Skip to the content
PCBKitNew board
2 layers37.5 × 100 mmSensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

Size
37.5 × 100 mm
Copper layers
2
Thickness
1.6 mm
Parts
18
Nets
49
Pads
245
Tracks, vias
1,173, 34
Routed
Yes
KiCad
KiCad 7 (file 20221018)
Created
9 Oct 2023
Updated
2 Apr 2024

Overview

Sensor node is an open-source printed circuit board by unicab369, from the unicab369/ESP-MESS repository on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board of 37.5 × 100 mm with 18 parts on 49 nets, routed with 1,173 tracks and 34 vias.

Its parts include 6 ICs, 5 resistors, 5 switches and 1 capacitor. It belongs with the home automation and IoT and sensors and measurement boards of this library.

README

README.md

What is it?

ESP-MESS is an open-source firmware for ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers, enabling
rapid IoT prototyping for home automation, smart farming, smart business, and more.

Why ESP-Mess?

Back in 2020 during Covid, I got an opportunity to look back and decide on what I want to do next. I thought about what I liked as a kid so I decided to build a remote control car. During my search for a suitable microcontroller, I stumbled upon the NodeMcu, a development board that house the ESP8266 module. Initially underestimating its capabilities, I soon realized its potential. Since then, my journey has led me to acquire skills in soldering, basic electronics, embedded programming, web development for microcontrollers, PCB design, and various wireless communication technologies.

I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies. The system is designed to be flexible and scalable, allowing it to adapt to different wireless application requirements. My goal is to explore and discover different IoT applications while keeping the cost minimal. To achieve this, I created ESP-MESS.

Why a Wireless Bridge System (WBSys)?

Because it's cool. It's very cool. Ok, seriously, different wireless technologies have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. For instance, LoRa technology allows devices to communicate with each other over long distances, which is not possible with WiFi or Bluetooth. However, LoRa has a low data rate, which makes it unsuitable for transmitting large amounts of data such as videos or audios. On the other hand, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology has a short range but enables devices to be accurately positioned relative to another device. WiFi can stream a lot more data over the air compared to Bluetooth, but at the cost of higher power consumption, making it less suitable for battery-operated devices than Bluetooth or BLE. These are just a few examples of the advantages and disadvantages of different wireless technologies.

A Wireless Bridge System offers a versatile solution by allowing the integration of diverse wireless technologies to address various challenges. Users can enhance their networks by adding supported modules to the bridge, taking advantage of the strengths of each wireless technology. This flexibility empowers users to tailor custom wireless networks to fulfill specific needs, whether it's creating a wireless sensor network, a smart home automation system, a mesh network for industrial automation, or a communication system for autonomous vehicles. The system facilitates the extension, management, monitoring, and control of device networks. ESP-MESS is an implementation of this system, it offers carefully chosen supporting devices that balance performance and cost, enabling users to choose components that align with their requirements and budgets.

checkout our discord channel: https://discord.com/channels/793348436475904022/858758498875342878

A Live ESP-MESS Node: This is an ESP-MESS Node that runs on a Lithium-ion 18650 battery and a solar panel. The device records the temperature, humidity, ambient light level, battery voltage level, and the charging current from a solar panel. It utilizes ESP-Now to send signals to another Node, which is connected to my WiFi network. This Node publishes the readings to IoTPlotter for storage and data analysis. https://iotplotter.com/user/feed/627987619219815565

A Solar Node

drawing

Data visualization

drawing

What is the vision?

Below is the rough draft of the initial vision. Please excuse my English.

drawing

An example a configuration

drawing

what is the state of the project?

Right now it's functional but I have not finished document the setup. I will try to make a video with instructions on how to work it.

Currently I have got ESP-Now working and some works for the LoRa communication has been completed. Next step is to refine the ESP-Now, LoRa, and then add support for BLE.

What am I working on right now?

Currently, I'm testing a few BLE modules. I'm trying to measure the power consumption of different devices and compare them with each other. This way I can pick one that I think is best suited for a low power device that can monitor multiple sensor nodes and can last on a battery for the minimum of 1 year.

make all monitor

Parts

18
QtyValueFootprintReferences
5RConnector_PinSocket_2.54mm:PinSocket_1x02_P2.54mm_VerticalR1, R2, R3, R4, R5
2SW_DIP_x04Button_Switch_THT:SW_DIP_SPSTx04_Slide_9.78x12.34mm_W7.62mm_P2.54mmSW1, SW2
1BuzzerBuzzer_Beeper:Buzzer_12x9.5RM7.6BZ1
1CCapacitor_THT:CP_Radial_D5.0mm_P2.00mmC1
1MCP1700x-330xxTOPackage_TO_SOT_THT:TO-92_InlineU5
1RotaryEncoderRotary_Encoder:RotaryEncoder_Alps_EC11E_Vertical_H20mmSW5
1SW_PushButton_Switch_THT:SW_PUSH_6mm_H7.3mmSW3
1SW_PushButton_Switch_THT:SW_PUSH-12mmSW4
1~Connector_PinSocket_2.54mm:PinSocket_1x10_P2.54mm_VerticalU6
1~A_SensorNode:ESP12BaseU3
1~A_SensorNode:LolinBaseU2
1~A_SensorNode:SensorBaseU1
1~Connector_PinSocket_2.54mm:PinSocket_1x15_P2.54mm_VerticalU4

Questions

How big is the Sensor node PCB?

It measures 37.5 × 100 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.

What parts does the Sensor node use?

18 parts. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.

Where can I download the Sensor node KiCad files?

From the unicab369/ESP-MESS repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is 5hardware/sensor_node_v2/sensor_node.kicad_pcb. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the Sensor node design in my own project?

Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask unicab369 before reusing the design.

More from unicab369/ESP-MESS

12
  • 2 layers93.2 × 99.1 mmPanelized, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Panelized

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    1,643 parts
  • 2 layers99.4 × 97 mmPanelized, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Panelized

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    416 parts
  • 2 layers98 × 96 mmPanelized, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Panelized

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    360 parts
  • 2 layers95.8 × 96.6 mmPanelized, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Panelized

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    324 parts
  • 2 layers99.4 × 99.4 mmPanelized, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Panelized

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    260 parts
  • 2 layers58 × 100 mmSensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Sensor node

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    106 parts
  • 2 layers47.4 × 47.8 mmSensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Sensor node

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    73 parts
  • 2 layers24.5 × 48 mmSensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Sensor node

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    45 parts
  • 2 layers24.1 × 48 mmSensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Sensor node

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    42 parts
  • 2 layers24.7 × 24.6 mmSensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Sensor node

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    34 parts
  • 2 layers16 × 13.8 mmBattery leds, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Battery leds

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    31 parts
  • 2 layers49.9 × 100.1 mmSensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Sensor node

    unicab369/ESP-MESS

    I am building a Wireless Bridge System that can manage multiple devices using a variety of wireless technologies.

    30 parts

Similar boards

  • 2 layers27.9 × 16.5 mmPowerSSO-24 breakout, the printed circuit board in 3D

    PowerSSO-24 breakout

    rusefi/rusefi

    rusefi - GPL internal combustion engine control unit

    18 parts1.2k
  • 2 layers42.7 × 13.7 mmStm32-mini12864, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Stm32-mini12864

    VoronDesign/Voron-Hardware

    Cool Hardware designed by the Voron Design group

    18 parts1.1kGPL-3.0
  • 2 layers41.2 × 46.6 mmThumb cluster left, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Thumb cluster left

    JesusFreke/lalboard

    A 3D-printed keyboard inspired by the DataHand

    18 parts993
  • 2 layers44 × 51.3 mm4272MAVcoder R4, the printed circuit board in 3D

    4272MAVcoder R4

    hackclub/OnBoard

    💡 Join 1,000 teenagers and make your first PCB with a $100 grant!

    18 parts915
  • 2 layers28.3 × 14.3 mmTap Photosensor PCB, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Tap Photosensor PCB

    VoronDesign/Voron-Tap

    Tap is a nozzle-based z-probe for the V2 and Trident printer designs. The entire toolhead moves to trigger an optical switch. Tap offers many advantages:

    18 parts716GPL-3.0
  • 2 layers20.3 × 15.2 mmL0 stepper driver, the printed circuit board in 3D

    L0 stepper driver

    Luos-io/luos_engine

    Open-source and real-time orchestrator for cyber-physical-systems, to easily design, test and deploy embedded applications and digital twins.

    18 parts546MIT
  • 2 layersMooltipass, the printed circuit board in 3D

    Mooltipass

    limpkin/mooltipass

    Github repository dedicated to the mooltipass project

    18 parts531
  • 2 layers42.5 × 28.8 mmC5VRX JACK DIY V2, the printed circuit board in 3D

    C5VRX JACK DIY V2

    Twotoz/C5VRX

    Ultra-minimal, zero-CPU 5.8 GHz analog FPV video receiver using ESP32-C5 Wi-Fi 6 PHY MODEM_DIAG, BitScrambler WBFM demodulation & resistor DAC CVBS

    18 parts515GPL-3.0