Skip to main content
Niblet can replace the software on a supported original Tidbyt Gen 1 or Tidbyt Gen 2. Choose the model before connecting: each generation uses a different browser transport and a different signed firmware image.
tidbyt-gen1-official

Original Tidbyt Gen 1

Uses the CP2102N USB bridge and offers a panel-color orientation choice.
tidbyt-gen2-official

Tidbyt Gen 2

Uses a Web Serial connection and its own Gen 2 merged image.
The first Niblet installation fully erases the Tidbyt’s 8 MB flash, including its existing firmware, settings, and cached data. You can return to factory firmware later by flashing the original Tidbyt recovery binary.

​
Before you begin

  • Use desktop Chrome or Edge. Gen 1 requires WebUSB; Gen 2 requires Web Serial.
  • Connect directly with a data-capable USB-C cable and avoid hubs.
  • Keep the display powered until write verification finishes.
  • Close serial tools and other browser tabs that might be using the display.
1

Install Niblet firmware

Open the browser installer, select the exact model, name the display, and acknowledge the full erase.
2

Erase and install

Connect the requested USB device. Let the installer erase the full flash, verify the model-specific image, write it at address 0x0, and restart.
3

Connect the display

Wait for the eight-digit code and keep the installer open. Join the NIBLET-SETUP-xxxx Wi-Fi using that code as its password, return to the installer, and enter your home Wi-Fi details.
4

Confirm it is online

Reconnect your computer to its usual Wi-Fi. The Tidbyt will finish connecting while you open its new display page in the Niblet dashboard.
5

Choose apps again

Open the Niblet dashboard, install apps from the catalog, and configure schedules, brightness, and app settings for this display.
Your Wi-Fi password and display code go directly from the browser to the Tidbyt. They are never sent to Niblet Cloud or saved in browser storage.

​
Troubleshooting

First, close serial monitors, IDEs, other installer tabs, and any program that might be using the Tidbyt. Connect it directly with a known data cable, then retry the browser installer once.
This is most common with an original Tidbyt Gen 1 on Windows. If Device Manager shows a Silicon Labs CP210x COM port and a serial flasher can connect, the cable, USB bridge, and ESP32 loader are responding.Chrome may still be unable to claim the same CP2102N interface through WebUSB while the Silicon Labs driver owns it. Close every serial client, reconnect the Tidbyt, and retry once. If the same error returns, use the native flasher below first.
Changing the driver affects every app that uses this Tidbyt. WinUSB enables browser access but removes the COM port required by the native flasher.
If you still want to use the browser installer, this community-reported workaround can help on Gen 1:
  1. Download Zadig from its official website and open it as an administrator.
  2. Choose Options → List All Devices, then select the CP210x device with USB ID 10C4:EA60. Check the ID carefully so you do not change another USB device.
  3. Select WinUSB, replace the driver, disconnect and reconnect the Tidbyt, then reopen Chrome and retry the browser installer.
To use the native flasher again, restore the Silicon Labs CP210x VCP driver in Device Manager and confirm that the Tidbyt appears as a COM port.
If PowerShell points to Flash-Niblet-Offline.ps1, $ProbeOutput, or a folder containing 0.1.13-r1, you have an older Windows package. That version could treat normal output from esptool.exe as a PowerShell error before the connection test finished.Download and run the current installer instead:

Download the latest Windows installer

Close the old terminal window, save this file, and open it from Downloads.
Do not change the USB driver for this message alone. If the current installer then reports that it cannot open the COM port, close every browser installer, serial monitor, and IDE before trying again.
The browser opened the USB transport but could not finish syncing with the bootloader. Confirm that you selected the exact Tidbyt generation, close anything using its port, power-cycle it, and retry. If the error repeats, run the native flasher’s non-writing connection test.
Connect the Tidbyt directly to your computer with a known data-capable USB cable. A cable can power the display without carrying data. Try another cable and USB port before installing a driver.On Windows, open Device Manager, then unplug and reconnect the Tidbyt. Look for a new entry under Ports (COM & LPT) or Other devices. If it has a warning icon, or the native flasher needs a COM port that is missing, install the driver for your model from the chip maker:Reconnect the Tidbyt after installation, then retry the installer. The Gen 1 CP210x driver provides the COM port used by the native flasher, but can block Gen 1 browser access through WebUSB. If that COM port already appears but Chrome says Access denied, follow the Gen 1 browser guidance above instead.If plugging in the Tidbyt makes no new entry appear in Device Manager, even with another cable and port, try another computer. A driver cannot fix a USB connection the computer does not detect.
Keep the Tidbyt connected. Run the same trusted Niblet package again and let the full erase, write, and verification finish. A few random LEDs during this process are normal. If the display shows FAULT CACHE, repeat the installation without disconnecting power.
Stay on the installer page and join NIBLET-SETUP-xxxx using the current eight-digit display code. Allow local-network access if your system asks.If the error appears after the Tidbyt changes networks, reconnect your computer to its usual Wi-Fi and check the dashboard. If the code is still on the display, rejoin its setup network and try again.

​
Use the native flasher

If browser installation keeps failing, use the native installer. It finds your Tidbyt, tests the USB connection, and asks for confirmation before replacing the firmware.
1

Connect your Tidbyt

Use a data-capable USB cable. Close the browser installer, serial monitors, IDEs, and anything else that might be using the display.
2

Download the installer

Download install-niblet.cmd

Save the Windows installer to your Downloads folder.
3

Open the downloaded file

Double-click install-niblet.cmd in Downloads. A terminal window opens and finds the connected Tidbyt automatically.
4

Let the connection test finish

Wait until the installer says the connection passed. If no COM port appears, install the CP210x driver for Gen 1 or the CH343 driver for Gen 2, reconnect the Tidbyt, and run the file again.
5

Confirm the installation

Type ERASE AND FLASH exactly when asked. Keep the USB cable connected until the installer reports success.
6

Finish setup in your browser

Return to the Niblet installer to connect the Tidbyt to Wi-Fi and choose your apps.

​
If you still need help

Send support the stage where setup stopped, not only the final message. Include:
Remove serial numbers, MAC addresses, Wi-Fi details, tokens, and customer data before sharing logs.
Tidbyt is a trademark of its respective owner. Niblet is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tidbyt.

​
Changing Wi-Fi or handing off a display

See Change Wi-Fi and reset for the unreleased Gen 1 recovery flow. It preserves app configuration during Wi-Fi switching and keeps full local reset separate from account removal. Confirm the firmware supports that flow before following its button instructions.
Last modified on August 29, 2026