Smart Actuator System

Created by Wasel Ahmed

Inspiration

I wanted to explore ESP32 for the first time and build a smart motor control system that can safely operate a DC motor, handle failures, and report task statistics.

What it does

The system controls a DC motor using an L293D driver. It can:

• Start, stop, and reverse the motor
• Adjust speed
• Simulate load conditions
• Detect failures and attempt automatic recovery
• Display task statistics in real-time on the Serial Monitor

How we built it

The project uses:

• ESP32 Dev Kit
• L293D motor driver
• Motor connected via ENA, IN1, IN2 pins
• Arduino IDE for programming
• Core functions like motorForward(), motorReverse(), motorSoftStop(), and motorHardStop() for motor control
• Serial input commands for manual control

Challenges we ran into

• Motor was running immediately at boot due to initial pin states
• Figuring out the correct PWM setup for ESP32
• Handling randomized failure simulation and recovery sequences

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Successfully implemented safe motor control with soft and hard stops
• Task statistics are correctly calculated and displayed
• First working project using ESP32 for a motor control system

What we learned

• How to use ESP32 GPIO pins and PWM for motor control
• Importance of pin initialization to prevent accidental motor activation
• Basics of task management and failure handling
• Debugging and using the Serial Monitor for feedback

What's next for Smart Actuator System

• Add Wi-Fi connectivity to log data to Google Sheets
• Implement a web dashboard to monitor motor tasks remotely
• Improve safety with sensor feedback to prevent overloads

Acknowledgements

Thanks to ChatGPT for guidance on code structure, motor control logic, and README formatting.

Built With

• arduinoide
• c++
• esp32