Hardware

The design of OPNpool hardware is based around a RS-485 Transceiver and an ESP32 System on a Chip (SoC). The transceiver converts between the RS-485 differential signals and the transmit/receive signals used by the UART in the SoC. The ESP32 is supported by the well documented Espressif IoT Development Framework (ESP-IDF).

Early prototypes

We started by using a single threaded task on a Espressif ESP8266 SoC. This was cheap and offered built-in WiFi, but over time, we migrated to the newer ESP32. Though still very affordable, and it also offers Bluetooth LE and runs FreeRTOS which helps in separating the software components.

1st prototype based on ESP8266,
with two RS-232-s and a RS485 transceiver.
2nd prototype based on ESP8266,
with RS-232 and RS-485 transceivers.
3rd prototype based on ESP32
with RS-485 transceiver.
4th prototype based on a ESP32 development board
with a RS-485 transceiver.

ESP32 SoC

The official name of the ESP32 SoC is “ESP32-D0WDQ6”. It contains two CPUs and peripherals such as WiFi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE.

The ESP32-WROOM32 module combines this ESP32 with a clock circuit, 4 MByte flash memory and a trace antenna. This in turn is mounted on a Wemos LOLIN D32 daughterboard, that provides the reset logic, USB bridge and battery circuit. The main reason for using the LOLIN D32, is that we didn’t want to solder the micro-USB connector ourselves. Looking back, it seems more cost effective as well.

Schematic LOLIN-D32 daughterboard

Schematic

The schematic itself is pretty straightforward. We take the power from the pool controller and convert it to 3.3 V, and a buck converter provides 5 Volts to the battery connector on the ESP32 daughterboard. Using the battery input helps prevent problems when the circuit is also powered through the USB connector

Schematic OPNpool power

The data path is between the RS-485 connector and the ESP32 on the LOLIN D32 daughterboard. There is an optional terminator resistor to prevent reflections on the bus. The JTAG header is for debugging as detailed in the Debugging chapter.

Schematic OPNpool logic

The second revision adds LEDs for RS-485 RX (green) and TX (amber) to simplify setup. It also introduces a push button to preform a factory reset, and increases the bore hole size for the screws.

Bill of Materials

The price comes down to under $40 based on single quantity, excluding shipping and taxes. However, note that some items, such as the PCB, have minimum order quantities.

Name Description Suggested mfr and part# Paid
PBC r2 Printed circuit board OSHPark nS1z3Duu $9.43
ENCLOSURE 158x90x60mm clear plastic project enclosure, IP65 white label $8.65
LOLIN D32 Wemos LOLIN D32, based on ESP-WROOM-32 4MB Wemos LOLIN-D32 $6.50
RS485_CONN Plug+socket, male+female, 5-pin, 16mm aviation, IP68 SD 16-5S $3.50
MAX3485 Maxim MAX3485CSA, RS-485/UART interface IC 3.3V, 8-SO Analog-Devices MAX3490ECSA $5.01
DC1 DC/DC Converter R-78E5.0-0.5, 7-28V to 5V, 0.5A, 3-SIP RECOM-Power R-78E5.0-0.5 $3.25
D1 Schottky Diode, 1N5818, DO-41 ON-Semiconductor 1N5818RLG $0.38
LED1 LED, Green Clear 571nm, 1206 Lite-On LTST-C150KGKT $0.34
LED2 LED, Amber Clear 602nm, 1206 Lite-On LTST-C150AKT $0.34
C1, C2 Capacitor, 10 µF, 25 V, multi-layer ceramic, 0805 KEMET C0805C106K3PACTU $0.54
C3 Capacitor, 0.1 µF, 6.3 V, multi-layer ceramic, 0805 KEMET C0805C104M3RACTU $0.10
R1, R2 Resistor, 68 Ω, 1/8 W, 0805 YAGEO RC0805FR-0768RL $0.20
R3 Not stuffed, resistor, 120 Ω, 1/4 W, 0805 KAO SG73S2ATTD121J $0.13
RS485-TERM Fixed terminal block, 4-pin, screwless, 5 mm pitch Phoenix-Contact 1862291 $1.85
SW1 Tactile Switch, 6x6mm, through hole TE-Connectivity 1825910-4 $0.15
HOOK-UP WIRE 22 AWG solid, 6 inch each, yellow+green+red+black Adafruit 1311 $0.32
(2) PCB SCREWS Machine screw, #6-32 x x 3/16″, panhead, Phillips drive, steel Keystone-Electronics 9306 $0.10
(2) CONN SCREWS Machine screw, M2-0.4 x 16 mm, cheese head, slotted drive, nylon Essentra 50M020040D016 $0.26
(2) CONN NUTS Hex nut, M2-0.4, nylon Essentra 04M020040HN $0.20
CABLE Cat5e Ethernet Bulk Cable, 10 ft., blue Monoprice 880 $1.00

Layout

The schematic fits easily on a two layer PCB. Note the cut out for the RF antenna.

Front
Back

Behind the scenes

Just for fun, a little stop animation video of the PCB design and assembly

Design/assembly stop motion video

Continue reading to learn about the software development tools.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.