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Topic starter
2021-04-18 2:26 pm
I have a reed switch working with an ESP8266 to monitor whether a door is open or closed. It sends messages to Home Assistant via MQTT. That was the easy part. Now I'd like to try to turn it into a finished project. This is where I'm stuck.
I only have an ES8266 dev board, which is too big to use in an enclosure. It does have a USB port, which could be used to provide power and the programming, and I wouldn't have to build a voltage regulator. Or should I get the basic microcontroller CPU and build it onto a board with a voltage regulator and some mechanism for programming it?
Given that I'm a soldering newbie, perhaps the best option is to stick with a small dev board, and work with that.
This leads me to....
I don't have a 3D printer, nor do I want one. Where would I buy an enclosure that is specifically designed for this project?
2021-04-19 3:31 am
Hobby and craft stores often have various sizes of plastic boxes. I've also found "telephone sections" of my local hardware store good for small, unobtrusive beige boxes.
If you want it specifically for your project, you'll want to get it 3d printed. You can design it with things like tinkercad and then take the resulting stl file to a local makers space if available. You may be able to search online for "3d printing serrvice <my town>", and get some results. There are also online printing services https://all3dp.com/1/best-online-3d-printing-service-3d-print-services/ .
"A resistor makes a lightbulb and a capacitor makes an explosion when connected wrong"
"There are two types of electrical engineers, those intentionally making antennas and those accidentally doing so."
YurkshireLad reacted
2021-04-19 3:41 am
I only have an ES8266 dev board, which is too big to use in an enclosure. It does have a USB port, which could be used to provide power and the programming, and I wouldn't have to build a voltage regulator. Or should I get the basic microcontroller CPU and build it onto a board with a voltage regulator and some mechanism for programming it?
Which variant are we talking about here? I use ESP-12E NodeMCUs periodically and they work fine. Are you looking more for ESP-01-size? or esp-12e pure?
I doubt I could reliably get a smaller 3.3V supply than a nodeMCU and a usb charger... so that's usually what I use. If you do decide to go that route (with battery-powered project, for example), you'll need an ftdi adapter. Bill actually has a video that covers using them here:
"A resistor makes a lightbulb and a capacitor makes an explosion when connected wrong"
"There are two types of electrical engineers, those intentionally making antennas and those accidentally doing so."
YurkshireLad reacted
Topic starter
2021-04-19 7:42 pm
I think I have an ESP-12E NodeMCU. I have an FTDI adaptor, which I've used with a different microprocessor, so that part should be doable.
Thanks
Topic starter
2021-04-20 12:11 am
If I want to reduce the size of the enclosure stuck to a wall, I could use a smaller microcontroller and use BLE to get the data to a hub, which can then send the data to Home Assistant. It would give me an excuse to learn BLE.