Introduction

Building your own solar powered IoT weather station with an ESP32 can be a fun and educational electronics project, even if you have no previous experience. With just a few affordable components and some basic skills, you can start monitoring local weather conditions and send the data wirelessly to the cloud.

In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through the entire process step-by-step, covering everything you need to know. No prior electronics knowledge is required, just a bit of patience and willingness to learn.

Overview of the Main Components

Here are the main components we'll use to build the solar weather station:

Don't worry if some of these components are unfamiliar, I'll explain each in more detail throughout this guide. The key point is that we can build a capable station using just a few reasonably priced parts.

Step 1 - Selecting the Electronics Components

The first step is choosing the right electronic components within your budget. I recommend the following parts to start:

There are lots of options for the solar panel, battery, sensors, etc. The ones listed above are common choices that provide good value. You may also add other sensors later like wind speed, rainfall, light level, etc.

I recommend shopping at sites like AliExpress, Amazon, SparkFun or Adafruit where you can find all these components. Make sure to order a few extra wires and some solderless breadboard as well.

Step 2 - Assembling the Circuit

Next we'll assemble the circuit on a breadboard before making it permanent. This allows testing and modifications as needed. Follow along with the circuit diagram:

Here are the steps:

  1. Insert the ESP32, DHT22 and BMP280 breakout boards into the breadboard.

  2. Connect the sensors to the ESP32 using jumper wires:

  3. DHT22 data pin to ESP32 GPIO 15

  4. BMP280 SCK and SDI pins to GPIOs 18 and 23

  5. Connect 3.3V power and ground rails between all devices

  6. Add the TP4056 module with battery inserted into its holder.

  7. Connect solar panel positive and negative to the input terminals of the TP4056.

  8. Connect TP4056 outputs to the ESP32 5V and GND rails.

At this point, the circuit is finished! Double check the connections match the diagram before powering it up.

Step 3 - Installing the Software

To program the ESP32, you'll need:

If new to Arduino, follow tutorials to setup the development environment. Then connect the ESP32, select the right board and serial port. Upload the code - the sensors should start displaying readings in the serial monitor.

Feel free to tweak the code or add new functionality like WiFi uploads. The Arduino Project Hub has ESP32 guides to help get started.

Step 4 - Constructing the Enclosure

To house the electronics, you can build an enclosure from plastic containers, wood panels, 3D printed parts etc.

Some tips for the enclosure:

Take iterative measurements as you build so components fit nicely within the enclosure. Place the circuitry, any power supplies and the battery within a weatherproof inner compartment.

Step 5 - Viewing and Analyzing the Weather Data

For insights into the weather data, you'll need to select a cloud platform designed for IoT. There are many free options to choose from, including:

Just add WiFi upload functionality in your Arduino code to start sending the weather data. Most platforms have libraries or code examples to help interface the ESP32.

Monitor the measurements from anywhere using the platform's dashboard. You can also set alerts, create visualization widgets and analyze weather patterns over time. Consider open sourcing the data for others to benefit.

Going Further with the Weather Station

Some ideas to take this project further:

The possibilities are endless when building your own solar weather station. Start simple and improve it over time. The experience of designing, building and programming your own electronics is invaluable.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm happy to provide more details on this fun IoT project.