ESP32 Base Shield Board

Helmi Bin Jamaluddin, Mohd Zeid Bin Abu Bakar

Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah

The recent introduction of DEC50132 Internet Based Controller syllabus in Diploma in

Electronic Engineering (Computer) Programme or DTK is one of Polytechnic Malaysia’s
answers to better prepare and up skill its students for the coming Industry Revolution 4.0
whereby Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the nine identified technology pillars. To
support the course learning process, the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) along with a select
committee have agreed to include the ESP32 microcontroller into the course practical
sessions due to its affordability, features (WiFi and Bluetooth) and powerful processing
capabilities. During the execution of the new course, several problems are observed which
includes the availability of the General Purpose Input Output (GPIOs) pins when the ESP32 is
stacked onto a breadboard and the time consuming process of circuit troubleshooting. To
address these issues, the idea of a double layer base shield board that comes together with
built in SMD LEDs as indicators surfaces. The base shield board schematic diagrams, printed
circuit board (PCB) and the 3D modelling is design and developed respectively by using
EAGLE and Fusion 360 software by Autodesk. The design adheres to the Electrical Rule
Check (ERC) and also the Design Rule Check (DRC). The result showed that the developed
base shield board managed to meets its expectation especially in providing better
accessibility to the ESP32 GPIOs, easier hardware interfacing and more flexibility during
prototyping process. It’s on board SMD LEDs tied into different GPIOs acted as an indicator
for quicker circuit and coding troubleshooting process. Overall, this product proved to be a
beginner-friendly, compact (70mmx50mm), durable, lightweight, low cost and reliable
solution for IoT prototyping and educational purposes.