Heating controller
Sensor, logic, relay, display, remote control — the whole chain.
A control node built on ESP32: temperature sensing, control logic, relay output switching a real heating load, a local LCD interface, and a web server with WebSockets for live remote monitoring and setpoint changes. Firmware to interface, built by me. It has run unattended through several heating seasons.
What this proves
The complete chain from a physical sensor to a remote interface, in one head — and that it keeps running when nobody is watching it, which is the only test that matters for embedded work.
What it does
- ✓ Closed-loop control: sensing → logic → relay actuation of a real load
- ✓ Local LCD interface
- ✓ Web server with WebSockets for live remote monitoring and control
- ✓ Runs unattended for months at a time
Built with
My role
Solo — hardware selection, firmware, control logic and web interface.
Same architecture as
The scale is small. The structure is not — this is the shape of a working commercial system:
- →Cold-store, cellar and server-room monitoring
- →Boiler, pump and circulation control
- →Greenhouse and drying-room control
- →Remote plant and site alarms
What I'd change for a client
This was built for my own use, and it's scoped accordingly. Paid work gets built differently, and I'd rather tell you exactly how than let you find out:
- →Industrial-grade sensing — DS18B20, PT100 or a 4–20 mA transmitter instead of a hobby sensor
- →VPN or authenticated reverse proxy rather than direct exposure to the internet
- →DIN-rail enclosure and proper power supply
- →Watchdog and defined failsafe behaviour on sensor loss