Smart Wellness Clock

By Shekhar Nandanwar

The rapid advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technology has made smart home and smart environment monitoring systems increasingly accessible and affordable. Embedded systems powered by low-cost, high-performance microcontrollers such as the ESP32 series now allow developers to create feature-rich, user-friendly interfaces with graphical displays, touch input, real-time sensing, and audio feedback — all within compact and power-efficient designs.

This project presents the design and implementation of a Smart Room Display and Monitoring System based on the ESP32-S3 microcontroller. The system combines:

A modern graphical user interface (GUI) built with LVGL (Light and Versatile Graphics Library)

A modern graphical user interface (GUI) built with LVGL (Light and Versatile Graphics Library)

Real-time display of time, date, room temperature and humidity

Real-time display of time, date, room temperature and humidity

Wi-Fi connection status indication

Wi-Fi connection status indication

Touch-based interaction

Touch-based interaction

Visual alert/notification system

Visual alert/notification system

The main objectives of the project are:

To create an attractive, responsive, and intuitive user interface suitable for smart home or environment monitoring applications

To create an attractive, responsive, and intuitive user interface suitable for smart home or environment monitoring applications

To integrate multiple sensors and peripherals (display, touch, temperature/humidity sensor, audio codec) using clean and modular code

To integrate multiple sensors and peripherals (display, touch, temperature/humidity sensor, audio codec) using clean and modular code

To demonstrate proper usage of the ESP-IDF framework, BSP (Board Support Package) abstraction layer, and LVGL on modern ESP32-S3 hardware

To demonstrate proper usage of the ESP-IDF framework, BSP (Board Support Package) abstraction layer, and LVGL on modern ESP32-S3 hardware

To handle real-world challenges such as API changes in LVGL, correct I2S audio configuration, and clean separation between UI logic and application behavior

To handle real-world challenges such as API changes in LVGL, correct I2S audio configuration, and clean separation between UI logic and application behavior

The system is developed using ESP-IDF (Espressif IoT Development Framework) and targets typical ESP32-S3 development boards equipped with TFT displays (such as ILI9341, ST7789, or similar), capacitive touch, I2S audio output (e.g. MAX98357A / PCM5102 / ES8388), and a temperature-humidity sensor AHT20

This project was developed and demonstrated using the Espressif ESP32-S3-BOX development kit (ESP-BOX).

The ESP-BOX is a ready-to-use, integrated development platform that contains:

ESP32-S3 microcontroller

ESP32-S3 microcontroller

2.4-inch capacitive touch display (320×240)

2.4-inch capacitive touch display (320×240)

Built-in speaker (via I²S audio codec)

Built-in speaker (via I²S audio codec)

Dual digital microphones

Dual digital microphones

USB Type-C power interface

USB Type-C power interface

All major peripherals (display, touch controller, audio codec, etc.) are already soldered and internally connected on the board according to Espressif’s official design.

No custom circuit diagram is provided because:

No additional external components or wiring were added No custom PCB was designed All hardware connections follow the standard layout of the ESP-BOX development kit Peripheral initialization and pin configuration are handled automatically by calling bsp_board_init() from the official esp-bsp component.

Hardware assembly was kept minimal due to the use of the fully integrated Espressif ESP32-S3-BOX development kit.

The ESP-BOX already includes:

ESP32-S3 microcontroller

ESP32-S3 microcontroller

2.4-inch capacitive touch TFT display (320×240)

2.4-inch capacitive touch TFT display (320×240)

Built-in speaker (connected via I²S)

Built-in speaker (connected via I²S)

USB Type-C connector for power and programming

USB Type-C connector for power and programming

No additional sensors, displays, audio modules, or breakout boards were connected.

The only hardware modification / addition was:

One 18650 Li-ion battery cell (3.7V nominal) connected to provide portable / standalone power.

One 18650 Li-ion battery cell (3.7V nominal) connected to provide portable / standalone power.

Assembly steps performed:

The original USB Type-C cable that came with the ESP-BOX (or a good quality USB-C cable) was used for initial programming and debugging.

The original USB Type-C cable that came with the ESP-BOX (or a good quality USB-C cable) was used for initial programming and debugging.

For portable operation (demonstration without constant USB connection): A single 18650 3.7V battery cell was connected to the board’s power input. Connection was made to the 5V / VBUS line (most commonly via the USB-C connector breakout pads or using a simple battery holder + protection circuit + boost converter to 5V if required). Important note: The ESP-BOX is designed to be powered via USB-C at 5V. Direct connection of a 3.7V battery without proper voltage conversion is not recommended for long-term use.

For portable operation (demonstration without constant USB connection):

A single 18650 3.7V battery cell was connected to the board’s power input.

A single 18650 3.7V battery cell was connected to the board’s power input.

Connection was made to the 5V / VBUS line (most commonly via the USB-C connector breakout pads or using a simple battery holder + protection circuit + boost converter to 5V if required).

Connection was made to the 5V / VBUS line (most commonly via the USB-C connector breakout pads or using a simple battery holder + protection circuit + boost converter to 5V if required).

Important note: The ESP-BOX is designed to be powered via USB-C at 5V. Direct connection of a 3.7V battery without proper voltage conversion is not recommended for long-term use.

Important note: The ESP-BOX is designed to be powered via USB-C at 5V. Direct connection of a 3.7V battery without proper voltage conversion is not recommended for long-term use.

This is the main application code for your Smart Wellness Clock project running on ESP32-S3-BOX

What the complete program does:

Initializes the display and shows the LVGL-based user interface (clock, date, room temp/humidity, Wi-Fi status, alert popup)

Initializes the display and shows the LVGL-based user interface (clock, date, room temp/humidity, Wi-Fi status, alert popup)

Connects to Wi-Fi (using your home network credentials)

Connects to Wi-Fi (using your home network credentials)

Synchronizes time from the internet using NTP (so the clock shows real time)

Synchronizes time from the internet using NTP (so the clock shows real time)

Reads temperature and humidity from an AHT30 sensor every 2 seconds

Reads temperature and humidity from an AHT30 sensor every 2 seconds

Updates the UI every second with current time/date

Updates the UI every second with current time/date

Updates the room temperature & humidity display when new sensor values are available

Updates the room temperature & humidity display when new sensor values are available

Shows correct Wi-Fi connected/disconnected status on the screen Code Structure:

Shows correct Wi-Fi connected/disconnected status on the screen Code Structure:

We are using FreeRTOS (tasks, delays)