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Working with Arduino

This chapter contains the following sections. Please read as needed:

Arduino Getting Started​

New to Arduino ESP32 development and looking for a quick start? We have prepared a comprehensive Getting Started Tutorial for you.

Note: This tutorial uses the ESP32-S3-Zero as a reference example, and all hardware code is based on its pinout. Before you start, we recommend checking the pinout of your development board to ensure the pin configuration is correct.

Setting Up Development Environment​

1. Installing and Configuring the Arduino IDE​

info

For the ESP32-S3-ePaper-1.54G development board, the Arduino IDE requires the installation of arduino-esp32 v3.2.0 or higher.

Please refer to the tutorial Installing and Configuring Arduino IDE to download and install the Arduino IDE and add ESP32 support.

2. Installing Libraries​

  • When installing Arduino libraries, there are typically two methods: Install Online and Install Offline. If the library installation requires Install Offline, you must use the provided library file.
  • For most libraries, users can easily search for and install them via the Arduino IDE's online Library Manager. However, some open-source or custom libraries are not synchronized to the Arduino Library Manager and therefore cannot be found through online search. In this case, users can only install these libraries manually via offline methods.
  • The example program package for the ESP32-S3-ePaper-1.54G development board can be downloaded from here. The Arduino\libraries directory within the package already contains all the library files required for this tutorial.
Library/File NameDescriptionVersionInstallation Method
SensorLibSensor control libraryv0.3.1"Install Online" or "Install Offline"

3. Arduino Project Parameter Settings​

Example​

The Arduino examples are located in the Arduino/examples directory of the example package.

ExampleBasic Program DescriptionDependency Library
01_ADC_TestGet the voltage value of the lithium battery-
02_I2C_PCF85063Print real-time time of RTC chipSensorLib
03_I2C_STHC3Get data from SHTC3 temperature & humidity sensor-
04_SD_CardLoad and display TF card information-
05_WIFI_APSet to AP mode to obtain the IP address of the access device-
06_WIFI_STASet to STA mode to connect to Wi-Fi and obtain an IP address-
07_Audio_outRead audio data and play audio-
08_E_paper_testE-paper display refresh example-

01_ADC_Test​

Example Description

  • The analog voltage connected through the GPIO is converted to digital by the ADC, and then the actual lithium battery voltage is calculated and printed to the terminal.

Hardware Connection

  • Connect the board to the computer using a USB cable

Code Analysis

  • adc_bsp_init(void): Initializes ADC1, including creating an ADC one-shot trigger unit and configuring Channel 3 of ADC1.
  • adc_get_value(float *value,int *data): Reads the value from Channel 3 of ADC1, calculates the corresponding voltage based on the reference voltage and resolution, and stores it at the location pointed to by the passed pointer. Stores 0 if the read fails.
  • adc_example(void* parameter): After initializing ADC1, creates an ADC task. This task reads the ADC value every second and calculates the system voltage from the raw ADC reading.

Operation Result

  • After the program is compiled and downloaded, you can view the printed ADC values and voltage output by opening the Serial Monitor, as shown in the following image:

02_I2C_PCF85063​

Example Description

  • Through the I2C protocol, initialize the PCF85063 chip, set the time, and then periodically read the time and print it to the terminal

Hardware Connection

  • Connect the board to the computer using a USB cable

Code Analysis

  • void i2c_rtc_loop_task(void *arg): Creates an RTC task to implement the RTC function, reading the clock of the RTC chip every second and outputting it to the terminal.

Operation Result

  • After the program is compiled and downloaded, open the serial port monitoring to see the RTC time of the printout, as shown in the following figure:

03_I2C_STHC3​

Example Description

  • Initialize the SHTC3 chip through the I2C protocol, and then print the temperature and humidity information read every 1 second to the terminal

Hardware Connection

  • Connect the board to the computer using a USB cable

Code Analysis

  • void i2c_SHTC3_loop_task(void *arg): Creates a task for the SHTC3 sensor to periodically obtain temperature and humidity data.

Operation Result

  • Open the serial port monitor, you can see the printed temperature and humidity data, as shown in the figure below:

04_SD_Card​

Example Description

  • Drive the TF card through SDMMC, and print the TF card information to the terminal after successfully mounting.

Hardware Connection

  • Install a FatFs-formatted TF card into the board before powering on

Code Analysis

  • sdcard_init(void): Initializes the TF card using 1-line SDMMC mode.
  • sdcard_loop_task(void *arg): A task to test TF card read/write functionality. You need to uncomment the #define sdcard_write_Test macro definition. 
    //#define sdcard_write_Test

Operation Result

  • Click on the serial port monitoring device, you can see the output information of the TF card, as shown in the figure below:

05_WIFI_AP​

Example Description

  • This example can set the development board as a hotspot, allowing phones or other devices in STA mode to connect to the development board.

Hardware Connection

  • Connect the board to the computer using a USB cable

Code Analysis

  • In the 05_WIFI_AP.ino file, locate ssid and password. Phones or other STA mode devices can then connect to the board using this SSID and password.

    const char *ssid = "ESP32_AP";
    const char *password = "12345678";

Operation Result

  • After flashing the program, open the Serial Terminal. If a device successfully connects to the hotspot, the MAC address of that device will be output, as shown:

06_WIFI_STA​

Example Description

  • This example configures the development board as a STA device to connect to a router, thereby accessing the system network.

Hardware Connection

  • Connect the board to the computer using a USB cable

Code Analysis

  • In the 06_WIFI_STA.ino file, locate ssid and password, and modify them to match the SSID and Password of an available router in your current environment.

    const char *ssid = "you_ssid";
    const char *password = "you_password";

Operation Result

  • After flashing the program, open the Serial Terminal. If the device successfully connects to the hotspot, the obtained IP address will be output, as shown in the figure:

07_Audio_out​

Example Description

  • This example demonstrates playing PCM audio data on the ESP32-S3-ePaper-1.54G.

Hardware Connection

  • Connect the board to the computer using a USB cable

Operation Result

  • The device will play auido directly without showing content on the screen

08_E_paper_test​

Example Description

  • This example is a native Arduino example for the ESP32-S3-ePaper-1.54G, demonstrating e-paper initialization, clearing the screen, displaying images, drawing basic shapes, and rendering text.

Hardware Connection

  • Connect the board to the computer using a USB cable

Operation Result

  • The screen refreshes, clears, displays an image, and draws basic graphics and text.