How To Control A 12v Motor Using ESP32 Modules

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# Complete Guide for Controlling a Motor with ESP32 and ESP-NOW

This guide will walk you through the process of setting up two ESP32 devices (ESP32-1 and ESP32-2) to control a 12V DC motor using a potentiometer and a 3-way switch. The ESP32 devices will communicate using ESP-NOW.

## Equipment Needed

### ESP32-1:
– ESP32 development board
– Potentiometer
– 3-way switch (On-Off-On)
– Two LEDs (Green and Red)
– Resistors for LEDs (220Ω)
– Breadboard and jumper wires

### ESP32-2:
– ESP32 development board
– L293D motor driver IC
– 12V DC motor
– Two LEDs (Green and Red)
– Resistors for LEDs (220Ω)
– 12V power supply
– Breadboard and jumper wires

## Wiring Connections

### ESP32-1:

1. **Potentiometer:**
– Connect the middle pin of the potentiometer to GPIO 34.
– Connect the other two pins to 3.3V and GND.

2. **3-Way Switch:**
– Connect the middle pin to GND.
– Connect the other two pins to GPIO 25 and GPIO 26.

3. **LEDs:**
– Connect the Green LED’s anode to GPIO 18 via a 220Ω resistor, and the cathode to GND.
– Connect the Red LED’s anode to GPIO 19 via a 220Ω resistor, and the cathode to GND.

### ESP32-2:

1. **L293D Motor Driver:**
– Connect the 12V motor to the L293D’s motor output pins (pins 3 and 6).
– Connect L293D pin 1 (Enable 1) to 5V.
– Connect L293D pin 2 (Input 1) to GPIO 14.
– Connect L293D pin 7 (Input 2) to GPIO 27.
– Connect L293D pin 4, 5, 12, and 13 to GND.
– Connect L293D pin 8 to 12V power supply.

2. **LEDs:**
– Connect the Green LED’s anode to GPIO 32 via a 220Ω resistor, and the cathode to GND.
– Connect the Red LED’s anode to GPIO 33 via a 220Ω resistor, and the cathode to GND.

## Programming the ESP32s

### ESP32-1 Code:
This code reads the potentiometer value and the switch position, then sends the corresponding motor speed and direction to ESP32-2 using ESP-NOW.

“`cpp
#include <WiFi.h>
#include <esp_now.h>

#define POT_PIN 34
#define SWITCH_PIN_FWD 25
#define SWITCH_PIN_REV 26
#define GREEN_LED_PIN 18
#define RED_LED_PIN 19

typedef struct struct_message {
int motorSpeed;
bool direction; // true for forward, false for reverse
} struct_message;

struct_message myData;

// Callback when data is sent
void onDataSent(const uint8_t *mac_addr, esp_now_send_status_t status) {
Serial.print(“\r\nLast Packet Send Status:\t”);
Serial.println(status == ESP_NOW_SEND_SUCCESS ? “Delivery Success” : “Delivery Fail”);
}

void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);

pinMode(POT_PIN, INPUT);
pinMode(SWITCH_PIN_FWD, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(SWITCH_PIN_REV, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(GREEN_LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(RED_LED_PIN, OUTPUT);

WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);

if (esp_now_init() != ESP_OK) {
Serial.println(“Error initializing ESP-NOW”);
return;
}

esp_now_register_send_cb(onDataSent);

// Register peer
esp_now_peer_info_t peerInfo;
memcpy(peerInfo.peer_addr, broadcastAddress, 6);
peerInfo.channel = 0;
peerInfo.encrypt = false;

if (esp_now_add_peer(&peerInfo) != ESP_OK) {
Serial.println(“Failed to add peer”);
return;
}
}

void loop() {
int potValue = analogRead(POT_PIN);
myData.motorSpeed = map(potValue, 0, 4095, 0, 255);

if (digitalRead(SWITCH_PIN_FWD) == LOW) {
myData.direction = true;
digitalWrite(GREEN_LED_PIN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(RED_LED_PIN, LOW);
} else if (digitalRead(SWITCH_PIN_REV) == LOW) {
myData.direction = false;
digitalWrite(GREEN_LED_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(RED_LED_PIN, HIGH);
} else {
myData.motorSpeed = 0;
digitalWrite(GREEN_LED_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(RED_LED_PIN, LOW);
}

esp_err_t result = esp_now_send(broadcastAddress, (uint8_t *) &myData, sizeof(myData));

if (result == ESP_OK) {
Serial.println(“Sent with success”);
} else {
Serial.println(“Error sending the data”);
}

delay(100);
}
“`

### ESP32-2 Code:
This code receives the motor speed and direction data from ESP32-1 and controls the motor accordingly using the L293D motor driver.

“`cpp
#include <WiFi.h>
#include <esp_now.h>

#define MOTOR_PIN1 14
#define MOTOR_PIN2 27
#define GREEN_LED_PIN 32
#define RED_LED_PIN 33

typedef struct struct_message {
int motorSpeed;
bool direction; // true for forward, false for reverse
} struct_message;

struct_message myData;

// Callback when data is received
void onDataRecv(const uint8_t * mac, const uint8_t *incomingData, int len) {
memcpy(&myData, incomingData, sizeof(myData));
Serial.print(“Bytes received: “);
Serial.println(len);
Serial.print(“Motor speed: “);
Serial.println(myData.motorSpeed);
Serial.print(“Motor direction: “);
Serial.println(myData.direction ? “Forward” : “Reverse”);

if (myData.direction) {
digitalWrite(MOTOR_PIN1, HIGH);
digitalWrite(MOTOR_PIN2, LOW);
digitalWrite(GREEN_LED_PIN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(RED_LED_PIN, LOW);
} else {
digitalWrite(MOTOR_PIN1, LOW);
digitalWrite(MOTOR_PIN2, HIGH);
digitalWrite(GREEN_LED_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(RED_LED_PIN, HIGH);
}

analogWrite(MOTOR_PIN1, myData.motorSpeed);
}

void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);

pinMode(MOTOR_PIN1, OUTPUT);
pinMode(MOTOR_PIN2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(GREEN_LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(RED_LED_PIN, OUTPUT);

WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);

if (esp_now_init() != ESP_OK) {
Serial.println(“Error initializing ESP-NOW”);
return;
}

esp_now_register_recv_cb(onDataRecv);
}

void loop() {
// Put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
}
“`

## Conclusion

With these setups and code, you should be able to control the speed and direction of a 12V DC motor using a potentiometer and a 3-way switch. The ESP32-1 reads the input from the potentiometer and switch, sends the data to ESP32-2 via ESP-NOW, and ESP32-2 controls the motor based on the received data. The LEDs on both ESP32s indicate the motor’s direction.

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