Zcontroller

Ghost Controller

ESP32-S3

The default PlatformIO environment is esp32-s3-devkitc-1, targeting the ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 with an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 N16R8 module: 16 MB quad-SPI flash and 8 MB octal PSRAM. The base PlatformIO board name may still display N8; the project overrides its flash size and memory mode for N16R8. PSRAM is enabled with qio_opi and BOARD_HAS_PSRAM; it does not increase persistent storage.

partitions_esp32s3_16mb.csv reserves two 2 MiB firmware slots for OTA updates and 12,517,376 bytes (11.9375 MiB / 12.52 MB) for LittleFS. The partition named spiffs uses the ESP32 Arduino filesystem partition convention; its contents are LittleFS, selected by board_build.filesystem.

The external PCA9685 uses SDA GPIO4 and SCL GPIO5 on both targets. Connect to those GPIO numbers on the S3, with a shared ground and 3.3 V I2C pull-ups. The onboard OLED remains disabled. The existing servo configuration is retained.

BoardRgbLed controls the onboard addressable LED and starts it blue at a brightness of 64/255. It provides setColor(red, green, blue) and off(). The default follows the Arduino board's PIN_RGB_LED (GPIO48). For a DevKitC-1 v1.1 with its LED on GPIO38, add -DCONTROLLER_RGB_LED_PIN=38 to the S3 environment's build_flags. On ESP8266 the class does nothing.

Build firmware and filesystem:

pio run -e esp32-s3-devkitc-1
pio run -e esp32-s3-devkitc-1 -t buildfs

The first installation on the S3 requires USB, including the new partition table and filesystem. Back up config and sequences from the old controller first; the LittleFS images and firmware for the two chips are not interchangeable. When ready to install, connect the S3 and use:

pio run -e esp32-s3-devkitc-1 -t upload
pio run -e esp32-s3-devkitc-1 -t uploadfs

The existing native USB CDC flags are retained. Use the USB port appropriate to your board; an explicit --upload-port COMx can select it when needed.

Passing an IP address to --upload-port automatically selects OTA, even with the base environment. For the initial installation use a serial port, for example:

pio run -e esp32-s3-devkitc-1 -t upload --upload-port COM10
pio run -e esp32-s3-devkitc-1 -t uploadfs --upload-port COM10

Replace COM10 with the board's actual port (pio device list). If the uploader cannot connect, hold BOOT, press and release RESET, then release BOOT and retry.

Subsequent updates can use esp32-s3-devkitc-1_ota at ghost-controller.local, with OTA_PASSWORD set for the uploader. Wi-Fi and device OTA credentials are supplied through the existing private include/WifiCredentials.h. upload_html.ps1 now defaults to the S3 OTA filesystem target. A filesystem upload replaces saved files with data/.

For an OTA firmware update to a specific IP, use the OTA environment so its authentication flags are included:

pio run -e esp32-s3-devkitc-1_ota -t upload --upload-port 192.168.3.36

No response from the ESP means no OTA invitation response arrived. Confirm the S3 is already running this firmware, its current IP is correct, and its serial log reports OTA ready. This firmware disables OTA when its configured OTA password is empty. For an already initialized device, also check local firewall/network access to UDP 3232 and the uploader's return TCP connection.

The original nodemcuv2 and nodemcuv2_ota environments remain available for the ESP8266. Use ./upload_html.ps1 -Environment nodemcuv2_ota for its filesystem.

Robot folders

The mixer motion button cycles through immediate (-), smooth (S, with acceleration/deceleration), and linear (/, constant angular command speed). Low/medium/high speeds apply to manual timed moves. In a sequence, linear moves use the step duration regardless of distance or selected speed, including the first step. A 10° to 90° linear move in a 2000 ms step takes 2000 ms at 1× playback; at 2× it takes 1000 ms. Smooth step moves retain their selected speed. Sequence steps save the mode; older immediate/smooth steps retain their meaning. The servo settings initial motion mode also accepts linear. Step playback sends one servo batch to the controller. Offline playback sets every target with a shared start time before rendering, so one servo cannot delay another while the canvas is redrawn. This requires matching firmware and frontend versions. Color steps can be selected to apply their RGB value immediately without moving servos. The ESP32 model shows the current RGB color with a glowing LED; live status refreshes report the controller's current color. Black switches the glow off.

The Robot entry is a physical ESP32-style board in the 3D hierarchy. Select it to edit robot name/folder settings and its position/rotation. Drag components onto the board to attach them, or onto Scene to detach them. New components attach to Robot by default. Legacy configs gain a board at the origin when opened; existing root components attach to it, with their poses preserved. Use Save robot to persist the added board. It consumes no servo output channel.

Each robot is stored in data/robots/<robot name>/ with config.json and sequence_a.json through sequence_j.json. Missing slots start empty. The folder name is the robot name; data/robots.json records the available folders and the selected robot. The same layout is used in the controller's LittleFS. Saved live servo positions are also kept inside that robot's folder.

In Setup, use New robot, enter its Robot name, then Save robot to create the folder. Choose an existing Robot folder and click Load robot to load its configuration and sequence slots. Edit Robot name and click Save robot to rename its folder; its config and sequences move together. Existing folder names cannot be overwritten. Import config imports an older standalone JSON config into a new robot; Save robot creates its named folder. Changing an existing folder's topology still requires reviewing its sequences.

The local server migrates legacy root-level config and compatible sequence files to the Robot folder on first use, retaining the originals as backups. Sequences whose servo count does not match remain only in the legacy backup location. The included Walker folder contains the imported walker config and an empty A slot.

Selecting a different robot on the controller turns off the current PWM outputs and blocks servo commands until restart. Editing and sequences use offline simulation until then. Click Reboot after saving to apply the selected robot to hardware. These changes require both firmware and filesystem uploads; building them locally does not update the controller.

Hardware components

Adding a 3D component

Each file in data/components/ owns its drawing and registers with componentRegistry from registry.js. The same draw function supplies visible geometry, physics shapes and sensor-hit surfaces. Optional drawOverlay owns effects such as the ESP32 LED glow and the VL53L0X beam.

To add a passive component, create its file with a draw function and registration:

function drawExample({ box, label }) {
  box([0, 0, 0], [20, 2, 40], "#aebbc5", false);
  label([0, 8, 0]);
}
componentRegistry.register({
  objectType: "Example panel",
  order: 110,
  defaults: {},
  draw: drawExample
});

Add its script to data/index.html after registry.js and before app.js. The picker, loaded-config validation, drawing and physics discover it through the registry; no app.js changes are needed. Servo variants additionally register model, choice, label and their model/type defaults; Robot is non-selectable because the robot root is created automatically. Draw contexts include node, purpose (render/physics) and shared state where applicable.

Restart the local server to regenerate data/components/catalog.json, or run node devserver/component-registry.js before a filesystem build. Firmware uses that catalog for type/model validation and serves model scripts generically. Deploy the updated files together; this registry migration also requires the updated firmware once. Subsequent passive models need only a filesystem update.

Setup also includes aluminium panels sized 50×50×2 mm and 50×100×2 mm, a solid 50 mm box, and a stylized slotted 20×20×100 mm aluminium extrusion. Panels lie in local X/Z; the extrusion runs along local Y. They attach like other components, participate in physics and simulated sensor ray hits, and consume no servo outputs. Dimensions are illustrative rather than manufacturing models.

Distance sensor component

In Setup, select VL53L0X V2 Time of Flight Sensor under Add component, then position, rotate and parent it before saving the configuration. The preview uses a stylized board with its sensing direction along local +Z. It participates in preview physics as a fixed attachment and uses no servo channel.

The 3D view draws a dotted beam along the sensor's local +Z direction and labels the nearest simulated surface distance in millimetres. The floor at world Y=0 is solid, including when physics is disabled or the grid is hidden. The display ray extends up to 2000 mm; this is a visualization limit, not a hardware specification. Sensor distance labels remain visible when component name labels are disabled. The firmware supports one physical VL53L0X at I2C address 0x29 on the PCA9685 pass-through I2C header. Connect SDA to SDA (controller GPIO4), SCL to SCL (GPIO5), and GND to the common ground. Use a supply supported by your breakout and keep SDA/SCL pull-ups at 3.3 V; the PCA9685 servo V+ rail is not the sensor supply. The header shares the controller bus, so no additional GPIO or PCA9685 servo channel is needed. Multiple sensors at the default address require separate XSHUT wiring/address assignment, which is not supported.

Firmware starts continuous ranging at 100 ms intervals, polls completed results without waiting for a measurement, and retries unavailable sensors every five seconds. GET /api/sensors returns a vl53l0x object; GET /api/status includes the same object under sensors.vl53l0x. Example:

{"vl53l0x":{"model":"VL53L0X","address":41,"ready":true,"valid":true,"distanceMm":325,"rangeStatus":11,"sampleAgeMs":42}}

ready indicates initialization, while valid indicates a current successful measurement. distanceMm is null for missing, invalid, or stale readings (over 500 ms). rangeStatus is the raw device status (11 means range complete), and sampleAgeMs is the age of the latest completed sample; both are null before any sample. API handlers return cached telemetry and do not initiate I2C reads. The editor beam and labels still show simulated geometry, not API telemetry. The driver uses the Pololu VL53L0X library. These changes require a firmware upload to take effect on the controller.

For the 30 cm walking task, distance change to a fixed reference surface can estimate forward displacement while the sensor keeps the same heading. One range measurement does not determine full position or sideways drift.

GY-801 component

In Setup, click +, choose Sensors, select GY-801, then click Add component. It supports placement, rotation, parenting, robot saving, physics geometry and simulated range-sensor hits without using a servo output.

The stylized blue board has a 25.8 x 16.8 mm outline, based on the GY-801 module datasheet. It represents the gyro, accelerometer, compass and barometer packages; chip layout and mounting details are illustrative. This adds the scene component only; hardware sensor drivers and live IMU/pressure telemetry are not implemented.

GY-801 scene output is available in Metrics. The Units selector switches between rotation (degrees), gyro (degrees/second), acceleration (metres/second squared), altitude (metres) and pressure (hPa). All GY-801 traces are marked (sim) and derive from the mounted board's world pose, including parent and physics motion. Acceleration includes gravity; pressure uses an approximate standard atmosphere with scene Y=0 as sea level. These are simulated outputs, including when connected to a controller, rather than live sensor telemetry. Derivative readings start after sufficient samples and reset after long gaps.

The full simulated GY-801 output includes gyro X/Y/Z (degrees/second), accelerometer X/Y/Z (m/s²), magnetometer X/Y/Z (microtesla), compass heading (degrees), barometric pressure (hPa) and temperature (degrees Celsius), plus scene orientation and altitude. Select µT for the compass field axes and °C for temperature. The compass uses a synthetic uniform world field [0, -20, 40] µT, with north along +Z and up along +Y, rather than a local Earth-field estimate. Heading follows the board's horizontal +Z direction and is unavailable when that axis is vertical. Temperature follows the simulated atmosphere's lapse rate; it is not a live chip-temperature measurement.

Component mass

Every component's Setup parameters include Physics > Mass (g). Enter a positive total mass in grams and use Save robot to persist it. Clear the input to return to the legacy geometry-density estimate. Mass is stored as massGrams and loaded by both the local editor and controller configuration.

The physics adapter converts grams to kilograms, divides the mass across the component's collider volumes (including servo body/shaft shapes), and sums attached component masses into welded bodies. Null components can carry mass without visible geometry. Changing mass rebuilds the running physics assembly at its configured pose, as other topology changes do.

Component power estimates

Every component model in data/components/ registers a getPower() method returning { min, max } in watts. Edit that method to set the model's power defaults. Powered models other than TD-7120 use provisional 0.1-1 W placeholders; passive models use 0 W. Replace the placeholders with measured or datasheet values.

Each component can override its model defaults with minPowerWatts and maxPowerWatts in config.json. Edit them in Setup under Estimated power, or in Servo Settings. A complete nonnegative range overrides the model; blank/null or incomplete ranges use getPower() defaults. Explicit 0/0 is a valid override.

Servo meters and Power metrics share the same estimates, interpolating between minimum and maximum using movement activity. Off/muted outputs show zero. Controller and sensor estimates use their minimum as an idle baseline. The master meter sums all component estimates, including model defaults. These are estimates, not live electrical measurements.

Configure electrical ratings in Setup or Servo Settings using powerVoltageVolts, idleCurrentAmps, runningCurrentAmps and peakCurrentAmps. Watts are calculated as voltage times current; convert mA to A by dividing by 1000. Editing electrical inputs clears direct watt overrides. Complete watt overrides still take priority if entered afterwards. Normal movement interpolates toward running power; peak power is shown in the tooltip and is not treated as a measured stall. Meter segments use normal-running power as their full scale.

TD-7120 defaults now use the supplied ratings: idle 0.040 A; no-load running 0.210 A at 4.8 V to 0.260 A at 7.2 V; peak 2.1 A at 4.8 V, 2.7 A at 7.2 V, and 3.3 A at 8.4 V. Intermediate currents are linearly interpolated estimates. Its assumed supply is 4.8 V unless overridden; set the actual supply voltage. The 0.040 A idle value is an upper estimate for the quoted less-than-40 mA figure.