ESPHome is an important part of our Smart Van build. This guide will walk you through setting up ESPHome inside of Home Assistant. We talk about microcontrollers and get one set up to control the onboard LED on an ESP8266.
** IF YOU GET STUCK PROGRAMMING YOUR DEVICE **
Be sure to read the ESPHome page note on connecting to the ESP, you may need to download a serial driver.
https://esphome.io/guides/physical_device_connection.html#connecting-to-the-esphttps://www.instagram.com/mikegoubeaux/If you haven't set up your Home Assistant server yet, check out this video:
https://youtu.be/q5HSJXHkqEs?si=0bYoV8jOgLcPgLlf*links to Home Assistant server products etc in the description for that video
Or, you can start at the very beginning with the Automation Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGOD8WIYv76tSs3Ax_OZ5ezP65ABSx18R📔 RESOURCES
ESPHome:
https://esphome.ioGetting started with ESPHome:
https://esphome.io/guides/getting_started_hassio.htmlESPHome devices:
https://devices.esphome.ioWhich pins to use (ESP8266):
https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp8266-pinout-reference-gpios/Which pins to use (ESP32):
https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-pinout-reference-gpios/Esphome board list (ESP 8266):
https://registry.platformio.org/platforms/platformio/espressif8266/boards🚨 BEGINNER KITS
If you don't want to buy individual components, there are some good beginner kits available that come with an ESP board, sensors, relays and other goodies to experiment with. You might want to try one of these if just want to dabble:
Small ESP32 Starter Kit:
https://amzn.to/3Njmg61Large ESP32 Starter Kit:
https://amzn.to/3TXf579🛒 PRODUCTS
ESP8266 (D1 Mini):
https://amzn.to/3ZOjNbn2x relay board:
https://amzn.to/3zFAKu0Motor controller:
https://amzn.to/3XYGZRBUART programmer:
https://amzn.to/4ew83Ph8x relay esp module:
https://amzn.to/4dDOYJwBreadboards:
https://amzn.to/3U1WpU7Breadboard jumper wires:
https://amzn.to/4823oSH🚨 ALL-IN-ONE RELAY DEVICE
If you want a device that doesn't require UART flashing, soldering, or making your own case you might want to try out something like this 6 relay board.
6x Relay ESP32 with DIN rail case and usb:
https://amzn.to/3NcbVbZIt features a built in microcontroller (ESP32-S3), DIN rail mountable case, 12v power support, AND USB (so you don't need to use a UART programmer). Though I haven't used this one personally, it looks like a promising starting point if you're new to all of this and want to dip your toes in the shallow end first.
Soldering:
Portable soldering iron (TS101):
https://amzn.to/4dydGLAGreat bench soldering iron:
https://amzn.to/4eA3QKsSolder:
https://amzn.to/4dxypirTips:
https://amzn.to/3Y9p4JkFlux:
https://amzn.to/480RwjIHelping Hands:
https://amzn.to/4eBAf3mSolder removal:
https://amzn.to/3NhPZw2DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps us keep making content! Thanks so much.
0:00 Intro - ESPHome
0:25 ESPHome Overview
1:04 Microcontrollers
2:28 What IS ESPHome?
3:51 Basic Demo Project
4:18 Install ESPHome
5:16 Add a Device
7:04 Initial Firmware Install
7:47 Configure the Device
11:11 Install the Firmware
12:42 Configure the Device in Home Assistant
14:11 Other Interesting Devices
14:52 Products to get Started
15:31 Soldering
15:58 What's Next on Smarty Van