ESP32 Projects¶

The ESP32 is a microcontroller with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, ideal for IoT projects, automation, and small web servers. It runs MicroPython natively — Python syntax applies directly, no compilation needed.

Available projects¶

LED Blink¶

The "Hello World" of embedded systems — toggles the on-board LED (GPIO 2) using MicroPython. Includes a LED chaser example across consecutive pins.

• Components: ESP32, external LED (optional), 220 Ω resistor
• Concepts: GPIO, lifecycle of a MicroPython script
• Difficulty: beginner

RGB LED¶

Drive an RGB LED with three PWM channels on the ESP32 — smooth fading between red, green, and blue, plus fixed-color and random-color examples. MicroPython code.

• Components: ESP32, common-cathode RGB LED, 3× 220 Ω resistor
• Concepts: 10-bit PWM, duty(), additive color mixing
• Difficulty: beginner

Servo¶

Drive an SG90 servo to a precise angle between 0° and 180° using PWM at 50 Hz. Includes a slow sweep, manual end-stop calibration, and power-supply tips to avoid resets.

• Components: ESP32, SG90 servo, 5 V supply (Vin or external)
• Concepts: 50 Hz PWM, angle → duty mapping, mechanical calibration
• Difficulty: beginner-intermediate

Joystick¶

Read an analog joystick on ADC1 (GPIO 34, 35) plus the push button — and turn the two axes into a direction (left / right / up / down) with a dead zone. Also includes a proportional −100…+100 mapping for games.

• Components: ESP32, KY-023 joystick module, jumper wires
• Concepts: 12-bit ADC, attenuation, dead zone, ADC1 vs ADC2 with Wi-Fi
• Difficulty: beginner-intermediate

Ultrasonic Sensor¶

Measure distance to objects with the HC-SR04 — a 10 µs pulse on Trig, time the echo on Echo, compute centimetres. Includes the mandatory voltage divider for the 3.3 V ESP32, a median filter, and a proximity alarm.

• Components: ESP32, HC-SR04 (or HC-SR04P), 1 kΩ + 2 kΩ resistors
• Concepts: time_pulse_us, 5 V vs 3.3 V, voltage divider, median filter
• Difficulty: beginner-intermediate

Sound Sensor¶

Detect sound with a KY-038 module (electret mic + LM393) — read both the analog level (AO) and the tunable-threshold digital output (DO). Examples: clap-to-LED and a clap-clap toggle.

• Components: ESP32, KY-038 module, jumper wires
• Concepts: LM393 comparator, ADC vs digital input, threshold calibration, sound debouncing
• Difficulty: beginner-intermediate

Temperature & Humidity¶

Reads a DHT22 (or DHT11) sensor and prints values to the serial console every 2 seconds.

• Components: ESP32, DHT22/DHT11, 10 kΩ pull-up resistor
• Concepts: 1-wire communication, exception handling, output formatting
• Difficulty: beginner-intermediate

Temperature Web Server¶

Combines ESP32's Wi-Fi with the DHT22 sensor — serves a styled HTML page with live readings, accessible from any browser on the same network.

• Components: ESP32, DHT22, Wi-Fi connection
• Concepts: TCP socket, basic HTTP, HTML string formatting
• Difficulty: intermediate

ESP-NOW Messaging¶

Two ESP32 boards exchange messages directly, with no router and no internet, using the ESP-NOW protocol. Sub-10 ms latency, up to 250 bytes per packet.

• Components: 2× ESP32 (that's it)
• Concepts: ESP-NOW peer-to-peer, MAC addressing, Wi-Fi channels, broadcast vs unicast
• Difficulty: intermediate

Why ESP32?¶

Tools¶

• Thonny — recommended IDE for MicroPython (ESP32 support built-in)
• esptool.py — flash MicroPython firmware to ESP32
• MicroPython firmware — get the generic ESP32 build

Where to start¶

1. Flash MicroPython onto your ESP32 with esptool.py
2. Connect via Thonny (pick "MicroPython (ESP32)" interpreter)
3. Run LED Blink first to verify your setup
4. Continue with the temperature sensor, then the web server