ESP32 Cooler Controller #2

HW is build, tested and working... it's time to plan, design and build the application SW.

From my initial HW tests I think the majority of the components are pretty much working stable. One of the layout problems that I discovered is the RGB status LED mixed pins. I basically have a backup for this by using a simple small OLED screen. This works very well as I'm able to print all the relevant information that I need on it. The RGB would be very nice also but... maybe for another day!

The application SW that runs on the ESP32 is a lightweight version of the production SW with a few updates in order to store all relevant parameters in a SPIFFS formatted flash section. The server is trimmed down to just the REST API interface - this protocol might be changed to a more suitable one (e.g. mqtt) in the future but basically this works for the project.

Flshing the sw is made over the serial interface that is breaked out on the PCB. This can be further enhanced via OTA updates.

On the server side a nodejs application is build as a gateway between the controller and various clients. This allows more clients to simultaneously connect and control the device and also receive on-the-fly updates via websockets. A simple user authentication controller is also implemented.