ESP32-C3 Fox Energy Power Monitor Display

Description

This project utilizes an ESP32-C3 microcontroller and an ST7789 TFT display to create a real-time energy monitor. It connects to a local Wi-Fi network, fetches power metrics (Voltage, Current, Active Power) from a Fox Energy1 HTTP REST API endpoint, and displays the data along with the current time (synced via NTP), internal chip temperature, and Wi-Fi signal strength.

Features

Hardware Requirements

• Power meter: Fox Energy 1 single-phase energy consumption monitor
• Microcontroller: ESP32-C3 Super Mini
• Display: 2.0 ST7789 TFT/IPS SPI Display (240x320)
• Wiring: Connect the ST7789 display to the ESP32-C3 using SPI:
  • TFT CS -> ESP32-C3 GPIO7 (Default SPI SS)
  • TFT DC -> ESP32-C3 GPIO2 (or another unused GPIO Pin)
  • TFT RST -> ESP32-C3 GPIO3 (or another unused GPIO Pin)
  • TFT SDA/MOSI -> ESP32-C3 GPIO6 (Default SPI MOSI)
  • TFT SCL/SCK -> ESP32-C3 GPIO4 (Default SPI SCK)
  • TFT GND -> ESP32-C3 GND
  • TFT VCC -> ESP32-C3 3V3

Software Dependencies

• Arduino IDE configured for ESP32 development.
• ESP32 Board Support Package.
• Required Libraries:
  • Adafruit GFX Library
  • Adafruit ST7789 and ST7735 Library
  • ArduinoJson (by Benoit Blanchon)
  • WiFi (usually included with ESP32 core)
  • HTTPClient (usually included with ESP32 core)
  • Time (usually included with ESP32 core)

Configuration

Before uploading, configure the settings within the desired .ino file (e.g., fox_energy1_st7789_display_v2.ino):

1. WiFi Credentials:

   const char* ssid     = "YOUR_WIFI_SSID";
   const char* password = "YOUR_WIFI_PASSWORD";

2. API URL:

   const char* dataUrl  = "http://FOX_ENERGY1_IP_ADDRESS/0000/get_current_parameters";

3. Display Pins: Verify the #define statements for TFT_CS, TFT_RST, TFT_DC match your wiring.
4. Timezone: Adjust gmtOffset_sec and daylightOffset_sec if necessary.

Files Overview

• fox_energy1_st7789_display_v2.ino: The most recent and feature-complete version, featuring NTP time, temperature, dynamic power colors, and flicker reduction. Recommended starting point.

Other version for testing purposes:

• fox_energy1_st7789_display_v1.ino: An earlier version of the display logic.
• claude_fox_horizontal.ino / claude_fox_pivot.ino: Versions exploring different display orientations (horizontal/vertical) and UI.
• gemini_fox.ino: Yet another earlier version of the display logic.

Debug:

• display_test.ino: A simple sketch to test the basic functionality of the ST7789 display.
• wifi_debug_http_send.ino: A utility sketch to send diagnostic data (RSSI, heap, uptime) over HTTP, for debugging purposes.

Setup and Usage

1. Install the Arduino IDE.
2. Install the required ESP32 board support package.
3. Install the necessary libraries mentioned under "Software Dependencies".
4. Connect the ST7789 display to your ESP32-C3 board according to the wiring section (verify pins in the chosen .ino file).
5. Open the desired .ino file (e.g., fox_energy1_st7789_display_v2.ino).
6. Modify the WiFi credentials and API URL in the configuration section.
7. Select the correct ESP32-C3 board and port in your IDE.
8. Compile and upload the sketch to the ESP32-C3.
9. The display should initialize, connect to Wi-Fi, sync time, and start showing energy data.

License

Public Domain / CC0 1.0 Universal