Hardware setup guide

Detailed walkthrough — from box-fresh device to KUMA timer mirrored on screen.

On this page

Before you start — what you need Ulanzi TC001 LED — flash + setup ESP32-S3-BOX LCD — flash + setup KUMA Timer — Settings → Connections Multi-display / volume licence Troubleshooting

Before you start

What you need

Which device should I pick?

TC001 LEDS3-BOX LCD
Use caseVisible to whole room (talent clock, stage timer)Desk/FOH monitor (mirror of host face)
Cross-venueCloud mode works on any networkSame Wi-Fi only
PowerUSB-C + built-in batteryUSB-C only
Latency~50 ms LOCAL · ~1 s CLOUD~20 ms (UDP broadcast)

Many shows run both — TC001 on stage, S3-BOX on the director's desk. Volume licences let you flash unlimited units on one key.

Ulanzi TC001 LED — full setup

1Flash the firmware

  1. Plug TC001 into your computer with USB-C. Display should light up with the stock AWTRIX clock or a previous KUMA install.
  2. Open kuma.pl-tech.co.uk/flashers in Chrome or Edge.
  3. Click ⚡ Install KUMA LED firmware in the TC001 column.
  4. The browser asks which serial port. Pick USB-Enhanced-SERIAL CH343 or similar — Connect.
  5. Click Install in the popup, then Erase and Install if asked.
  6. Continuous beep means flash is working (~60 s). If you hear intermittent beeps something's wrong — see Troubleshooting.
  7. When done: display goes dark, then scrolls SETUP in yellow. You're ready for Wi-Fi.
The TC001 has a CH343 USB-UART chip that auto-resets the ESP32 — no boot/reset button dance like the S3-BOX. Just plug and click.

2Connect to Wi-Fi (captive portal)

  1. On your phone or laptop, open Wi-Fi settings and join KUMA-LED-XXXX. Password: kumasetup.
  2. A browser opens automatically to a setup page. If it doesn't, navigate to http://192.168.4.1.
  3. You'll see fields for:
    • Wi-Fi SSID — your venue network (drop-down list of nearby networks)
    • Wi-Fi password — for that network
    • Poll URL — paste the URL from the Poll URL generator (cloud mode only — leave empty for LOCAL-only setups)
  4. Tap Save & Start. The device reboots.
  5. Display shows LOCAL (blue) or CLOUD (green) briefly, then ---- in dim grey (waiting for KUMA).

3Switch LOCAL ↔ CLOUD mode (on the device)

ActionResult
Short click Left or RightToggle LOCAL ↔ CLOUD
Hold Right 1.5 s (blue flash)Enter WIFI SETUP — change network
In WIFI SETUP, short click any buttonExit back to last LOCAL/CLOUD
Hold Left + Right 5 s (red flash)Factory reset — clears all config

Pick your mode based on network setup:

ESP32-S3-BOX LCD — full setup

1Flash the firmware

  1. Plug ESP32-S3-BOX into your computer with USB-C.
  2. Put the device in download mode:
    • Press and hold the BOOT button (left side).
    • While holding BOOT, briefly press & release the RESET button (right side).
    • Release BOOT. LCD goes black.
  3. Open kuma.pl-tech.co.uk/flashers in Chrome or Edge.
  4. Click ⚡ Install KUMA LCD firmware in the S3-BOX column.
  5. Pick USB JTAG/serial debug unit in the port dialog — Connect → Install.
  6. Wait ~60 s. Don't unplug.
  7. When done, press RESET once. LCD wakes up showing Wi-Fi Setup mode.
Why the boot dance? The S3-BOX boots its existing app by default. To reflash, the bootloader needs the BOOT pin pulled low on reset. The TC001 auto-handles this; the S3-BOX doesn't.

2Connect to Wi-Fi

  1. LCD shows Wi-Fi Setup with SSID like KUMA-Display-A1B2.
  2. From your phone/laptop, join that Wi-Fi. Password: kumasetup.
  3. Captive portal opens. Pick your venue Wi-Fi, enter its password, Save.
  4. Device reboots, shows Connected then a grey 00:00 with NO SIGNAL.
S3-BOX is LOCAL only — it listens for KUMA's UDP broadcast on port 36701. Must share Wi-Fi with KUMA host. If you need cross-network, use TC001 in CLOUD mode instead.

3Reset Wi-Fi credentials

Moving the device to a new venue?

KUMA Timer — Settings → Connections

For TC001 LED

  1. Open KUMA Timer.
  2. Go to Settings → Connections, scroll to ULANZI TC001 / AWTRIX.
  3. Tick Enable AWTRIX display.
  4. Pick connection mode:
    • Local — KUMA pushes to device IP. Enter the TC001's IP (shown briefly on display after boot, or in your router's DHCP table).
    • Cloud — KUMA pushes to relay. Enter your Display name (e.g. stage) — the Poll URL appears below; copy it and paste into the TC001 captive portal (if you haven't already).
  5. Optional: Rainbow during overtime, Rotate 180°, Brightness slider.
  6. Click Apply. TC001 lights up with the current timer state within ~1 second.

For ESP32-S3-BOX LCD

  1. Open KUMA Timer (must be on the same Wi-Fi as the S3-BOX).
  2. Go to Settings → Connections, scroll to ESP32-S3-BOX Wireless Display.
  3. Tick Enable ESP32-S3-BOX display.
  4. Click Apply. LCD shows your timer face mirror within ~1 second — same colours, zones, SMS.

No IP entry needed — KUMA broadcasts UDP, every S3-BOX on the same Wi-Fi receives it. Pair-friendly: you can have several S3-BOXes mirror the same host.

Multi-display setup — volume licence

If you own a volume licence (5+ seats), you can run multiple displays from the same host. Each TC001 in CLOUD mode gets a unique display name — the licence-based token stays the same across all your units.

Example: 3 LED displays at one show

  1. Generate URL for stage-left → flash + setup TC001 #1.
  2. Generate URL for stage-right → setup TC001 #2.
  3. Generate URL for green-room → setup TC001 #3.
  4. In KUMA Settings → AWTRIX, set Display name to stage-left, Apply. Display #1 lights up.
  5. (Current host build pushes to one display name at a time. For simultaneous push to multiple displays, the device CLOUD-polls independently — set the display name on the host to broadcast or rotate as needed.)
For mixed setup (some LOCAL, some CLOUD): LOCAL device gets KUMA's direct IP push. CLOUD devices each pull their own URL. Both can run simultaneously — different mechanisms.

Troubleshooting

Flashing

Install button disabled / grey. You're not in Chrome/Edge. Safari and Firefox don't expose Web Serial.

"Failed to initialize" before flashing starts. Try a different USB-C cable (charge-only cables won't work). Unplug and replug. For S3-BOX: make sure you held BOOT + tapped RESET first.

Intermittent beeping during flash (TC001). Multiple chip resets — usually means the cable is intermittent or you have a power draw issue. Continuous beep = good.

Flash succeeds but display stays dark. Press the RESET button (S3-BOX) or unplug-replug (TC001). The post-flash reset doesn't always fire on the first try.

Wi-Fi / captive portal

Can't see the KUMA-LED-XXXX hotspot. Power-cycle the device. On some routers / phones the hotspot takes 30 s to appear after boot.

Captive portal page doesn't open. Navigate manually to http://192.168.4.1. Some phones block captive auto-launch.

Device connects but Wi-Fi drops repeatedly. Your venue Wi-Fi may use enterprise authentication (WPA2-Enterprise, 802.1X) — ESP32 supports WPA2-Personal only. Use a guest network or 4G hotspot instead.

KUMA → device communication

TC001 stays on ---- in LOCAL mode. Check the IP in Settings matches the TC001's actual IP. If on a 5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz split network, force same band.

TC001 stays on ---- in CLOUD mode. Verify the Poll URL is identical on device and host (copy-paste, don't retype). Check internet access on both ends.

S3-BOX stuck on NO SIGNAL. Both must be on same Wi-Fi (not separate guest networks). Router must allow UDP broadcast (AP isolation OFF). Verify on host: sudo tcpdump -i any -X 'udp port 36701' -c 3

Updates lag / display "skips" seconds. CLOUD poll is 1 Hz — should match host tick. If you see 2 s gaps, you're on an old firmware — re-flash to latest.

LITE tier

Hardware integrations require FULL licence (£8 one-off) or active 30-day trial. LITE users can flash firmware (it's free) but KUMA Timer won't push to it — the checkbox in Settings will refuse to stay enabled.

Already paid and still LITE? Re-enter your licence key in Settings → License, click Activate.

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