Spanish version below / Versión en español más abajo 🇪🇸
If your Evil Crow RF V2 (hardware version with ESP32-PICO-D4 chip) gives "no signs of life" after flashing the HUN73R firmware (or any third-party app-only .bin), it's probably not bricked at the hardware level. This repo documents the recovery path and the working firmware combinations.
You probably ran something like:
esptool.py erase_flash
esptool.py write_flash 0x10000 BETA_v2.5_EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.binThat erased the bootloader and only wrote the app. The ROM can't boot without a bootloader at 0x1000. Symptoms:
- No WiFi AP, no LEDs (board appears dead).
- Serial shows
flash read err, 1000in a reset loop.
# 1. Grab the official compiled bootloader + partitions + a working app
git clone https://github.com/joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2.git
git clone https://github.com/DMFSouza/EvilCrowRF_HUN73R.0047.git
# 2. Flash all three components together (do NOT use only the app .bin)
esptool.py -p /dev/ttyUSB0 -b 460800 write_flash \
0x1000 EvilCrowRF-V2/compiled/firmware.ino.bootloader.bin \
0x8000 EvilCrowRF-V2/compiled/firmware.ino.partitions.bin \
0x10000 EvilCrowRF_HUN73R.0047/Firmware/BETA_v2.5_EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.bin
# 3. Reset the board — WiFi "Evil Crow RF v2" should appear.Then prepare a FAT32 microSD with the HUN73R /SD/HTML and /SD/URH folders, insert it into the Evilcrow's USB-A connector. The web panel at http://192.168.4.1 will load.
See scripts/ for ready-to-run scripts.
joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2/compiled/firmware.ino.bin (the app in the current official compiled folder) silently hangs immediately after boot on the ESP32-PICO-D4 variant. It jumps to its entry point and produces no serial output, no WiFi AP, no LEDs. The bootloader and partition table from the same folder are fine.
📋 Reported upstream: joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2#78
Use one of the working apps instead:
| App binary | Source | UI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
BETA_v2.5_EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.bin |
DMFSouza/EvilCrowRF_HUN73R.0047 | Mobile-friendly ✓ | Recommended |
old-firmware/v1.3.2/EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.bin |
joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2 | Desktop | Stable fallback |
compiled/firmware.ino.bin |
joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2 | — | ❌ Broken on PICO-D4 (silent hang) |
docs/diagnosis.md— Diagnosis flowchart and serial output decoderdocs/sd-card-prep.md— Correct microSD preparation (FAT32, MBR, structure)docs/flashing.md— Flashing procedures step-by-stepdocs/findings.md— Detailed technical findings from the diagnostic session
scripts/prep-sd.sh— Hardened microSD preparationscripts/flash-recovery.sh— Complete firmware flash (bootloader + partitions + app)scripts/read-flash-backup.sh— Read flash dump for diagnostics
This guide builds on the work of:
- @joelsernamoreno — Original Evil Crow RF V2 firmware and hardware design
- @DMFSouza (HUN73R.0047) — HUN73R fork with mobile UI
No firmware binaries are redistributed here. Clone the source repositories directly.
Si tu Evil Crow RF V2 (versión hardware con chip ESP32-PICO-D4) no da señales de vida tras flashear el firmware HUN73R (o cualquier .bin de app suelta), probablemente NO está dañado a nivel hardware. Este repo documenta el camino de recuperación y las combinaciones de firmware que sí funcionan.
Probablemente ejecutaste algo como:
esptool.py erase_flash
esptool.py write_flash 0x10000 BETA_v2.5_EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.binEso borró el bootloader y solo escribió el app. El ROM no puede arrancar sin un bootloader en 0x1000. Síntomas:
- No aparece WiFi AP, no se encienden LEDs (la placa parece muerta).
- Por puerto serie verás
flash read err, 1000en un bucle de reset.
# 1. Descargar bootloader+particiones oficiales y un app funcional
git clone https://github.com/joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2.git
git clone https://github.com/DMFSouza/EvilCrowRF_HUN73R.0047.git
# 2. Flashear los tres componentes juntos (NO solo el app .bin)
esptool.py -p /dev/ttyUSB0 -b 460800 write_flash \
0x1000 EvilCrowRF-V2/compiled/firmware.ino.bootloader.bin \
0x8000 EvilCrowRF-V2/compiled/firmware.ino.partitions.bin \
0x10000 EvilCrowRF_HUN73R.0047/Firmware/BETA_v2.5_EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.bin
# 3. Resetear la placa — debería aparecer la WiFi "Evil Crow RF v2".Después prepara una microSD FAT32 con las carpetas /SD/HTML y /SD/URH del HUN73R, métela en el conector USB-A del Evilcrow. El panel web en http://192.168.4.1 cargará.
Mira scripts/ para scripts listos para ejecutar.
joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2/compiled/firmware.ino.bin (el app del compiled actual oficial) se cuelga silenciosamente justo después de arrancar en el ESP32-PICO-D4. Salta a su entry point y no produce output serie, ni WiFi, ni LEDs. El bootloader y partition table del mismo directorio sí funcionan.
📋 Reportado upstream: joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2#78
Usa uno de los apps funcionales:
| Binario app | Origen | UI | Notas |
|---|---|---|---|
BETA_v2.5_EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.bin |
DMFSouza/EvilCrowRF_HUN73R.0047 | Mobile ✓ | Recomendado |
old-firmware/v1.3.2/EvilCrow-RFv2.ino.esp32.bin |
joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2 | Desktop | Fallback estable |
compiled/firmware.ino.bin |
joelsernamoreno/EvilCrowRF-V2 | — | ❌ Roto en PICO-D4 (silent hang) |
docs/diagnosis.md— Diagrama de diagnóstico y decodificador de output seriedocs/sd-card-prep.md— Preparación correcta de la microSD (FAT32, MBR, estructura)docs/flashing.md— Procedimientos de flasheo paso a pasodocs/findings.md— Hallazgos técnicos detallados de la sesión de diagnóstico
scripts/prep-sd.sh— Preparación robusta de microSDscripts/flash-recovery.sh— Flasheo completo (bootloader + particiones + app)scripts/read-flash-backup.sh— Backup del flash para diagnóstico
Esta guía se construye sobre el trabajo de:
- @joelsernamoreno — Diseño hardware y firmware original del Evil Crow RF V2
- @DMFSouza (HUN73R.0047) — Fork HUN73R con UI mobile
Aquí no se redistribuyen binarios de firmware. Clona los repos originales directamente.