Unihiker K10 not booting and black screen
TDrew 2026-02-12 09:49:14 484 Views5 Replies I have just unboxed my Unihiker K10 and ran a few of the example sketches from the Arduino, all was good. I loaded the next sketch and the LCD screen froze. I have tried many suggestions to reload the esp23 image, using Mind+ V1X now on Mind+ V2xxxx, flash tool, etc…., things have regressed now to just a black screen and a steady red led near the USB connector. I can hear/feel a few clicks when I press the reset button. The suggestions online usually end up being unable to follow as the screen and options don't line up with the instructions. Getting a bit frustrated now. Flashing Fire Beetles and pi micros are easy enough, but this has me stumped.
Hopefully there is an easy enough solution, looking forward to finding it.
Hello!
According to your device status and usage scenario, we provide a complete solution sorted by software version and mode. You can follow the steps below to restore your device:
I. Core Usage Suggestions
1. The official tutorials are fully compatible with the Upload Mode of Mind+ V1.8.1 and V2.0. This mode has the best compatibility with K10, with the most complete tutorials and developed functions. We strongly recommend using this Upload Mode first to avoid problems as much as possible.
https://www.unihiker.com/wiki/K10/GettingStarted/gettingstarted_mindplus
2. The Micropython block mode is still under iterative development, with incomplete functions and ongoing tutorial supplementation.
II. Troubleshooting & Recovery Methods by Scenarios
Scenario 1: Using Mind+ V1.8.1 [Upload Mode] (Recommended)
1. First power off the Unihiker K10 completely and disconnect all connections to the computer.
2. Press and hold the BOOT button next to the camera on the back of the board.
3. While holding the BOOT button, connect the board to the computer via a USB cable.
4. Keep holding for 3 seconds, then release the BOOT button. The K10 will enter forced flashing mode.
5. Open Mind+ V1.8.1 and switch to "Offline" mode, select UNIHIKER K10 in Extensions , then connect the device.
6. Click "Restore Device Initial Settings" in the software.
7. Wait for the flashing to complete, then power off and restart the Unihiker K10. The device will now run normally in Mind+ Upload Mode.
Scenario 2: Using Mind+ V2 [Upload Mode] (Recommended)
1. First power off the Unihiker K10 completely and disconnect all connections to the computer.
2. Press and hold the BOOT button next to the camera on the back of the board.
3. While holding the BOOT button, connect the board to the computer via a USB cable.
4. Keep holding for 3 seconds, then release the BOOT button. The K10 will enter forced flashing mode.
5. Open Mind+ V2 and select "Upload Mode" on the mode selection interface;
6. Click the Extension Library, select K10 and return;
7. In the device connection section, select Erase. After completion, power off and restart the Unihiker K10. The device will now run normally in Mind+ Upload Mode;
8. Upload a basic example program to verify the result.
Scenario 3: Using Mind+ V2 [Micropython Block Mode]
1. Open Mind+ V2 and select "Micropython Block Mode" on the mode selection interface;
2. Click the Extension Library, select K10 and return;
3. In the device connection pop-up window, click the connect, wait for completion, then try to upload the program;
4. If the program upload fails, in the device connection pop-up window, click Erase Device first, wait for erasure to complete, then click Flash Default Firmware;
5. Upload a basic example program to verify the result.
If the problem persists after following the steps above, please feel free to give feedback. We will follow up and assist you as soon as possible.
niu.yixuan You can try setting the K10 to forced burn mode, then use Mind+ to restore factory settings.
1. Press and hold the BOOT button on the back of the K10.
2. Connect the K10 to your PC via a USB-C cable.
3. Release the BOOT button.
Mind+ should now connect to the K10 normally, allowing you to restore it using Mind+.
Yeez_B As asked : I get this on the Arduino IDE when trying to upload an example sketch that previously worked, this was from power up start on the Unihiker. The screen remained black throughout. “Sketch uses 585073 bytes (11%) of program storage space. Maximum is 5242880 bytes.
Global variables use 22532 bytes (6%) of dynamic memory, leaving 305148 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 327680 bytes.
esptool.py v4.6
Serial port COM3
Connecting...
Chip is ESP32-S3 (revision v0.2)
Features: WiFi, BLE
Crystal is 40MHz
MAC: 10:51:db:81:23:84
Uploading stub...
Running stub...
Stub running...
Changing baud rate to 921600
A fatal error occurred: No serial data received.
Failed uploading: uploading error: exit status 2”
TDrew 