NPG Lite Flasher#

Overview#

NPG Lite Flasher is an open-source desktop application that allows you to flash firmware onto the Neuro PlayGround Lite, as well as any other ESP32-based board using a binary file. A polished GUI (and CLI) to upload new firmware bundles to your NPG Lite device (or any ESP32 board).

  • đŸ–„ïž Sleek New UI

    • Redesigned interface for clarity

    • Built-in steps to fetch firmware from GitHub

    • Custom firmware upload support

  • 🔄 One-Click Integration

  • 🧠 Smarter Firmware Management

    • Auto-detects duplicate firmware names

    • Shows live download status with green checkmarks

    • Auto-fills firmware names from file metadata

  • ⚡ Enhanced Flashing Workflow

    • “Add & Flash” now supports custom uploads in one smooth step

NPG Lite Flasher

NPG Lite Flasher#

System Requirements#

  • Operating System: Windows 10+ / macOS 10.15+ / Linux (glibc 2.27+)

Hardware Requirements#

Setting up the hardware#

Ensure the NPG Lite or ESP32 based development board is properly connected to your laptop via USB or the appropriate interface.

Installation#

  1. Download the installer from the latest release: NPG Lite Flasher Release

  2. Choose the installer for your OS:

    • Fedora → .rpm

    • Debian/Ubuntu → .deb

    • macOS → .dmg

    • Windows → .msi

    • Or download the source bundle to build yourself

  3. Run the installer for your OS:

Windows (.msi)

  1. Double-click the downloaded .msi file.

  2. If you see a SmartScreen warning, click More Info → Run Anyway.

  3. Proceed through the installer wizard: Next → select install location → Install → Finish.

Fedora (.rpm)

  1. Open a terminal and run:

sudo dnf install npg-lite-flasher-<version>.rpm

  1. Enter your password and confirm the install when prompted.

  2. After installation, launch NPG Lite Flasher from your Applications menu.

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb)

  1. Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt install ./npg-lite-flasher_<version>_amd64.deb

  1. If you hit missing dependencies, run:

sudo apt --fix-broken install

  1. Launch NPG Lite Flasher from your desktop launcher or via:

npg-lite-flasher
macOS (.dmg)

  1. Double-click the downloaded npg-lite-flasher.dmg file.

  2. When you see the macOS warning:

  3. “npg-lite-flasher.dmg” was downloaded from the Internet.

Are you sure you want to open it?

click **Open**

  1. Drag NPG Lite Flasher.app into your Applications folder.

  2. Eject the mounted image and open the app from Applications.

  1. (Optional) Build from source

git clone https://github.com/upsidedownlabs/NPG-Lite-Flasher.git
cd NPG-Lite-Flasher
npm i
cargo tauri build

Uploading the Firmware#

Once your device is connected, you can choose from multiple firmware options depending on how you plan to use the NPG Lite - including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Serial, Wi-Fi, or even upload your own custom firmware.

  1. Open the NPG Lite Flasher.

  2. Select the Bluetooth LE tab, at the top of the window you’ll see tabs for each firmware types - click on Bluetooth LE to bring up the BLE-specific interface.

NPG Lite Flasher BLE Selection

  1. Bluetooth LE specific interface will appear.

NPG Lite Flasher BLE Interface

  1. Connect your NPG Lite device via USB-C. The Flasher should detect a new serial COM port. From the Port dropdown, choose the port corresponding to your NPG Lite.

NPG Lite Flasher BLE Select COM

  1. Click Flash, the Flash button to begin uploading the BLE firmware.

NPG Lite Flasher BLE Click Flash

  1. Wait for confirmation, you’ll see a “Success” message. This indicates the firmware has been successfully flashed.

NPG Lite Flasher BLE Flashing
NPG Lite Flasher BLE Flash Complete

  1. Restart your device, Unplug the USB cable, toggle the NPG Lite’s power switch off and then on, and your board will now boot into the new Bluetooth LE firmware.

  1. Open the NPG Lite Flasher.

  2. Select the Serial tab, at the top of the window you’ll see tabs for each firmware types - click on Serial to bring up the Serial-specific interface.

NPG Lite Flasher Serial Selection

  1. Serial specific interface will appear.

NPG Lite Flasher Serial Interface

  1. Connect your NPG Lite device via USB-C. The Flasher should detect a new serial COM port. From the Port dropdown, choose the port corresponding to your NPG Lite.

  2. Click Flash, the Flash button to begin uploading the Serial firmware.

NPG Lite Flasher Serial Click Flash

  1. Wait for confirmation, you’ll see a “Success” message. This indicates the firmware has been successfully flashed.

NPG Lite Flasher Serial Flashing
NPG Lite Flasher Serial Flash Complete

  1. Restart your device, Unplug the USB cable, toggle the NPG Lite’s power switch off and then on, and your board will now boot into the new Serial firmware.

  1. Open the NPG Lite Flasher.

  2. Select the WiFi tab, at the top of the window you’ll see tabs for each firmware types - click on WiFi to bring up the WiFi-specific interface.

NPG Lite Flasher WiFi Selection

  1. WiFi specific interface will appear.

NPG Lite Flasher WiFi Interface

  1. Connect your NPG Lite device via USB-C. The Flasher should detect a new serial COM port. From the Port dropdown, choose the port corresponding to your NPG Lite.

  2. Click Flash, the Flash button to begin uploading the WiFi firmware.

NPG Lite Flasher WiFi Click Flash

  1. Wait for confirmation, you’ll see a “Success” message. This indicates the firmware has been successfully flashed.

NPG Lite Flasher WiFi Flashing
NPG Lite Flasher WiFi Flash Complete

  1. Restart your device, Unplug the USB cable, toggle the NPG Lite’s power switch off and then on, and your board will now boot into the new WiFi firmware.

  1. Open the NPG Lite Flasher.

  2. Select the +Add Custom tab, at the top of the window to switch into custom‐firmware mode.

NPG Lite Flasher Custom Selection

  1. + Add Custom specific interface will appear.

NPG Lite Flasher Custom Interface

  1. Add your firmware file: Click on Choose File button to locate your firmware and select your compiled .bin file.

  2. Once imported you will see the your firmware file name in Firmware Name.

  3. Connect your NPG Lite device via USB-C. The Flasher should detect a new serial COM port. From the Port dropdown, choose the port corresponding to your NPG Lite.

NPG Lite Flasher Custom Select Firmware

  1. Click Flash, the Flash button to begin uploading the Custom firmware.

NPG Lite Flasher Custom Click Flash

  1. Wait for confirmation, you’ll see a “Success” message. This indicates the firmware has been successfully flashed.

NPG Lite Flasher Custom Flash Complete

  1. Restart your device, Unplug the USB cable, toggle the NPG Lite’s power switch off and then on, and your board will now boot into the new Custom firmware.

  2. Click Add, this will add the firmware in the +Add Custom list for future flashes - so you can skip the file-selection step next time.

NPG Lite Flasher Custom Click Add
NPG Lite Flasher Custom Main Page
NPG Lite Flasher Custom Flash Directly

  1. Open the NPG Lite Flasher.

  2. Select the Get From GitHub tab, at the top of the window to select the firmware designed by Upside Down Labs for NPG Lite and ESP32 devices.

NPG Lite Flasher Get from GitHub

  1. A firmware list will appear. You can download multiple firmwares simultaneously, but only one can be flashed at a time.

NPG Lite Flasher Get from GitHub List Downloads

  1. Once downloaded, Flash Custom Firmware screen will appear, click Flash to flash the firmware onto your device. Make sure your NPG Lite device is connected via USB-C. The Flasher will detect serial COM port automatically. You can also choose COM port from the Port dropdown, corresponding your device.

NPG Lite Flasher Get from GitHub Flash

  1. Wait for confirmation, you’ll see a “Success” message. This indicates the firmware has been successfully flashed.

NPG Lite Flasher Get from GitHub Flash Completed

  1. Restart your device, Unplug the USB cable, toggle the NPG Lite’s power switch off and then on, and your board will now boot into the new firmware.

  2. Check the Custom Firmwares tab for future flashes; this saves you from downloading the same firmware file again.

NPG Lite Flasher Custom Click Add
Troubleshooting

Device not found:

  • Verify USB-C cable and power switch

  • Install appropriate USB-serial drivers

Permission errors (macOS/Linux):

  • Run with sudo or add your user to the dialout group

SmartScreen warnings (Windows):

  • Use More Info → Run Anyway as described above

Real-Time Visualization#

After flashing, visualize your biopotential signals with Chords-Web or Chords-Python:

  1. In the flasher, click Open Chords-Web or Chords-Python as per your preference (under “Visualize”).

NPG Lite Flasher Visualize options

  1. For Chords-Web browser tab opens to Chords-Web.

  2. Click Connect → select your NPG Lite → start streaming.

  3. For Chords-Python follow the Chords Python documentation .

Use the UI to:#

  • Choose 1–3 channels to view

  • Play/Pause the live stream

  • Apply bandpass or 50/60 Hz notch filters

  • Record and export data to CSV

GitHub Repository#

For full source code, issue tracking, and contribution guidelines, head over to the NPG Lite Flasher GitHub repo.

You’ll discover setup guides and can track ongoing development - including bug fixes and feature enhancements: NPG Lite Flasher GitHub