A feature-rich ESP32-based controller for managing grow-tent environments, including fan speed control, lighting automation, sensor monitoring, and real-time web dashboard.
GrowControl uses an ESP32 microcontroller to monitor environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, pressure, CO₂) and automatically control ventilation fans and grow lights via a DFRobot GP8403 I²C DAC. A responsive Angular web interface provides real-time charts, device configuration, and OTA firmware/file-system updates.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| ESP32 | 1x (any ESP32-WROOM module) |
| I²C DAC | Gravity 2-Channel I2C DAC Module (DFRobot GP8403) — converts I²C to 0–10V PWM signals for fans/lights |
| SD Card Reader | For environmental data logging (optional) |
| Sensor | BME280 (temperature, humidity, pressure) or ENS160 + AHT21 (temperature, humidity, CO₂, TVOC, air quality) |
| Power | 12V → 5V step-down regulator for the ESP32 |
| Signal | GPIO |
|---|---|
| I²C SDA | 21 |
| I²C SCL | 22 |
| SD Card CS | 5 |
| SD Card MOSI | 23 |
| SD Card SCK | 18 |
| SD Card MISO | 19 |
- Devices sharing the same power source as the ESP32 need only the PWM signal wire (no GND connection).
- Externally powered devices (e.g., 12V lamp, 24V fan) require a GND connection to the DAC.
- Control 2 exhaust/blow fans (in/out) independently via 0–10V PWM signals
- Auto-mode: Fans adjust speed based on temperature and humidity setpoints
- Speed differential: Fine-tune fan balance to maintain negative pressure in the tent
- Night mode: Schedule reduced fan speeds during specific time ranges
- Configurable min/max speed ranges and voltage limits per fan
- Automatic on/off scheduling with configurable sunrise/sunset ramps
- Manual PWM control (0–255) for direct light intensity adjustment
- Cloud simulation mode: Simulates natural light variation with configurable min/max intensity and cycle duration
- Voltage-based calibration for different light types
- BME280: Temperature, humidity, pressure with averaging
- ENS160 + AHT21: Temperature, humidity, CO₂ (eCO₂), Air Quality Index (AQI), TVOC
- VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit): Calculated from sensor data for optimal growing conditions
- Govee BTH5179 (optional): Bluetooth temperature/humidity/battery readings
- SD-card logging (when enabled): Creates
/year/month/day/hour.csvfiles - Stores values every second: time, temperature, humidity, CO₂, light level, VPD
- Download historical CSV data via web interface
- Real-time dashboard with live charts (Chart.js)
- WebSocket-based push updates (~1 Hz when clients connected)
- Fan configuration panel (speed, voltage limits, auto-mode, night mode)
- Light configuration panel (schedule, sunrise/sunset, cloud sim)
- Sensor data display (temperature, humidity, pressure, CO₂, AQI, TVOC)
- System info (uptime, heap memory, WiFi status, chip info)
- OTA firmware update via browser
- SPIFFS filesystem update via browser
- WiFi configuration page (SSID, password, AP fallback settings)
- Timezone configuration for accurate sunrise/sunset calculations
GrowControl/
├── src/ # ESP32 firmware (C++)
│ ├── main.cpp # Entry point, setup/loop
│ ├── FanController.cpp/h # Fan speed & auto-control logic
│ ├── LightController.cpp/h # Light scheduling & PWM control
│ ├── MyWebServer.cpp/h # Async web server + WebSocket handlers
│ ├── WiFiManager.cpp/h # WiFi connection + AP fallback + NVS storage
│ ├── MyPreferences.cpp/h # NVS preferences (timezone, etc.)
│ ├── FileController.cpp/h # SD card file I/O
│ ├── Bme280.cpp/h # BME280 sensor driver
│ ├── Ens160Aht2x.cpp/h # ENS160 + AHT21 sensor driver
│ ├── GoveeBTh5179.cpp/h # Govee BTH5179 Bluetooth client
│ ├── Voltage.h # Voltage measurement utility
│ ├── MyTime.h # Time utility
│ └── MyPreferences.h # NVS preferences interface
├── growui/ # Angular frontend
│ ├── src/app/
│ │ ├── api.service.ts # HTTP API client
│ │ ├── websocket.service.ts # WebSocket client (rxjs)
│ │ ├── dashboard.service.ts # Central state management
│ │ ├── types.ts # TypeScript interfaces
│ │ ├── chart/ # Chart.js configuration
│ │ ├── features/
│ │ │ ├── dashboard/ # Main dashboard component
│ │ │ ├── fans/ # Fan control panel
│ │ │ ├── lights/ # Light control panel
│ │ │ ├── sensors/ # Sensor data display
│ │ │ └── system/ # System settings & OTA
│ │ └── shared/
│ │ ├── sidebar/ # Navigation sidebar
│ │ └── topbar/ # Top navigation bar
│ └── package.json # Angular 21 + PrimeNG 21
├── platformio.ini # Build configuration
├── custom_partition.csv # Flash partition layout
├── data/ # Static web assets served by ESP
└── README.md
- PlatformIO Core —
pip install platformio - USB cable for ESP32 connection
pio run -e esp32devThis compiles the firmware and all library dependencies.
pio run --target upload -e esp32dev -f /dev/ttyUSB0 # Linux
pio run --target upload -e esp32dev -f COM5 # WindowsOr use the PlatformIO VS Code extension: PlatformIO: Build → Upload.
pio run --target uploadfs -e esp32devOr via curl:
curl.exe -X POST http://<ESP_IP>/flashspiffs -F "file=@spiffs.bin"All flags are defined in platformio.ini under build_flags. Uncomment by removing the leading semicolon (;).
| Flag | Purpose |
|---|---|
USE_SDCARD=1 |
Enable SD-card logging (/year/month/day/hour.csv) |
SENSOR_BME280=1 |
Use BME280 sensor (temperature, humidity, pressure) |
SENSOR_ENS160AHT21=1 |
Use ENS160/AHT21 sensor (temperature, humidity, CO₂, AQI, TVOC) |
BME_I2C_ADD=119 |
I²C address of BME280 (decimal) |
i2c_aht_addr=56 |
I²C address of AHT21 (decimal) |
i2c_ens_add=83 |
I²C address of ENS160 (decimal) |
I2C_SDA=21 |
I²C SDA GPIO pin |
I2C_SCL=22 |
I²C SCL GPIO pin |
i2c_pwn_addr=95 |
I²C address of fan PWM controller (DFRobot GP8403) |
i2c_light_addr=94 |
I²C address of light PWM controller (DFRobot GP8403) |
time_zone_hour_utc_offset=1 |
UTC offset in hours for sunrise/sunset |
MYSSID="" |
Hardcoded WiFi SSID (fallback) |
PW="" |
Hardcoded WiFi password (fallback) |
http_port=80 |
HTTP server port |
GOVEE_BTH5179=1 |
Enable Govee BTH5179 Bluetooth sensor support |
FIRMWARE_VERSION="1.0.0" |
Firmware version string |
Only one sensor type should be enabled at a time:
; Option 1: BME280 (recommended for most setups)
-DSENSOR_BME280=1
-DBME_I2C_ADD=119
; Option 2: ENS160 + AHT21 (for CO₂ monitoring)
-DSENSOR_ENS160AHT21=1
-Di2c_ens_add=83
-Di2c_aht_addr=56The Angular web interface (growui/) runs as a separate dev server and proxies API requests to the ESP32.
cd growui
npm installEdit growui/src/environments/environment.ts:
export const environment = {
production: false,
apiBaseUrl: 'http://<ESP_IP>',
apiPort: 80,
};npm start # serves on http://localhost:4200npm run buildThe built files should be placed in the data/ directory and uploaded as SPIFFS.
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/settings |
GET | Get all device configuration and state |
/cmd |
GET | Execute command (query params: var, id, val, etc.) |
/data |
GET | Get logged CSV data (params: year, month, day, hour) |
/ws |
WebSocket | Real-time push updates (~1 Hz) |
/flashfirmware |
POST | OTA firmware update (multipart form) |
/flashspiffs |
POST | OTA SPIFFS filesystem update (multipart form) |
/wifi-config |
POST | Update WiFi credentials |
var |
Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
speed |
id (0/1), val (0–100) |
Set fan speed percentage |
lightval |
val (0–255) |
Set light PWM value |
voltage |
id, min, max |
Set fan voltage calibration limits |
autospeed |
min, max |
Set auto-mode min/max fan speed |
autovals |
temp, hum, speeddif |
Set target temperature, humidity, filter compensation |
temphumdif |
temp, hum |
Set temperature/humidity differential |
autocontrol |
val (0/1) |
Enable/disable fan auto-control |
fannightmode |
onh, onm, offh, offm, mspeed |
Set night mode schedule |
fannightmodeactive |
val (0/1) |
Enable/disable night mode |
lightautomode |
enable (0/1) |
Enable/disable light auto mode |
lightsettime |
onh, onmin, offh, offmin, riseh, risemin, seth, setmin, riseenable, setenable |
Set light schedule |
lightvoltage |
min, max |
Set light voltage limits |
lightlimitsp |
min, max |
Set light percentage limits |
cloudsim |
cloudduration, min, max |
Configure cloud simulation |
cloudsimactive |
val (0/1) |
Enable/disable cloud simulation |
readgovee |
val (0/1) |
Enable/disable Govee sensor reading |
timezone |
action=get/set, offset |
Get/set timezone offset |
The server pushes JSON messages every second when clients are connected:
{
"bme280": {
"temperatur": "21.72",
"humidity": "33.12",
"atemperatur": "21.75",
"ahumidity": "33.15",
"pressure": "952.54",
"apressure": "952.56",
"vpd": "1.74"
},
"voltage0": 573,
"voltage1": 671,
"nightmode": false,
"time": "14:08:45",
"lightvalP": 0,
"lightvalmv": 0,
"lightstate": 0,
"vpdair": "1.74",
"autocontrolspeed": 50
}┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ESP32 │
│ │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │WiFiMgr │ │WebServer │ │ WS │ │Preferences │ │
│ │(NVS) │ │(Async) │ │ (Push) │ │(NVS) │ │
│ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └─────┬──────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ ┌────┴──────────────┴─────────────┴───────────────┴──────┐ │
│ │ MyWebServer │ │
│ └────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │FanCtrl │ │LightCtrl │ │Sensors │ │
│ │(GP8403) │ │(PWM) │ │(BME280/ │ │
│ └─────┬────┘ └─────┬────┘ │ENS160) │ │
│ │ │ └──────────┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ ┌─────┴──────────────┴──────────────┐ │
│ │ DFRobot GP8403 DAC │ │
│ │ Channel 0 → Fan 0 (0-10V) │ │
│ │ Channel 1 → Fan 1 (0-10V) │ │
│ │ Channel 2 → Light (0-10V) │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ HTTP + WebSocket
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Angular Web Dashboard (Browser) │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │Dashboard│ │Fans │ │Lights │ │
│ │+Charts │ │Ctrl │ │Ctrl │ │
│ └─────────┘ └──────┘ └──────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘
Current version: 1.0.0 (configurable via FIRMWARE_VERSION build flag)
This project is provided as-is for personal use in grow-tent automation.