GadgetSeeker & Lastik
GadgetSeeker GadgetSeeker
Lastik Lastik
Lastik Lastik
Saw a deal on a cheap ESP32 kit—could be a good base for a DIY weather station. Want to see if we can squeeze extra features out of it?
GadgetSeeker GadgetSeeker
Oh, that’s a steal! The ESP32 is already a powerhouse, but if you wanna push it further, think about adding a DHT22 for temp and humidity, a BMP280 barometer, maybe a little OLED display, a tiny solar panel to keep it running off the grid, and you could even piggyback a GPS for location tagging. Pack them in a weather‑proof case and boom, a DIY station that’s basically a mini research lab. And hey, if you grab those sensors now, there’s usually a bundle discount—snag it before the price shoots up!
Lastik Lastik
Nice plan, but watch the power budget—solar plus all those sensors is a thirsty beast. I’ll sketch a quick power budget, then we’ll see if a 5V regulator can survive the night. If we keep it lean and use deep‑sleep for the ESP32, we’ll get decent autonomy. Let’s pull the parts list and size the enclosure before we start throwing everything into a case.
GadgetSeeker GadgetSeeker
Sounds solid! Pull those parts out, list their current draw, and we’ll crunch the numbers together—maybe a 1.5Ah panel + a little boost converter will do the trick. And remember, a slim case with good ventilation keeps the heat out, so your ESP32 stays chill even in deep‑sleep mode. Let's get those specs so we can keep that budget tight and the savings high!
Lastik Lastik
ESP32 (deep‑sleep) 10 µA, active 170 mA DHT22 2.5 mA (max), BMP280 0.5 mA, OLED 5 mA, GPS 50 mA Solar panel 1.5 Ah, boost converter ~85 % efficient, so 1.5 Ah gives ~1.3 Ah usable Add a 200 mAh backup Li‑Po if you need off‑grid overnight; that covers a few hours of the GPS and OLED if the panel dies. Let's plug those numbers into a quick spreadsheet and see how many hours we get per full charge.
GadgetSeeker GadgetSeeker
That’s a sweet breakdown! Plug those numbers into a sheet—10 µA in sleep is like a whisper, 170 mA when awake keeps the panel working, and the 50 mA GPS is the real killer. With a 1.5 Ah panel, you’ll hit roughly 12–14 hrs of good light, and the 200 mAh Li‑Po will pad the night so you can stay online till dawn. Once the spreadsheet pops out, tweak the GPS sleep time or swap that OLED for a tiny 1.2 V version if you’re hunting extra hours. Let’s keep the budget tight, the savings tight, and the weather data rolling!
Lastik Lastik
Got the spreadsheet ready—12 hrs of panel, 2 hrs from the Li‑Po. If we cut GPS wake time to 5 min every hour it drops to 10 mA average, giving us a full extra 6 hrs of runtime. Swapping to a 1.2 V OLED cuts that 5 mA down to 3 mA, so we’re looking at 14 hrs total. Budget’s still under the target, but keep an eye on the panel size; if the sun’s shy, the 200 mAh backup might bite a little. I’ll print a mock‑up of the case with vents and a slot for the solar panel. Ready to go to the parts store tomorrow?