using the reader.
- For sleep, tap BOOT. For full shutdown, hold PWR about two seconds, release, and wait.
- For downloader mode: unplug USB, hold BOOT while reconnecting, then release. With a battery attached, USB reconnection may not reset the chip: fully shut down first, then hold BOOT through power-on.
- After a failed write, do not assume the old firmware is intact. Re-enter downloader mode and retry the same target, or use the documented recovery commands. Do not use an X3/X4 or Sticky image.
- After installation is verified, unplug USB and plug it back in without pressing any buttons. This is our tested restart workaround, not a confirmed automatic-reset fix. Full original-backup restoration remains untested on our board.