HandShake T-Watch S3 configuration

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

HandShake configuration tool for the T-Watch S3.

Under test - something will need fixing!

Your session name

…

Gesture Selection

Gesture Sensitivity Control

ESP-NOW MAC Address Configuration

Generate Firmware

Download Firmware

Checking for firmware file...

mattoppenheim

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

I re-purpose off the shelf hardware to create enabling technology. All of the project ideas come from the staff who work at specialist schools with the target end-users.

I spend about half of the year working at sea in marine geophysical survey or offshore construction. During my time off, I maintain an Honorary Researcher position at InfoLab21, Lancaster University, where I work on the enabling technology projects.

My GitHub page is here.

email me at matt@(this page’s title).com

Watch Configuration Help

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Watch Configuration page lets you choose what your T-Watch S3 does, then builds a custom firmware file (the program that runs on the watch) for you to download and put onto the device. You don’t need any programming knowledge — just work through the page from top to bottom.

What you’ll need

A LilyGo T-Watch S3.
A USB cable that can carry data, not just charge. (Many cheap cables only charge — if your computer doesn’t notice the watch when you plug it in, try another cable.)
A computer running the Chrome or Edge web browser. The page you’ll use to put the firmware onto the watch doesn’t work in Firefox or Safari.

Step 1 — Check your session name

At the top of the page you’ll see your session name.

Everybody using the site at the same time gets their own name, so the firmware you build doesn’t get mixed up with anyone else’s. By default it’s the name of a Greek god — there are plenty of them, so it makes for an easy way to keep everyone apart!

Your firmware file will have this name in its filename, which is how you’ll recognise it later. If you’d like, type a name of your own (for example, the name of the person who’ll use the watch) and click Change. Otherwise, just leave the name you’ve been given.

Step 2 — Choose a gesture

Under Gesture Selection, pick the movement the watch should respond to — a punch or a roll of the wrist. Choose one, then click submit_gesture.

Step 3 — Set the gesture sensitivity

The Gesture Sensitivity slider controls how strong a movement has to be before the watch registers it. Start with the default and click submit_sensitivity. You can always come back, build again, and adjust this if you find the watch reacts too easily or not easily enough.

Step 4 — Set an ESP-NOW target (optional)

This step is only needed if your watch has to send its signal wirelessly to another HandShake device. If that applies to you, click the ESP-NOW target MAC button to reveal the boxes, type in the six pairs of characters that make up the other device’s address, and click Submit MAC.

If you don’t know what this is, you can safely skip it.

Step 5 — Generate the firmware

Each time you change one of the controls above, make sure you’ve clicked its submit button — this saves your choice in the background.

When you’re happy with all your selections, click Generate Firmware. The site reads your choices and builds the firmware file. This usually takes a minute or two, and you’ll see progress messages while it works, so please be patient.

Step 6 — Download the firmware

Once the build finishes, a download option appears. Click it to save the firmware file to your computer.

Once it’s downloaded, the firmware is yours forever! You own it. No time limits, no subscriptions. All yours.

Putting the firmware onto your watch

I’m going to add a simple ‘one-click’ upload page to make this easy. Until then, you can use this firmware upload site:

ESPConnect firmware uploader

Plug the watch into your computer with a USB data cable.
Click Connect on the top toolbar, then choose the port the watch is connected to.
Select Flash Tools from the menu on the left.
Leave all the default settings as they are — in particular, the Start offset is already correct at 0x0, so there’s no need to change it.
Click the icon next to the Firmware binary (.bin) box and choose the firmware file you saved.
Click Flash Firmware just below it.

The new firmware will be written to the watch. You may need to disconnect the watch and restart it for the new firmware to run, though sometimes it starts on its own.

Don’t panic if something goes wrong. If you accidentally flash the wrong firmware to the watch, just reconnect it and flash the correct file again.

HandShakeTec