ESP32 Forum

Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well
I've recently taken my first steps into the world of automation, and now I've decided to focus on the front gate of my home.
I'm here today to ask for advice on the best product (ESP32) to choose for my home gate automation project.
I've done a lot of research and most of it leads me to use an ESP32, but I've seen that there are several options, so I'll try to summarize what I want below to give you a better understanding of what I have in mind.


Intended operation summarized:
. Send a command to open the gate > Gate opens until it is detected by pressure sensor 1 (detecting the gate turns off the motor) > Wait Z seconds > Start closing movement > Pressure sensor to make sure it is completely closed > Remain locked until another command is sent.
. If it detects an obstacle, it stops and resumes movement only when the photocell detects a clear path.
. In the event of an emergency, the emergency stop button must be pressed to shut down the entire circuit and allow manual opening/closing.

. During opening or closing, one light is always on.

I would like to emphasize that safety is an important factor and I'd like to have a product that is reliable in this respect.


So, what do you think would be the best microcontroller to implement this project?
I'd also like to hear any suggestions you have on how it should work, or any improvements you think would be interesting to implement in the future.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

andrecc wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 17, 2024 7:37 pm

. Send a command to open the gate > ...

How do you intend commands to be transmitted? Wirelessly (WiFi, Bluetooth, LoRa, NRF24L01,...)? - If wireless, what range do you need?

The other functional requirements are easy for any of the ESPs to handle.
As to safety, I'm not sure though. I'd say, w.r.t. the ESP, 99% comes down to implementing the firmware correctly and with appropriate safety checks and fail-safe modes in place. The last 1% may be up to the chip design/hardware, of which I don't know the safety/reliability level Espressif can certify to.
Then, there's also the safety and reliability of the surrounding hardware (sensors, actuators, connections, power supplies,...) to verify.

Hi, thanks for the reply!
From the beginning the commands will be sent via Bluetooth, it's not very advanced at the moment, but to open the gate I would say up to 10m is more than enough.