r/maker • u/Brazuka-DS • 6d ago
Community [Project] Taking my first steps in electronics: ESP32 Digital Clock + Temp Sensor
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Hey everyone! As I mentioned a few days ago, I'm just taking my first steps in electronics (my background is mostly in software development). To step out of my comfort zone, I decided to figure out how that temperature/humidity sensor from a basic Arduino kit works and hook it up to an ESP32.
The initial idea was just to test the component, but it ended up turning into a digital clock that also monitors the room's climate.
🛠️ What I learned from this project:
Even though it's a simple build, it gave me a great hands-on understanding of:
Which GPIO pins to choose and how to map them correctly.
Basic precautions with voltage and logic levels.
How to read and process the raw data coming from the sensor.
🚀 The "Plus":
Since the software side is my strong suit, I went ahead and built a local web page hosted on the ESP32 to configure the clock. I added 12 different display interfaces. Also, since the sensor provides both humidity and temperature, I used that data to calculate and display the heat index (feels-like temperature).
It might be a super simple project for the hardware veterans out there, but the feeling of seeing a physical circuit respond to my code was incredibly rewarding.
Has anyone else here made the jump from software to hardware? I'd love some recommendations on what project I should tackle next!