ESP32 Voltage Regulator and Power Monitor PCB Design

Custom power management PCB designed around ESP32 providing regulated power outputs with live monitoring. PCB provides: 5V 3A output (from 12V input via LM2596 buck converter), 3.3V 1A output (AMS1117 LDO), adjustable 1.25-12V output (LM317 with digital potentiometer via SPI), and raw input passthrough. INA219 current and voltage sensors on each output measure power consumption. ESP32 monitors all rails continuously and publishes to web dashboard: live voltage/current/power graphs per rail, total power consumed (Wh), peak current detected, overload alerts via email, automatic load shedding when total power exceeds limit. OCP (Over Current Protection): relay disconnects output when current > configurable threshold. Temperature monitoring: NTC thermistor on heat sinks, fan control (PWM) based on temperature. Web dashboard: live gauges, 24h power history, CSV export, MQTT publish for Home Assistant. PCB designed in KiCad, manufactured at JLCPCB. Libraries: Adafruit_INA219, WiFi, ESPAsyncWebServer, ArduinoJson.

Detailed Project Description

ESP32 Voltage Regulator and Power Monitor PCB Design measures electrical parameters accurately and turns them into consumption figures, cost estimates and alerts.

How It Works
1. The metering module measures voltage, current and power on the line.
2. The controller reads the values over UART/I2C/ADC and computes energy (kWh) and cost.
3. Data is displayed and logged to a web dashboard with daily/monthly totals.
4. Alerts are sent for over-load, low battery or power failure.

Key Components and Their Role
- ESP32: dual-core Wi-Fi + Bluetooth microcontroller that runs the firmware, reads the sensors and hosts the network connection.
- Relay module: electrically isolated switch that lets the controller turn AC/DC loads on and off.
- MQTT: lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol used for IoT data.

Implementation Steps
1. Collect the components and study each module's datasheet (pin-out, voltage, interface).
2. Wire the circuit on a breadboard following the pin mapping; power sensors from the correct rail (3.3 V / 5 V).
3. Install Arduino IDE, KiCad PCB Design, Adafruit INA219 Library and the required libraries; flash a minimal test sketch for each module separately.
4. Write the main firmware: read sensors → process → drive outputs / send data.
5. Configure network or cloud credentials and test communication end-to-end.
6. Calibrate thresholds, add error handling (reconnect, sensor time-out) and run a long-duration test.
7. Finalise on a PCB / enclosure and document wiring, code and results.

Key Features
- Voltage / current / power / energy
- Cost calculation
- History charts
- Alerts

Expected Output
On completion the student will have a web meter showing live electrical values and consumption history.

Deliverables
- Complete source code with comments
- Circuit diagram and pin mapping
- Project report with screenshots and results
- Demonstration-ready build