Initial Setup Manual Guide

1. Installing Arduino IDE 2:
   1. Download Arduino IDE 2: Visit the official Arduino website at https://www.arduino.cc/en/software and download the latest version of Arduino IDE 2 for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
   2. Install Arduino IDE 2: Follow the installation instructions provided for your operating system.
2. ESP32 Board Manager Installation:
   1. Open Arduino IDE 2: Launch Arduino IDE 2 after installation.
   2. Navigate to Preferences: Click on “File” in the top left corner and select “Preferences.”
   3. Add ESP32 Board Manager URL: In the “Preferences” window, find the “Additional Boards Manager URLs” field. Add the following URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
   4. Click “OK”: Click the “OK” button to save the preferences.
3. Installing ESP32 Board Support:
   1. Open Board Manager: Navigate to “Tools” in the top menu, then click on “Boards” and select “Boards Manager.”
   2. Search for ESP32: In the “Boards Manager” window, type “esp32” in the search bar.
   3. Install ESP32 Platform: Look for “esp32” by Espressif Systems and click “Install.” This will download and install the necessary files for ESP32 support.
   4. Close Boards Manager: Once the installation is complete, close the “Boards Manager” window.
4. Selecting ESP32 Board:
   1. Choose ESP32 Board: Go back to the “Tools” menu, select “Boards,” and choose “ESP32 Dev Module” or the specific ESP32 board you are using.
   2. Select COM Port: Ensure that you have the correct COM port selected under the “Port” submenu in the “Tools” menu.
5. Test Your Setup:
   1. Upload a Test Sketch: Create or open an existing sketch, and upload it to your ESP32 board to ensure that the setup is working correctly.
6. Locating Library ZIP File:
   1. Navigate to the library folder to manually find the required libraries.
7. Opening Arduino IDE 2:
   1. Launch Arduino IDE 2.
8. Navigating to Library Manager:
   1. Access the “Tools” menu and choose “Manage Libraries…”
9. Library Manager Window:
   1. Within the Library Manager window, you can explore and install libraries directly from the online repository. However, some libraries required are locally stored in a ZIP file, click the “Import Library” button at the window’s bottom.
10. Selecting Library ZIP File:
    1. A file dialog will appear. Locate the directory where you saved the library ZIP file, select it, and click “Open.”
11. Installing Libraries from ZIP:
    1. Arduino IDE 2 will proceed to install the library from the ZIP file. Once the installation is finished, a confirmation message will be displayed.
12. Installing ArduinoJson Library:
    1. In the Library Manager Import dialog, enter “ArduinoJson” in the search bar.
    2. Choose “ArduinoJson” by Benoît Blanchon from the search results.
    3. Identify and select the appropriate version of the ArduinoJson library provided by Benoît Blanchon.
    4. Click on the ArduinoJson entry, pick the desired version, and press the “Install” button.
    5. Allow time for the Arduino IDE 2 to download and install the ArduinoJson library, observing the progress bar.
13. Verifying Library Installation:
    1. Confirm the library installation by returning to the “Sketch” menu, selecting “Include Library,” and checking for the library in the list.
    2. Alternatively, examine the “libraries” folder within your Arduino IDE 2 installation directory to ensure the presence of the library files.

System Activation Guide

After following the initial setup manual guide, open either the “ESPA.ino” or “ESPB.ino” file located in their respective folders with the same name within the “core” file directory. Connect the corresponding ESP-A or ESP-B module to the port of your laptop or computer, ensuring you have selected the correct board and port in the Arduino IDE.

To bring the system online, update the Wi-Fi SSID and password by locating the “#define WIFI_SSID” and “#define WIFI_PASSWORD” lines in the code and providing them with the appropriate values. Keep in mind that the current ESP32 only supports WIFI connections on the 2.4GHz band; attempting to connect to frequencies above this may result in a failure to establish a connection.

Once the WIFI credentials are updated, click on the “Upload” button in the Arduino IDE to initiate the process of updating the code responsible for connecting to the internet. After completion, monitor the serial monitor for any errors. The system will provide indications of issues related to the SD card or WIFI connections.

The entire startup process should take no more than a minute. If it exceeds this timeframe, check the serial monitor for problems and refer to the troubleshooting guide below for more detailed assistance.

Assuming that the setup is both complete and successful, the serial monitor will display an IP address right after it prints out “WIFI Connected.” Paste this IP address into your web browser to access the system’s controls and activate it, but before that, it will ask for a username and password. The credentials were set to defaults; admin admin. Change this accordingly if needed.