Group Assignment Documentation: Communication Between Two ESP32C3 Boards

Group Members:

Objective:

To establish a communication system between two ESP32C3 boards, where messages can be sent and received seamlessly, using a communication protocol like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ESP-NOW,SPI,I2C,UART .  We have taken I2C Communication to test our boards. This will help understand microcontroller communication, data transmission, and synchronization.

Work Process

1. Initial Setup:

• Assigned Roles:
  

• Charath Chander : Configuration and programming of the first ESP32C3 board (Sender).
  
• Sabareesh: Configuration and programming of the second ESP32C3 board (Receiver).
  
• Hariharan: Testing and debugging communication.
  
• Thompson: Documenting the process and assisting with troubleshooting.
  

• Preparation:
  

• Installed necessary tools: Arduino IDE and required ESP32 libraries.

• Configured ESP32 boards by ensuring firmware is updated and libraries like esp_now.h (for ESP-NOW communication) or WiFi.h (for Wi-Fi communication) are included.

2. Implementation:

• Charath Chander:
  

• Programmed ESP32C3 (Sender) to send a predefined message ("Hello from ESP32C3-Sender") using I2C protocol.
  

• Sabareesh:
  

• Programmed ESP32C3 (Receiver) to listen for incoming messages and display them on the Serial Monitor.
  

• Hariharan:
  

• Simulated real-world testing conditions by introducing delays, testing at various distances, and checking message integrity.
  

• Thompson:
  

• Kept a detailed log of challenges, successful milestones, and final implementation steps.
  

3. Challenges Encountered:

• Synchronizing the message format between Sender and Receiver to prevent garbled data.
  

4. Results:

• Successfully established a unidirectional communication system between two ESP32C3 boards using I2C.
  
• Messages sent from the Sender were accurately received and displayed by the Receiver.
  

5. Future Improvements:

• Implement bi-directional communication.
  
• Explore using MQTT protocol for scalability.
  

Reflection

Page 1: What I Learned as Charath Chander (Sender Configuration)
 As the team member responsible for configuring the Sender ESP32C3, I learned:

1. The fundamentals of the I2C protocol, including pairing devices.
   
2. The importance of efficient message encoding to prevent data loss.
   
3. Debugging skills, as I encountered issues with the Sender not initializing I2C properly.
   
4. Collaboration benefits; team discussions provided insights into effective troubleshooting techniques.
   

Page 2: What I Learned as Sabareesh  (Receiver Configuration)
 My role involved setting up the Receiver ESP32C3, and I gained the following:

1. Insights into message reception protocols and ensuring compatibility with the Sender.
   
2. How to use debugging tools like the Serial Monitor to identify and fix communication issues.
   
3. The impact of environmental factors on wireless communication and how to mitigate interference.
   

Sender Code:

#include <Wire.h>

void setup() {

  Wire.begin(2);

  Wire.onRequest(requestEvent);

}

void loop() {

  delay(100);

}

void requestEvent() {

  Wire.write("mayday mayday no power no thrust ");

}

Receiver Code:

#include <Wire.h>

void setup() {

  Wire.begin();

  Serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop() {

  Wire.requestFrom(2, 17);

  while (Wire.available()) {

    char c = Wire.read();

    Serial.print(c);            // print the characters till all characters are complete

  }

  delay(500);

}

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