Installing ESPeasy on the Fri3dcamp 2020 badge

This document descibes how to install and configure ESPeasy firmware on the Fri3dcamp 2020 badge.

ESPeasy

The ESP Easy firmware can be used to turn the ESP module into an easy multifunction sensor device for Home Automation solutions like Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Domoticz or other software that speaks MQTT. Configuration of the ESP Easy is entirely web based, so once you've got the firmware loaded, you don't need any other tool besides a common web browser. For more info, see https://www.letscontrolit.com/wiki/index.php/ESPEasy

What works and doesn't work

What works and has been tested:

• TFT display
• NeoPixel LEDs
• Battery voltage monitoring
• BOOT button
• Buzzer
• LED on GPIO-25 shows wifi connection status

What should work but hasn't been tested:

• I²C communications
• ISP communications
• MHZ19 CO2 sensor
• IR receiver (would probably work with custom_IR ESPeasy firmware but is untested)
• Temp & humidity (by populating an appropriate and supported IC)
• Monitoring battery charging through pins GPIO 34 and 35

What doesn't work (not supported in ESPeasy):

• LIS2DH12 accelerometer
• Encryption chip

Work in progress:

• Controlling the display backlight from ESPeasy as opposed to using the provided switch/accelerometer configuration

Step-by-step guide

Here's the step for getting ESPeasy installed and configured on the Fri3dcamp 2020 badge.

Getting ESPeasy

Download the latest release from Github: https://github.com/letscontrolit/ESPEasy/releases

Extract the ZIP file into it's own folder. Open that folder.

Flashing the ESPeasy firmware

Refer to the ESPeasy documentation: https://www.letscontrolit.com/wiki/index.php/ESPEasy#Loading_firmware

Open the Espressif flash download tool from the folder \Espressif_flash_download_tool_v3.8.5\flash_download_tool_3.8.5.exe

Select Developer Mode

Select ESP32 DownloadTool

In the ESP32 Download tool, select the top row and click the ... to select a firmware file.

Browse to the bin folder and select the firmware file ESP_Easy_mega_20220809_**display**_ESP32_4M316k.factory.bin

Put a 0 in the load address (@ 0)

Set SPI speed to 40MHz

Set SPI mode to DIO

Set Flash Size to 16Mbit

Select your board's comm port

Click the Start button

Your firmware should now be flashed to your badge. Look in the terminal window associated with the ESP flash tool for any errors.

If flashing doesn"t work, hold the BOOT button on the badge, then press the RESET button, then release the BOOT button, then try to flash again. If you open a serial terminal to the com port of the badge, it should say "waiting for download" after you press the buttons in the correct sequence.

Once the flash it complete, open a serial terminal to the com port of your badge and check the communications. You should see the ESP32 on the badge boot up and set up a wifi AP.

Connecting ESPeasy to your wifi network

If everything has gone right, you have a useable ESP Easy device now. As no parameters are set it will go to "AP mode" for configuration.

Use your computer, tablet or smartphone and search a WiFi network named ESP_Easy_0.

Connect to ESP_Easy_0 using the password configesp

Open your internet browser and type 192.168.4.1 as internet address into the browser. The WiFi setup of the ESP Easy opens.

You can configure your own local WiFi network now. Select the SSID and enter your passphrase, click connect.

It will take 20 seconds until a result is shown. If you typed everything correctly it will show a message that it is connected to the network and it shows the IP address.

Note the IP address!

Refer to this tutorial: https://www.letscontrolit.com/wiki/index.php/Basics:_Connecting_and_flashing_the_ESP8266

Configuring ESPeasy

Once ESPeasy is properly connected to your wifi you can configure it. Connect your computer or whatever back to your usual network. Open a browser and type the ip address that you noted into the browser.

You should see the config pages of ESPEasy now.

Tab "Main Settings":

Set a unit Name (e.g. Fri3d-badge)

Set a Unit Number (e.g. 1)

Click Submit

Tab "Hardware":

Wifi Status LED: GPIO-25

Reset Pin: none

I²C interface: GPIO-SDA: GPIO-21, GPIO-SCL: GPIO-22 (untested but should work)

SPI interface: Init SPI: VSPI: CLK=GPIO-18, MISO=GPIO-19, MOSI=GPIO-23

Click Submit

Tab "Devices:

TFT Display

Add a new device

Select Display - ST77xx TFT

Give it a name (e.g. Display)

Check enable

Set GPIO -> CS to GPIO-5

Set GPIO -> DC to GPIO-33

Set GPIO -> RES to None

Set GPIO -> Backlight to GPIO-12 (not sure about this one)

Set TFT display model to ST7789 240 x 240px

Set Rotation to +180°

Set Font Scaling to 3 (or something else if you desire)

Set Foreground colour to white

Set Background colour to green

Put some text in Line 1 just as a test. If the display works, this text will appear on the display after submit or reboot.

Click Submit

Make sure the backlight of the TFT is on (little switch on the right hand side of the badge).

The display won't work unless SPI is configured, see Hardware tab above.

NeoPixels

Add a new device

Select Output - NeoPixel (Basic)

Check enable

Set GPIO -> DIN to GPIO-2

Set Led Count to 5

Set Strip Type to GRB

Click Submit

Battery voltage monitoring

Add a new device

Select Analog input - internal

Check enable

Name it Battery (or something else you like)

Set Analog Pin to ADC1 ch7 / GPIO-35

Set Oversampling to Oversampling. This averages multiple readings and thus makes readings more accurate.

Check Apply Factory Calibration

Apply the formula %value%*2/1000 to the Formula field in Values (this formula needs to be tuned and calibrated to match the actual torelances of the 100k/100k resistor divider on your badge but should be close enough for its purpose)

Click Submit

BOOT switch

Add a new device

Select Switch input - Switch

Check Enable

Set GPIO to GPIO-0 (this selects the BOOT switch on the badge)

Set Switch Type to Switch

Set Switch Button Type to Normal Switch

Click Submit

Battery charge monitoring - Charge.Status

Add a new device

Select Switch input - Switch

Name it Bat.Charge.Status

Check Enable

Set GPIO to GPIO-34

Set Switch Type to Switch

Set Switch Button Type to Normal Switch

Click Submit

Battery charge monitoring - Bat.Mon

Add a new device

Select Switch input - Switch

Name it Bat.Mon

Check Enable

Set GPIO to GPIO-35

Set Switch Type to Switch

Set Switch Button Type to Normal Switch

Click Submit

Tab "Tools":

Click the Advanced button

You can set NTP to be.pool.ntp.org here to let the badge fetch internet time

Enable Rules

Click Submit

Tab "Rules"

(Rules needs to be enabled in Tools - Advanced to be able to see this tab)

Add the following rules:

On System#Boot do
    rtttl,32:d=10,o=6,b=300,c,d,e,f,g
endon

on Battery#Analog do
    logentry,Battery triggered, %eventvalue%
    st7789cmd,clear
    st7789,txp,1,2
    st7789,txt,VBat:%eventvalue%V
endon

Click Save

Check the serial terminal for feedback. You should see the "on Battery#Analog do" get triggered (EVENT: Battery#Analog=4.23), and the st7789 display commands being sent. If all is well, you should see the voltage that is on GPIO-35 (converted into battery voltage) on the display.

Using outputs

Outputs do not need to be configured. They can be addresses directly by using commands in these ways:

• from the Command prompt in the Tools menu
• sending the command over HTTP in a browser
• by sending a command in an MQTT topic
• triggering commands from the Rules

Examples:

Type one of these into the Command prompt in the Tools menu:

• rtttl,32:d=4,o=5,b=112:8a,8a,a,8a,8a,a,8a,8c6,8f.,16g,2a,8a-,8a-,8a-.,16a-,8a-,8a,8a.,16a,8a,8g,8g,8a,g,c6 plays some music on the buzzer
• PWM,25,50,100,3000 sends a PWM signal to the buzzer
• NeoPixel,1,255,0,255 lights up the first NeoPixel
• GPIO,25,1 (briefly) shuts off the on board red LED below the battery (until the wifi indication function re-enables it)

Browse to the URL http://<badge IP>/cmd?tone,32,1300,200

Send tone,32,3000,100 in the topic <unitname_unitnumber>/cmd over MQTT

Add this to your Rules to add a boot up sound that will play when your badge completes booting:

On System#Boot do
  rtttl,32:d=10,o=6,b=300,c,d,e,f,g
endon

Odds and ends

The Buzzer on the badge is on pin GPIO32 and can be controlled directly using commands. It does not require a device to be set up.

• PWM,32,100,100,3000
• rtttl,32:d=4,o=5,b=112:8a,8a
• tone,32,3000,100

The IR receiver is on pin GPIO25 but requires a different ESPeasy firmware (custom_IR?) to be flashed before it can be used.

Have fun, happy hacking!

Raketman

Contact: [email protected]
Origin of this document: https://github.com/waaslandwolf/Badge2020_ESPeasy/blob/main/README.md