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ESP32-C6 Multi Boot Manager

A graphical boot manager for the Lafvin / Waveshare ESP32-C6 1.47" LCD board, written in MicroPython. Load multiple firmware files and choose which one to run at startup - no cable required after the initial setup.

No equivalent project exists for this specific board combination.

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Features

• Graphical menu - scrollable firmware list with selection cursor on the 172×320 ST7789 display
• Auto-boot - remembers the last selected firmware and launches it on next power-on
• 5-second countdown - press BTN_A during countdown to abort and return to menu
• Force menu - hold BTN_A at boot to skip auto-launch and go straight to menu
• SD card support - automatically uses /sd/boot/ if an SD card is present, falls back to /boot/ on internal flash
• Large file support - firmware > 40 KB is launched via reset() + flag file for maximum available RAM
• RGB LED feedback - NeoPixel WS2812 color-codes every action
• Auto-refresh - menu re-scans the firmware folder every 15 seconds (useful when adding files over Wi-Fi)

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Hardware

Board	Display	Tested
Lafvin ESP32-C6 1.47" LCD	ST7789 172×320	✅
Waveshare ESP32-C6 1.47" LCD	ST7789 172×320	✅ (same pinout)

Pin mapping

SCL  = 7    SDA  = 6    RST = 21    DC  = 15
CS   = 14   BLK  = 22   LED = 8  (WS2812 RGB)
BTN_A = 9   BTN_B = 10
SD: SCK=4  MOSI=3  MISO=2  CS=5

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Requirements

• MicroPython v1.23+ for ESP32-C6
• st7789py.py display driver (pure Python, included)
• sdcard.py MicroPython driver (only if using SD card)

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Installation

1. Flash MicroPython

Download the latest ESP32-C6 firmware from micropython.org/download/ESP32_GENERIC_C6

Flash via espboards.dev (browser-based, no install needed):

1. Connect the board while holding BOOT
2. Click Connect → select the COM port
3. Click Erase Flash
4. Upload the .bin file → address 0x0 → Flash

2. Upload files

Using Thonny (recommended) or mpremote:

pip install mpremote
mpremote cp st7789py.py :st7789py.py   # upload driver first
mpremote cp boot_manager.py :main.py   # boot manager as main

3. Create the folder structure

From the MicroPython REPL (Thonny shell):

import uos
uos.mkdir("/lib")
uos.mkdir("/boot")

4. Upload shared libraries to /lib/

Copy any modules used by your firmware into /lib/:

mpremote cp st7789py.py :/lib/st7789py.py
mpremote cp pager_core.py :/lib/pager_core.py
# ... any other shared modules

5. Upload your firmware files to /boot/

mpremote cp my_app.py :/boot/my_app.py
mpremote cp another_app.py :/boot/another_app.py

Important: rename each firmware's entry point to a descriptive name - e.g. pager.py, scanner.py, dashboard.py.

Final structure

/                       ← internal flash root
├── main.py             ← boot manager (this file)
├── /lib/               ← shared libraries
│   ├── st7789py.py
│   ├── pager_core.py
│   └── ...
└── /boot/              ← firmware files
    ├── pager.py
    ├── scanner.py
    ├── .selected       ← written automatically
    └── .launch         ← written automatically for large files

If an SD card is present it is mounted at /sd and /sd/boot/ is used instead.

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Usage

Controls

Button	Action
BTN_A short	Next firmware in list
BTN_A long (> 600 ms)	Set selected firmware as default (green dot)
BTN_B	Launch the default firmware (or selected if no default)
BTN_A held at boot	Force menu - skips auto-launch

Workflow

1. Power on → splash screen with RGB LED rainbow test
2. If a default firmware is set → 5-second countdown
   • Do nothing → firmware launches automatically
   • Press BTN_A → return to menu
3. In the menu:
   • BTN_A to scroll through the list
   • BTN_A long to set the highlighted firmware as default (● dot turns green)
   • BTN_B to launch

Adding a new firmware

1. Copy your .py file to /boot/ (or /sd/boot/)
2. The menu refreshes automatically within 15 seconds
3. Select it and press BTN_A long to make it the new default

Shared libraries

Any module imported by your firmware must be available on the device. Place shared modules in /lib/ - MicroPython searches there automatically.

# in your firmware file - these imports work if the module is in /lib/
import st7789py
from pager_core import BLEPager
import cookie_monster

If a firmware has a conflicting version of a shared library (e.g. a different st7789py), rename it to something unique (st7789_myapp.py) and update the import inside your firmware file accordingly.

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RGB LED color codes

Color	Event
Red → Green → Blue → Cyan → Purple	Boot rainbow test
Blue (2 flashes)	Firmware set as default
Green (1 flash)	Scroll / navigation
Green (solid)	Firmware launched successfully
Red (2 flashes)	Launch error

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Firmware compatibility

Any MicroPython .py file that runs standalone can be used as a firmware. The boot manager launches it via exec() (small files) or reset() + flag file (files > 40 KB) to maximise available RAM.

Tested firmware:

Firmware	Description
Cookie Monster Scanner	WiFi + BLE wardriver
WiFi Hunter	Open WiFi scanner
BLE Pager	Encrypted peer-to-peer BLE messenger
rCompanion	Reticulum Network Stack companion display for esp32c6

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Menu shows "no firmware found"	Check that .py files are in /boot/ not in /
Firmware crashes on launch	Check that all imported modules are in /lib/
MemoryError on launch	File is large - boot manager automatically uses reset() method
SD card not detected	Verify SD pin mapping matches your board; check sdcard.py is in /lib/
Display offset / wrong colors	Adjust x_start / y_start in the ST7789() constructor
Can't return to menu	Hold BTN_A while pressing RST to force menu at next boot

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License

MIT - free to use, modify and redistribute.

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Author

fr33n0w - github.com/fr33n0w/esp32c6-multiboot