Tutorial: Part 4 – Boxing It Up – IOT ESP32 Solar Powered WiFi Night Light

August 25, 2018 3D Printing, ESP32, IOT, Solar Cells, Solar Power, SunAirPlus, SwitchDoc Products, Tutorials

Tutorial: Part 4 – Boxing It Up – IOT ESP32 Solar Powered WiFi Night Light

Boxing it Up for Outside

Here is your chance to build a solar powered  WiFi remote control ESP32 based nightlight for use outdoors.   The full Solar Powered Nightlight kit comes with mounting pylons and a water proof enclosure.

This is a great beginners Kit!

This is an easy to build kit with no soldering required.

The Solar Powered Night Light is WiFi controllable using the REST interface built into the software.  For example:

Sending the command inn a browser (of course, using your IP# for your Solar Night Light):

https://192.168.1.154/

you will get (assuming you have the right IP Address)

{"variables": {"solarVoltage": 1.52, "batteryVoltage": 4.14, "solarCurrent": 0.00, "batteryCurrent": 2.40, "loadCurrent": 1.20, "loadVoltage": 4.97, "currentLEDMode": 0, "darkLight": 0, "Version": "005"}, "id": "", "name": "SDL_ESP32_BC24_SOLARNL", "hardware": "esp32", "connected": true}

Look at all that information! Data! This tells us a lot about the solar power system and what is going on with the system! Not only it is cool to look at, it makes a great science project too.

This is a five part tutorial series:

 

The Kit contains the powerful ESP32 dual core processor mounted on the BC24 24 RGBW Programmable LED board with Grove Connectors!   No Soldering!

You can see and buy the entire kit here.

 

Putting the BC24 Solar Night Light in a Waterproof Box

The  WaterProof Box (H)  and the M3 Standoff screws and pylons (F) are included in the kit.  Here are the general directions and suggestions.

Mounting the BC24 on the Clear Panel

Center the BC24 on the front panel and market and drill four holes.  Use the pylons and screws to put the BC24 behind the panel, inside the box.

See the blue wire?  That is an antenna for longer WiFi range.  If you want to do that, check out this posting here.

Mounting the SunAIrPlus Board and the Multi-Solar Panel Connector Board inside the Box

You can either drill holes for the pylons to mount these boards or super glue the pylons to the box.  A good way of doing this is to mount the pylons on the boards using the included screw pylons and bolts and the super glue all four mounts to the back of the box by themselves.

Mounting the LiPo Battery

We would suggest using Velcro to mount the battery to the inside of the back of the box.

Mounting the Solar Panels

Drill a Hole for the two Solar Panel wires to exit the back of the box towards the top of the box.  Route the wires through this hole.

Seal all Holes

Using Clear 100% Waterproof Silicon Caulking, such as below (Not Included) to seal all of the holes you have cut into the box (including the screw holes for the solar bracket below).

 

The 3D Printed Solar Bracket

Go to the product page on shop.switchdoc.com for the BC24 Solar Powered Night Light Kit 3D files for the Solar Bracket and print out the solar bracket on a 3D Printer.   PLA will work, but ABS will last longer in the direct sunlight.

If you do not have a 3D Printer, you can purchase a 3D Print of the solar bracket here at:

https://shop.switchdoc.com/products/copy-of-3d-print-for-bc24-solar-powered-night-light-kit

The Bracket comes in two pieces.  The bracket bottom and the bracket top.

 

First install the lower bracket with screws into the top of the box.   See completed photos below. 

The complete bracket fits together as below.   Secure with a screw into the Box. 

Here is the installed bracket with the solar panels slid in from each side.  Note the triangle from the top bracket is flush on the Box.   Supports the panel better especially in the presence of heat from the Sun.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seal your holes and you are done!

 

Coming Next?

Next we talk about all the cool software on the Ultimate Solar Night Light.