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This guide walks you through everything you need to go from unboxing to running your first program on Proton AI Core. You’ll install the required USB driver, add the ESP32-S3 board package to your IDE, connect your board, and upload a simple sketch to verify that everything is working correctly.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:
  • A Proton AI Core board
  • A USB-C cable (data-capable — charging-only cables will not work)
  • A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux
  • Arduino IDE 2.x or PlatformIO (VS Code extension)

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Setup Steps

1

Install the USB Driver

Proton AI Core uses an onboard USB-to-serial chip to handle programming and serial communication. Before your computer can communicate with the board, you need to install the correct driver.Visit the Driver Installation page for download links and platform-specific instructions. The required driver is for the onboard USB-to-serial chip — exact chip model: To be confirmed (typically CP210x or CH340).Once installed, restart your computer if prompted before proceeding.
2

Add the ESP32-S3 Board Package

You need to add Espressif’s Arduino core to your IDE so it recognises the ESP32-S3.In Arduino IDE 2.x:
  1. Open File → Preferences (macOS: Arduino IDE → Settings).
  2. Paste the following URL into the Additional boards manager URLs field:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
  1. Click OK, then open Tools → Board → Boards Manager.
  2. Search for esp32 and install the package published by Espressif Systems.
  3. Once installed, go to Tools → Board → esp32 and select ESP32S3 Dev Module.
In PlatformIO:See the PlatformIO Setup guide for the equivalent platformio.ini configuration.
3

Connect Your Board

Plug your Proton AI Core into your computer using the USB-C cable. The board will power on immediately.Next, identify the correct serial port:
  • Windows: Open Device Manager and look under Ports (COM & LPT) for a new entry such as COM3 or COM4.
  • macOS: Open a terminal and run ls /dev/cu.* — look for a device named something like /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX.
  • Linux: Run ls /dev/ttyUSB* or ls /dev/ttyACM* — the board typically appears as /dev/ttyUSB0.
In Arduino IDE, select the correct port under Tools → Port. In PlatformIO, the port is usually detected automatically.
4

Upload Your First Sketch

With your board connected and the correct port selected, you’re ready to upload your first sketch. Copy the following code into a new Arduino sketch:
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Serial.println("Proton AI Core ready!");
}

void loop() {
  Serial.println("Hello from ESP32-S3");
  delay(1000);
}
Click the Upload button (right-arrow icon) in Arduino IDE, or run Upload in PlatformIO. The IDE will compile the sketch and flash it to the board. You should see upload progress in the output console, followed by a success message.
5

Open the Serial Monitor

Once the upload completes, open the Serial Monitor to verify your sketch is running:
  • Arduino IDE: Click the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner, or go to Tools → Serial Monitor.
  • PlatformIO: Click the plug icon in the bottom toolbar, or run the Monitor task.
Set the baud rate to 115200 to match the rate configured in your sketch. You should see the following output repeating every second:
Proton AI Core ready!
Hello from ESP32-S3
Hello from ESP32-S3
Hello from ESP32-S3
If you see garbled text, double-check that the baud rate is set to 115200.
Now that your board is up and running, explore what Proton AI Core can really do. Check out the Camera Guide to start capturing images with the OV2640 or OV3660 module, or head to the AI Inference Guide to deploy your first on-device machine learning model.