Starting Mark 1 ESP32 Weather Station

While I’m still waiting for the PCB for Mark 0 Rev1 to arrive, I figured — why not start working on Mark 1 already?

Yes, the naming convention might start sounding confusing (Mark 0 Rev1 vs Mark 1 Rev0 coming soon?), but hey — that’s engineering!

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📃 Let’s Add More Features!

This time, I’m going full modular. I’ll be using a lot of modules, probably for the last time — future iterations will reduce the number of off-the-shelf boards and become more integrated.

🎯 Hardware Overview for Mark 1

Component	Description
Microcontroller	ESP32 DevkitC
Temperature & Humidity Sensor	BME680
Light Sensor	BH1750
RTC Module	DS3231
Motion Sensor (PIR)	HC-SR501
Battery	18650 Li-ion
Battery Management System	TP4056 (with protection)
Display	ILI9488 3.5” TFT Touchscreen
Enclosure	3D Printed, wall-mounted

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📌 ESP32 DevKitC 30-Pin GPIO Pin Map

Pin budget is tight for this application, but according to this map, it should work out — just barely. R&D is full of surprises though, so… fingers crossed 🤞.

Peripheral / Module	Function	Suggested GPIO(s)	Notes
ILI9488 Display	SPI MOSI	GPIO23	SPI Bus
	SPI CLK	GPIO18	SPI Bus
	SPI CS (TFT)	GPIO15	Chip Select
	D/C	GPIO2	Data/Command control
	RESET (opt.)	GPIO4	Can tie high
	Backlight Control	GPIO13	PWM capable
Touch Controller (XPT2046)	SPI MISO	GPIO19	SPI MISO shared
	Touch CS	GPIO5	Separate CS
BME680	I2C SDA	GPIO22	Shared I2C
	I2C SCL	GPIO21	Shared I2C
BH1750	I2C	(Shared)	Same bus as BME680
DS3231 RTC	I2C	(Shared)	Same bus as BME680
PIR Sensor (HC-SR501)	Digital Input	GPIO33	Input-only pin
Button #1	Digital Input	GPIO25	With pull-up
Button #2	Digital Input	GPIO26	Optional
Status LED	Digital Output	GPIO27	Any GPIO
Battery Voltage Sense	Analog Input (ADC1)	GPIO35	via voltage divider
Expansion / Future Use	Breakout Header	GPIO12, 14, 16, 17, 34	Available

🧠 Visual Map:

            +--------------------------+
3.3V      --|  EN             GPIO23   |-- MOSI (TFT)           
          --|  VP             GPIO22   |-- I2C SDA (BME680, etc.)
          --|  VN             GPIO1    |-- TX0 (USB Serial)
Free      --|  GPIO34         GPIO3    |-- RX0 (USB Serial)
ADC       --|  GPIO35         GPIO21   |-- I2C SCL
Battery   --|  GPIO32         GPIO19   |-- MISO (Touch)
PIR       --|  GPIO33         GPIO18   |-- CLK (TFT)
Button1   --|  GPIO25         GPIO5    |-- Touch CS
Button2   --|  GPIO26         GPIO17   |-- Free / Expansion
StatusLED --|  GPIO27         GPIO16   |-- Free / Expansion
Free      --|  GPIO14         GPIO4    |-- RESET (TFT)
Free      --|  GPIO12         GPIO2    |-- D/C (TFT)
Backlight --|  GPIO13         GPIO15   |-- TFT CS
GND       --|  GND            GND      |-- GND
5V        --|  VIN            3V3      |-- 3.3V        
            +--------------------------+

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🛠️ End Goals for Mark 1

This isn’t just a prototype — I want this to start feeling like a product. So:

• ✅ Use JLCPCB + PCBA services for at least partial assembly
  I love soldering, but I also want to learn how to order production-ready PCBs. This will help me scale things in the future.

• ✅ All-in-one neat and compact package

• ✅ Mounted in a custom 3D printed case — VEGA style
  (i.e. wall-mounted, and easy to take off for charging or updating)

• ✅ Expandable design — all unused GPIOs available via pin headers

• ✅ Possibly add an external weather node
  Using another BME680 + ESP32 via Zigbee or MQTT to report outside data wirelessly.

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Next step: ordering all the modules from China and preparing to test and integrate them as they arrive.

Stay tuned for unboxings, wiring, tests, and all the fun that comes with it!