Patrick askpatrickw

Research about the ESP32-S2 Camera Interface

I am very interested in the ESP32-S2's camera port and the possibility of using it for a variety of MicroPython\CircuitPython projects. My hope is that the ESP32-S2 will the ability to do do things similiar to what is possible on the Raspberry Pi. Today there is no ESP32-S2 board available which exposes this port, and no camera modeles, but I wanted to understand the hardware capabilities to understand what might be possible and just as important, what is not.

This write up is based on solely on a morning's worth of research. If there are errors

Official Docs

You can get really good official docs here now https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/tree/main/ports/espressif

Below are the old notes (19 Oct 2020)

ESP32-S2 CircuitPython Getting Started

Ensure CP is up to date

git pull adafruit main
git submodule sync --quiet --recursive
git submodule update --init

Ensure IDF is up to date

CircuitPython Secrets

This are some notes around the use of secrets.py in CircuitPython.

Current Events

Today CP examples suggest a secrets.py files for storing passwords, SSIDs, keys, etc as a dictionary.

File: secrets.py

Package Management for CircuitPython

Nothing formal written up on this yet, but I think we're seeing the download the zip file approach start to become brittle. Already there are two different bundles. My initial thought is why not have a cpip (or modify circup) and use PyPi. One thing I like about this is that it teaches new programmers things they need to learn if they also do Python programming. I've not done any real research into the technical parts of this yet, but in an ideal world, a fork of pip or some modular components of pip could be used to drive the core logic of version checking and install and the CP specific parts that deal with the board would be the

CircuitPython 2022

2022_1: Snakes in the #%*$& Van

Goal: Layout the requirements and design of a system to use CircuitPython as a basis for a Camper Van (or RV or Boat) monitoring, tracking and alerting system.

NOTE: This may never be built on CP but I'd like to go through the thought experiment.

2022_2: 3D Mouse Project

MaxxFan Remote

This is the data received from the Maxxfan Remote by the ESP 360 Remote.

Power Off

Remote Screen:

OFF
CLOSED

Home Assistant Voice Hardware

Home Assistant now supports voice commands using some (?) microphones compatible with ESPHOME.

Off-The-Shelf Options

There have been two off-the-shelf hardware options, both of these are sold out (as of 28 Aptil 2024) and the ESP32-S3-Box-3 may no longer be manufactured.

ESP32-Based Relay Board with Power Monitoring and PoE Integration

Objective: Design and build a custom relay board using the ESP32 microcontroller with integrated Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality. The board will control 8 relays, each capable of handling up to 10A at 24VDC, and include current monitoring for each relay using ACS712 sensors. The system will be compatible with ESPHome for easy integration with Home Assistant.

Project Requirements:

	import rtc
	import socketpool
	import ssl
	import time
	import wifi

	import adafruit_requests


	def set_system_time():