Week 04 — Embedded Programming

Fab Academy 2026 · XIAO ESP32-C3 · Industrial FabLab UCuenca

Background

In this individual assignment, the objective is to understand the core principles of embedded programming through hands-on experimentation using the XIAO ESP32-C3.

This board is based on the ESP32-C3 microcontroller, featuring a RISC-V architecture, integrated Wi-Fi and BLE communication, and low power consumption. Its compact format makes it ideal for prototyping, IoT experimentation, and educational development in digital fabrication environments.

The practice focuses on controlling a digital output (LED) and parameterizing its blinking behavior within a simulation environment before implementing it physically. This approach aligns with iterative prototyping methodologies used in Fab Academy, where simulation reduces errors prior to hardware deployment.

Objective

Arduino IDE — Development Environment

The programming environment used for this assignment was Arduino IDE, which allows development, compilation, and uploading of firmware to ESP32-based boards.

Installation and Setup Steps:

  1. Download and install Arduino IDE.
  2. Open Preferences.
  3. Add the ESP32 board manager URL.
  4. Open Boards Manager and install ESP32 package.
  5. Select board: XIAO ESP32-C3.
  6. Select correct COM port.
  7. Verify that compilation completes without errors.

Visual Evidence:

Arduino IDE setup

Wokwi — Online Simulation

Before physical implementation, the circuit was tested using Wokwi, an online simulator that supports ESP32 microcontrollers.

Simulation Steps:

  1. Open Wokwi platform.
  2. Select ESP32 board model.
  3. Add LED component.
  4. Add resistor (220Ω).
  5. Connect GPIO 3 → LED → Resistor → GND.
  6. Paste Arduino code.
  7. Run simulation.

Simulation Image:

Wokwi simulation

Electronic Configuration

Components used:

  • XIAO ESP32-C3
  • 1 LED
  • 220Ω resistor
  • Jumper wires

Connection Logic:

GPIO 3 → LED Anode
LED Cathode → 220Ω resistor
Resistor → GND

Circuit Diagram:

Circuit diagram

Parameterized Code Structure

Instead of using fixed delays, timing variables were defined to allow flexible control of LED behavior. 


// Parameter definition
const int ledPin = 3;
int onTime = 1000;
int offTime = 1000;

void setup() {
  pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
  delay(onTime);

  digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
  delay(offTime);
}

Upload and Testing Results

ON (ms) OFF (ms) Result
1000 1000 Standard blink
500 500 Fast blink
2000 500 Long ON pulse

Upload Process:

Program upload

Hero Shot

Final result of LED blinking controlled by parameterized code.

Hero shot

Physical Assembly on Breadboard

  1. Insert XIAO ESP32-C3 into breadboard.
  2. Connect GPIO 3 to LED anode.
  3. Connect LED cathode to 220Ω resistor.
  4. Connect resistor to GND rail.
  5. Connect USB cable for power and programming.
  6. Upload final tested code.

Assembly Process:

Breadboard assembly

Conclusion

This individual assignment successfully demonstrated the fundamentals of digital output programming using the XIAO ESP32-C3.

By integrating Arduino IDE for development and Wokwi for simulation, a complete iterative workflow was established:

Simulation → Validation → Upload → Physical Implementation

The use of parameterized variables improved flexibility and scalability of the code.

This practice strengthens understanding of GPIO configuration, embedded logic, simulation validation, microcontroller programming workflow, and hardware-software interaction.

Final Checklist

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