This is the channel where I publish videos about projects I am working on. At least the ones I can talk about, the kind that happen in my garage workshop after work. Often these fall into categories like Electronics, 3D Printing, Machining, DIY.
Some projects are featured in greater detail on my public google.site: sites.google.com/site/fpgaandco
And a general overview of my maker portfolio can be found here: fhu-space.net
Hope you enjoy.
If you would like to support my work you could consider to buy me a virtual coffee www.buymeacoffee.com/fhuable
That's it I'm buying a set of ESP32 rn! Thank you for the awesome video. Subscribed! PS : Is it possible to buy a ESP32 with the ability to power off the camera module out of the box ?
Not sure. The esp32 has a limited number of available pins, most of them used. I guess it would boil down to finding a module using a camera that can more effectively sleep via software command rather then relying on an external pin. If you don't run of a battery, or use a larger solar cell, the 6mA sleep current probably won't be an issue.
I appreciate the design and concept. However, it seems overly complex for the purpose of receiving a notification when there's mail. A simpler solution could be using an IoT switch, similar to those used for monitoring doors. These devices, which are battery-operated and typically have a year-long battery life, could effectively indicate mail arrival. All I need is a basic alert to notify me when the mailbox is opened, as the specific contents of the mail are not my concern.
Muy buen proyecto, espero que te funcione excelente sobre todo por las condiciones de clima en tu país. Cuéntanos más adelante acerca del funcionamiento de la batería conectada al ESP32-CAM. Gracias por tu vídeo y tu tiempo en realizarlo. Saludos!
Thanks. The battery is still going strong even though this yeah has seen the worst weather. The solar cell has gone a bit milky, I suspect the coating was meant for indoors and doesn't hold up too well to the high UV radiation of the outdoors but so far there is no noticable performance degradation.
Nice 1st stage to your project? Things have a way to take on a mind of their own. I'm also a newbie, to hobbyist electronics (guessing you aren't 😊), in general. Got into it, for designing/building smaller solar/Li-Ion projects. Always on the hunt for new ideas. Thanks. PS. I took one look at your front section/fence, & thought that's got to be in New Zealand. Being in a trade, I've gotten used to recognising house types. I'd guess you're near the sea/lake. It just has that look. Hi, from a fellow Kiwi 👋
@@fhuable Yep. My favourite character, in my favourite TV series. JMS was a genius, when he concepted & produced Babylon 5. Just wish the filming had been mastered in HD/real32mm.
@@fhuable I guess time will tell. Historically, redos can't capture the original essence, & interaction of the writers, actors & directors (in that order). Hope I'm proven wrong.
Got it up and running more or less. But i have one question. Right now it uses a white thread to fill out the white in the image. What if i want white background and black thread filling out the black in the image. I assume i should change the "backgroundColor":0, and threadColor":(255, 160,), to something else. But if i change to anythin that makes sense it eather dont work or only gives me a red background... I would love a simple guide on how to change the colors :-)
Ultimately, the alghorithm is color blind. It just tries to maximize the best next connection, currently using the 'brighness' of the thread as an idicator. If you want black thread on white bg you could just invert the image you're feeding it. Alternatively, I vagely remember an option to invert the colors in the code/json config.
this is very interesting, have you already worked out the details? and then if you look at him, then he is a little confused in measurements, in terms of there is neither the clarity of the eyes, nor the cheekbones .. Absolutely amazing work, well done! 👍 you deserve respect
Are you asking about the wifi range of the ESP32 module? It is not bad, currently reaching about maybe 15m to my router, through a brick wall and a tree. Although that is probably close to the maximum I can get in my current environment. Lot's of 2Ghz networks present around me.
I'm just starting to learn about this whole IoT thing and this is way over my head, but I'm really excited at the possibilities here! I'm building an ESP32 based multi-sensor for my chicken coop right now and I may want to include one of these ESP32 cameras. Thanks!
And after all of that work somone comes and smashes your letter box or just steals it..... hahahaha.... A great idea and design! I just have one of my outside cameras cover the letterbox area and I can just have a quick look at the footage or look at the movement sensor logs to see if anyone accessed my letterbox.
This is a neat idea, though, for me, I don't know that I would need a camera. I would make a small modification from the camera to a dri contact or pressure plate, and set it to wake when that sensor is triggered. I would probably also do a reset or "mail picked up" switch. Thanx for the video
Yes, many ways to do this. But keep in mind whatever switches and pressure sensors you use need to be highly weather/water proof. And pressure sensors that can react to the weight of a letter would likely also be tripped by to the crazy winds around here.
In v2 consider a plastic mailbox (common here in the USA, not sure about NZ). Then you can 3D-print a false back to hide the electronics with a hole for the camera. The plastic should allow WiFi to pass. Also, if you can find a mailbox that matches the color of the solar panel to make it less noticeable. Another possibility is if you have low-voltage lighting in your yard you can run a lead to the mailbox to charge the battery when the lights go on. This might eliminate the need for the solar panel altogether, or at least supplement it.
Agreed, with a plastic mailbox I could have just dropped it in there. But I was working with what I had on hand (and I didn't like the plastic mailboxes I could find). Personally, I quite like the solar cell. It makes the entire thing completely autonomous.
If you can get data to FTP server in your network, then you can do anything from there with other means. IMHO these small devices should be as stupid as possible, for not just security reasons, but as well for the stability reasons, as too much can go wrong with everything trying to be "smart". So let the home server be the one requiring maintenance, where small devices does just the minimal amount of tasks as possible.
This is so cool and amazing!!! It's just a brain blast! Man, you are just a genius! I am in awe of your work. Please, if it's not difficult for you, tell us: 1. Suppose I already have this "scratch built DIY CNC router - Bob", how can I then use your code, which is on github? 2. And let's say that I don't have the "Bob") Where can I buy it and how can I make it work the same as yours?) 3. Do you sell it by any chance?))) 4. To be honest, I would love to even buy a detailed tutorial or advice from you on how to assemble and do this myself! P.s. It just inspired me so much that I can't think of anything else :D:D:D
great project, question if I wanted to build this exact project but have the camera running 24/7 how big of a battery would you suggest? If the power consumption is 6 milli amps, will a 2000 mAmp lipo battery be appropriate? Thanks so much!
Not sure what you mean with running the cam 24/7. The 6mA power consumption stated in the vid was for deep sleep. So only when the board is doing absolutely nothing. As soon as it's awake and processing camera data the consumption goes up. Anyhow, whatever you do it depends on how much energy your solar cell can provide (in the worst weather). Whatever you consume during the day/night will have to be replenished the next time the sun comes up. Otherwise the battery will slowly drain. A 2000mAh battery can (very roughly) supply 2000mA for 1 hour. Or 20mA for 100 hours and so on.
@@fhuable 24/7 video streaming, I read the power consumption of the esp32 during this state and found it was drawing 240 mA. So I purchased a 9watt - 6volt solar panel along with a 10ah lipo battery. Currently running test to see how well it charges over time. I was able to get 2 days of power with the battery alone and can charge the battery in less than 6 hours. (in max sunlight conditions). But ill probably implement some battery saving features like deep sleep if the battery capacity dips below a certain amount nad have it power back on when the battery is recharged. Not ideal but it helps. Thanks for the help!
Hi, love this video with all the extras about the enclosure and power. That said, I'm new to this so there is so much to learn in all these areas. I'm looking to make a weather station with inputs from an anemometer, wind vane and BME280. I'm not quite sure how to add these inputs to the ESP32-CAM though as there don't appear to be enough. I have the Wifi, BME280 and camera going without the SD-Card but I think I'm out of inputs. I would like to add a cell/mobile modem too so it could take periodic readings + photo and send them to a server. Any thoughts / suggestions?
I'm getting ready to build the same thing, except I'm skipping the camera and only sending weather data. Using WiFi, the ESP32 will serve a web page with the data. Solar powered with TP4056, and 2 18650's.
@@johntoe6127 That's great, I haven't started to think about the power side of things. Which weather data are you sending? As I mentioned I am concerned I don't have enough inputs.
@@caetzar My plan is to connect to WiFi. That's cheaper and less complicated than cellular. The ESP32 will then serve a web page with the weather data. I purchased an anemometer, and wind vane sensor from aliexpress $25+shipping. Search: 30m/s Weather Station Outdoor 3 Cup Anemometer Sensor Polycarbon Fiber Wind Speed Wind Direction Sensor Output RS485 4-20MA 0-5V (be sure and get the 0-5V kit). Power will be from a 6"x6" solar panel, into a TP4056 (protected board) and 2 18650 batteries in parallel. Output from TP4056 is to a small boost converter giving 5V that powers everything. I also include an INA219 in the + lead of the battery. This allows battery voltage, and solar charge current to be reported. So, bme280 provides temp, pressure, and humidity. Anemometer and wind vane, solar level, charge current and battery voltage will all be reported over the web page. Pole made from iron pipe, and top made from 2" PVC Pipe, which will provide case for ESP32, boost converter, INA219, TP4056, Batteries, and bme280. Programmed to sleep a lot in the middle of the night when the wind is calm, and there's no solar input.
@@caetzar I'm using a standard ESP32-DEV-KIT , so no problem with the number of inputs. Since you want video (which is really a good idea), I think I'd just add another ESP32 to handle all the weather data and battery/solar data. Dedicate the ESP-CAM to handling and serving the video. You can power both of them off of the solar/battery setup. You could let the ESP-CAM sleep all the time and have the ESP32-DEV-KIT wake it when video was requested (using one of the spare inputs).
