Neil Cameron - Electronics Projects with the ESP8266 and ESP32: Building Web Pages, Applications, and WiFi Enabled Devices

Any source code or other supplementary material referenced by the author in this book is available to readers on GitHub via the books product page, located at www.apress.com/978-1-4842-6335-8 . For more detailed information, please visit http://www.apress.com/source-code .

Its never been so easy and practical to access information over the Internet, develop web pages to update sensor information, build mobile apps to remotely control devices with speech recognition, or incorporate Google Maps in a GPS route tracking app. The combination of Wi-Fi functionality, high computing power, and low cost of the ESP8266 and ESP32 development boards extends the range of opportunities for microcontrollers. Communicating with devices and accessing information over the Internet with the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers is the focus of Electronics Projects with the ESP8266 and ESP32.

The first section (Chapters ) of the book demonstrates the ease of use and the power of the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers to access and display information on the Internet. Projects include building an Internet radio, an Internet-based clock, and an international weather station and a project with the ESP32-CAM camera to upload pictures to a web page.

The books second section (Chapters ) covers web page design projects for updating your web page with sensor information using real-time graphics or controlling a remote device through a web page. Youll learn about AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), which combines XML (eXtensible Markup Language) HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) requests for updating a web page with JavaScript to manage those requests, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) to combine information transmitted by a server to the client, the two-way fast communication WebSocket protocol, MQTT brokers, and IFTTT (If This, Then That) for communication between devices on different networks. The practical projects include uploading information to the Internet and controlling devices from anywhere in the world with the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers.

Mobile apps are now ubiquitous, making the app build projects in the books third section (Chapters ) very relevant. An app to control remotely located motors connected to an ESP8266 or ESP32 development board mimics robotics used in the automotive industry; a speech recognition app controls devices; and a GPS tracking app, incorporating Google Maps, displays the current position and route information. Each project with the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers is fully described, as no previous experience in mobile app design and build is required.

Communication between ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers is described in the fourth section (Chapters ) of the book. The built-in ESP-NOW communication system, LoRa (long range), and RF (Radio Frequency) communication are applied to controlling remotely located devices with the device information updated on a web page by the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers. Communication protocols are extended to signal generation with the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers transmitting alphanumeric text or signals to produce sounds, as used in electronic music. Signal generation without a microcontroller is illustrated with an electronic piano, a motor control project, and an alarm system including an MP3 player with a movement detector. The books fourth section spans the built-in communication protocol of the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers to communication with back-to-basics electronics. A chapter on measuring electricity with an ESP8266 or ESP32 microcontroller, applied to a solar panel project, continues the electronics theme to understand the methodology behind sensors.

The ESP32 microcontroller is more powerful than the ESP8266 microcontroller and also includes Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication. Chapters on practical differences between the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers and on specific features of the ESP32 microcontroller form the last section (Chapters ) of the book. Throughout the book, all differences in libraries or instructions for the ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers are described, as each project is compatible with both microcontrollers.

All sections of the book are stand-alone, so you can delve into a section of the book rather than having to start from the beginning. Several chapters build on information from earlier chapters. For example, Chapter ). The Arduino programming environment and libraries are constantly being updated, so information on consequences of the updates is also available on the GitHub website.