Arduino: Interfacing Arduino UNO with ESP32 - iCircuit (2024)

Sankar Cheppali | December 10, 2017 | Arduino, ESP32, IoT | 17 Comments

We have already seen how to connect arduino uno to NodeMCU (ESP8266) here. In this blog we connect Arduino UNO with ESP32. When connecting UNO with nodemcu we used Lua to program the ESp8266 device, here we will use arduino IDE to program both UNO and ESP32.

Just like in the previous post, UNO has some JSON data that its want to publish to a MQTT broker (actually it doesn’t matter what data UNO is sending,ESP will just consume data until it sees newline char,once newline char is received it will send the received data to the MQTT broker). Since UNO can’t do that alone, it will send that on a SoftSerial line to ESP32. We will program ESP32 to send every new line appeared on serial line to MQTT broker on specified channel.

Environment requirements:

  • you need to have UNO and ESP32
  • you would also need a 5v to 3v3 level converter to convert the UART signal levels
  • setup your Arduino IDE to program ESP32
  • Arduino libraries : PubSubClient (if you haven’t already installed it , you can install it from Sketch->Include library->Manage Libraries)
  • mqtt broker, if you don’t have one you can useeclipse Paho broker for experimentation (host: mqtt.eclipse.org , port : 1883, it is a free and open broker)

Solution Approach:

Arduino: Interfacing Arduino UNO with ESP32 - iCircuit (1)

We will push the data received on serial line on “/ic/esp32/serialdata/uno/” channel/topic. You can view the data sent by the UNO on any MQTT client by subscribing to the topic “/ic/esp32/serialdata/uno/“, I also embedded MQTT client at the end of this blog, scroll down to see it. Put your Broker details (if you don’t have a broker you can use the defaults and click on connect, when ever UNO sends a new message it should appear here)

First we will write program Arduino UNO to generate periodically then we will move to ESP32 code

Arduino UNO code:

Nothing fancy on arduino side, you take sample form ADC and send it over softserial . load the following code to arduino uno board (don’t forget to change the board and COM port).

ESP32 Code:

On ESP32, we need to do the following

  • connect to WiFi (Access point)
  • connect to MQTT broker
  • send every new line received on serial line to MQTT broker

Change the access point details and MQTT broker (if you have a private instance otherwise use the defaults) Load the following code to ESP32 (don’t forget to change the Board and COM port settings in the IDE)

How To Test:

Connect UNO to system and open serial console. You should see something like the following

Arduino: Interfacing Arduino UNO with ESP32 - iCircuit (2)

Connect ESP32 and change the COM port appropriately. Open serial console, it should print IP after connecting to Access point

Arduino: Interfacing Arduino UNO with ESP32 - iCircuit (3)

If both boards are working as expected, we can connect them together now. Connect Arduino UNO pin 3 to the Rx pin of ESP32 through Level Shifter.

Arduino: Interfacing Arduino UNO with ESP32 - iCircuit (4)

Click on Connect button below and power up both boards,you should see the messages below or in your MQTT Clinet.

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About The Author

Arduino: Interfacing Arduino UNO with ESP32 - iCircuit (9)

Sankar Cheppali
Arduino: Interfacing Arduino UNO with ESP32 - iCircuit (2024)

FAQs

Can ESP32 be used with Arduino UNO? ›

You can connect ESP32 with arduino uno/mega directly without using any logic level shifter provided arduino is powered with 3.3 volt power supply. But if you using 5 volt for arduino then you have to use logic level shifter while interfacing it with ESP32 as ESP32 gpio pins have 3.3 volt as upper limit.

Is ESP32 harder than Arduino? ›

Software Capabilities and Programming: ESP32 vs Arduino

Programming the ESP32 may require a steeper learning curve compared to Arduino but offers greater control and efficiency, especially for complex applications.

How do you power ESP32 with Arduino UNO? ›

The Arduino UNO can be powered via the USB port, the 5.5 mm barrel jack socket, the VIN pin, or through the 5V pin. The ESP32 Dev Boards can typically be powered through the USB port, the 5V pin, or the 3V3 pin. Depending on which pin you use and/or how your ESP32 is equipped, you must use a regulated power source.

Can ESP32 power a 5V relay? ›

So it turns out that esp32 boards can actually output 5v alongside with 3.3v output pin, You just have to use the VN pin which is used for powering the board when not connected through USB, this is not what the pin is intended for and also might cause some problems and you cannot upload code to the board when VIN pin ...

Is ESP32 faster than Arduino Uno? ›

For example, the ESP32, per core, was 60 times faster than the Arduino Uno. In Chester's case, he did a Divide Float, that is, a floating-point operation, and recorded 83,462 milliseconds for the Arduino Uno against 1,398ms for the ESP.

Can ESP32 be used without Arduino? ›

Yes, you can, Espressif even has an SDK for Matter, with a pretty good documentation. For WiFi devices, the "normal" ESP32 SoCs are enough, if you also want to support Thread devices you will need to use ESP32-H2 as well.

What are the disadvantages of ESP32? ›

However, the ESP32 has a relatively high power consumption, which can be a disadvantage for battery-operated IoT applications . It is also important to consider the impact of peripheral components, such as voltage regulators, on power consumption .

Why use ESP32 instead of Arduino? ›

ESP32 development board is appropriate for advanced projects that need higher processing capabilities & connectivity like; smart home applications, industrial automation & IoT devices. Arduino board's simplicity will make it to use for educational purposes, hobbyist projects & art installations.

What are the cons of ESP32? ›

Disadvantages of ESP32: support only Wi-FI networks with a frequency range of 2.4 GHz – they will not connect to a modern 5 GHz network.

What is the best way to power Arduino Uno? ›

The most common and easiest way we can power an Arduino board is by using its onboard USB connector. The USB connector provides a regulated 5V line to power the board's electronics. However, 5V from the USB connector can also power external components through the 5V pin that can be found in Arduino boards.

Can ESP32 handle 5V input? ›

The ESP32's operating voltage range is 2.2 to 3.6V. Under normal operation the ESP32 Thing will power the chip at 3.3V. The I/O pins are not 5V-tolerant! If you interface the board with 5V (or higher) components, you'll need to do some level shifting.

Does ESP32 have 5V output? ›

Feature: Input voltage: 2 V to 24 V Output Voltage: DC 5V-28V Maximum output current: 2A Efficiency: 93% (Minimum) (input-output) difference voltage when input is at (2 V and 50% of max-input-V), loading at (50% and 100 percent rated current) Method...

Does ESP32 use 5V or 3.3 V? ›

depending on the ESP32-board you are using. If it has a USB-socket. USB always uses 5V. If there is a USB-socket then there is a voltage-regulator on the microcontroler-board that does regulate down to 3.3V.

Can ESP32 sink 5V? ›

Re: Noob Question: ESP32 3.3V vs 5V logic

The IO pins in input state (sink) are 5V tolerant, Yet the power supply to the chip must be 3.3V (Most boards come with a regulator for this so it should not be a problem).

How much voltage can ESP32 read? ›

Reading an analog value with the ESP32 means you can measure varying voltage levels between 0 V and 3.3 V.

Which board is used for ESP32 in Arduino? ›

There are various kinds of development board available that have esp32 chip on them like ESP32-DevKitC, NodeMcu-32S, LOLIN series etc. All of them function the same way. It can be programmed through various programming platforms like Arduino IDE, Espressif IoT Development Framework, Micropython, PlatformIO etc.

Can I upload Arduino code to ESP32? ›

You must have the ESP32 add-on installed. Otherwise, this board won't show up on the Boards menu. 2) Go to Tools > Port and select the COM port the ESP32-CAM is connected to. 4) Then, click the Upload button in your Arduino IDE.

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