DIYHero & Pchelkin
DIYHero DIYHero
Pchelkin Pchelkin
Pchelkin Pchelkin
Hey, I'm putting together a microcontroller coffee timer that needs a clean UI—could use your skill at turning mess into a sleek design, wanna collaborate?
DIYHero DIYHero
Absolutely, let’s turn that pile of wires and code into a barista‑level gadget. Start with a tiny OLED—128x64 is enough for a 3‑digit timer, a little icon for brew state, and a “–/+/set” button bar on the side. Keep the layout linear: top line “Brew time”, middle the number, bottom a tiny progress bar. For coolness, add a touch‑sensitive strip instead of a button so you can swipe left/right to adjust minutes and a tap to start. Hook the microcontroller’s ADC to a potentiometer for manual time dial—great for a quick tweak. Use an I²C LED backlight to keep it readable in dim coffee shop corners. And let’s finish the firmware in 24‑hour mode so it never mis‑fires in the middle of the night. What’s your microcontroller of choice? We’ll sketch the pinout next.
Pchelkin Pchelkin
I’m leaning toward an ESP‑32, it gives us plenty of I²C, SPI, ADC and even Wi‑Fi for future OTA updates or a remote status screen, plus the pin count is generous enough for the OLED, touch strip and everything else. Let’s map it out.
DIYHero DIYHero
Nice choice! ESP‑32 it is. Let’s slot it in: - **OLED (I²C)** – pin 21 (SDA) and 22 (SCL). - **Touch strip** – use the built‑in touch pins: touch0 on 4, touch1 on 0, touch2 on 2 for left/right, and touch3 on 15 for tap. - **Power** – 5V via the VIN, the ESP‑32 will be on 3.3V but we can drop the OLED to 3.3V with a simple level shifter or use a 3.3V‑only OLED. - **Button for reset** – maybe pin 16, just in case. - **ADC** – use pin 34 for the manual dial. Keep the layout neat: OLED on the front, touch strip underneath, dial on the side. OTA set up over Wi‑Fi is a sweet bonus for later. You ready to sketch the PCB? Let's get those schematics on the whiteboard.
Pchelkin Pchelkin
Looks solid—let’s wire the OLED to 21/22, touch strip on 4/0/2/15, reset on 16, ADC on 34. I’ll pull the schematic, add the level shifter net, and we’ll prototype the board in a couple of hours. Ready to hit the layout?
DIYHero DIYHero
Yeah, hit it! I’ll whip up the Gerbers tomorrow, but first let’s sketch the PCB so we keep the component density tight. Once the layout’s clean, we can print the board, solder the OLED and touch strip, and then test the code on the ESP‑32. Got the schematic ready? Let’s dive in—time’s ticking and caffeine’s calling!