ESP8266 Controller Dev Board??

[mcgyvr]

Any interest in a ESP8266 based "Wifi Controller" development board of sorts?
Thinking of whipping one up as I've got some free time now and just want to see if anyone else might be interested in it and maybe get some suggestions for potential additions to it..

Looking at these basic features so far..
-Android IDE compatible
-Wifi enabled of course
-USB connection for programming (USB-Serial chip)
-12V power supply input (or 5V if no one needs 10V PWM anymore)
-16 PWM channels for dimming (jumpers for 5V or 3.3V....maybe 10V if wanted)
-maybe 4 to 8 isolated relays for pumps/lights,etc...
-Real time clock
-2 standard DS18b20 temperature sensor inputs
-2 to 4 inputs (float high/low... skimmer overflow,etc...)
-indicator LEDs for each relay/inputs
-low cost..

All would be one single board so its just ready to program how you want it and get going...
Its really intended for those that want to write their own programs and just don't like having to do all the hardware aspects/soldering/multiple module wiring,etc...

Probably just have screw terminals for easy wiring of inputs/outputs so you don't need to do any crimping or soldering..

Just let me know yeah I'd want one... or I'd really need this function..

 

[theatrus]

I can totally see an interest in that around here - sounds like a fun project I'd personally leave things like relays off the board, but have circuits so you can still drive external relays.

 

[O2Surplus]

I'm currently working on something similar that will be plugNplay with the WEMOS D1 Mini. It'll be a "Mother board" of sorts, with relay sockets, connection points for DHT sensors, cooling fan connection headers, ect... I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with...

 

[mcgyvr]

I can't seem to find out when he ESP32 will be out/shipping.. Might be nice to have the bluetooth and other extra goodies it comes with..

 

[theatrus]

I can't seem to find out when he ESP32 will be out/shipping.. Might be nice to have the bluetooth and other extra goodies it comes with..

Probably the latest round of silicon was not good enough, which means a 4-6mo schedule slip. I haven't seen anything on the ESP32 front either.

Personally I'd rather not have only WiFi so I'm using Nordic BLE radios, but a combo chip is nice.

 

[mcgyvr]

yeah I think I might wait for the ESP32..
I've been wanting to play with some bluetooth stuff too..

 

[badstraw]

Sounds awesome, are you planning to share the code and gerber files?

 

[mcgyvr]

Sounds awesome, are you planning to share the code and gerber files?

Not sure yet.. I'm old school and a fan of getting paid for work..:idea:
I'd rather just sell assembled boards.. Like I said its meant for those that just want to do the code and not be bothered by SMT assembly,etc...

 

[theatrus]

yeah I think I might wait for the ESP32..
I've been wanting to play with some bluetooth stuff too..

Odds are that you'll be able to repurpose most of the design between the 8266 and newer 32, on the hardware front anyway.

 

[mikeluken]

I actually just got done doing what you are talking about here...

It uses an Arduino Mega as the main processor and connects to an ESP8266 via Serial to send AT commands.

So far, it does the following:

• Connects to pH, D.O., Salinity and temperature probes from Atlas Scientific
• Controls my ATO (more specifically, it triggers relays to turn the pump on/off after reading the status of a float switch)
• Checks the level of my protein skimmer basket
• Turns off the heater if the temperature gets too high (in case it fails on)
• Sends emails if certain thresholds are hit (pH too high, etc)
• Kills the main return pump if water is detected leaking anywhere
• Turns on/off a light in my refugium at certain times of day
• Turns off the protein skimmer if the waste bucket is full

Once every 10 minutes, it sends a ping to an IIS webserver I am running that logs all the results from the tests and can then be viewed via an Android app that I created, or via a web browser. This allows for trending over a given time period to see changes in pH, temp, etc.

I think that my next step is going to be to try to automate some of the chemical tests, such as nitrates, alkalinity, etc. I will probably attach an Arduino Uno to each test since they take quite a while to complete and run each test a couple of times a day with the results being read through a colorimeter. Not completely sure how I am going to do it yet, but will keep you posted!

That is all that it does so far, but more to come!

 

[theatrus]

Very nice!

The titration tears for Alk and Ca are the holy grail of automation which I haven't seen done yet (though a few starts). Looking to see what you come up with!

As for Alk, it's more accurate to use a pH probe instead of the color change - there are some articles here probably by Randy Holmes discussing this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dr. Bogger]

I would definitely be interested. I'm pretty good with Arduino programming.

What's the price point your aiming for?

 

[mcgyvr]

I would definitely be interested. I'm pretty good with Arduino programming.

What's the price point your aiming for?

Not exactly sure yet..
I want it to be as low cost as possible... But it depends on the features (components really) I end up including in it..
For sure it will be under $100... How far under we shall see.. I'll shoot for half that and see where it goes..

 

[Dr. Bogger]

Sounds good! Keep us updated on the progress!