About 15 minutes · no soldering

Build your own Texty

A Texty is a tiny ESP32 board that talks to a cat printer over Bluetooth and fetches your friends' notes over WiFi. You install it once from this page, then it updates itself.

What you need

ESP32 dev boarde.g. an ESP32-WROOM-32 DevKit (the classic one with two buttons, BOOT and EN). About 6–10 €.
X6 or X6h cat printerThe small Bluetooth thermal printer sold as “cat printer” / “mini printer”, with a roll of 57 mm paper.
USB cableOne that carries data (not a charge-only cable), to connect the ESP32 to your computer once.
USB power supplyAny phone charger. The Texty lives next to the printer and stays plugged in.

Plus a computer with Chrome or Edge for the one-time install.

Step by step

1
Plug the ESP32 into your computer
Use the USB cable. A small light on the board should turn on.
2
Click “Install Texty”
Pick the port that appears (often called “USB Serial”, “CP210x” or “CH340”) and confirm. It takes about a minute. Works in Chrome or Edge on a computer.
This browser can't install Texty. Open this page in Chrome or Edge on a computer (Windows, Mac or Linux). Phones and Safari/Firefox don't support it.
Installing needs a secure (https) page. Open texty.at/build directly.
Firmware 2.6
3
Put it next to the printer
Unplug it from the computer and power it from the USB power supply, close to the cat printer. Switch the printer on.
4
Connect it to your WiFi
The Texty prints a setup slip. Scan its WiFi QR code to join Texty-XXXX; a page opens (if not, open 192.168.4.1). Choose your home WiFi (2.4 GHz) and enter its password.
5
Scan the QR code it prints
The Texty prints a QR code. Scan it with your phone's camera, enter your name, and the Texty is yours. Then invite friends from the home page.

Every step with pictures, plus troubleshooting: the setup guide.

If something doesn't work

No port shows up when installing: Try another USB cable (many only charge). On Windows and Mac, boards with a CH340 chip need a driver from the manufacturer: CH340 driver for Windows (WCH) · for Mac. If the install hangs at “Connecting…”, hold the BOOT button on the board until it starts.
It doesn't print: The printer can only talk to one device. Close the printer's phone app (or turn off Bluetooth on your phone) so the Texty can connect. Make sure the printer is switched on, charged and has paper.
Wrong WiFi, or moved house: Hold the BOOT button for 10 seconds. The Texty forgets its WiFi and prints a new setup slip with a WiFi QR code.
Lost access to your account: Hold the BOOT button for 2 seconds: it prints a login QR code for its owner.

Build your own Texty

What you need

Step by step

Plug the ESP32 into your computer

Click “Install Texty”

Put it next to the printer

Connect it to your WiFi

Scan the QR code it prints

If something doesn't work