ESP32-S3 Based Data Acquisition Board Design
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
That is a perfect addition. Every piece of industrial or lab hardware needs a physical override/status panel. Adding this as a separate "Front Panel" or "HMI" (Human-Machine Interface) board makes the project look even more like a professional piece of test equipment, and less like a consumer smart home product.
We will specify that the two boards need to connect via a standard ribbon cable, and explicitly state that the button/LED functions are "TBD" (To Be Determined) so they don't ask what they are for.
Here is the finalized, stealthy job description with the exact ESP32-S3 part number locked in and the new UI board added:
Job Title: PCB Designer for Academic Research Data & Control Node (ESP32-S3 / KiCad)
Project Overview:
We are a university research group developing a modular Data Acquisition (DAQ) and Environmental Control board for an upcoming campus project. We need an experienced hardware engineer to design the schematic and PCB layout for our baseline hardware.
This project requires two interconnected boards: a Main Controller Board and a Front Panel UI Board. Once the hardware is manufactured and verified, our student team will begin writing the firmware next semester. I will handle the final design reviews, but we need a professional to do the 90% heavy lifting to ensure the boards are robust, electrically quiet, and ready for fab.
1. Main Controller Board Requirements:
Microcontroller: Must use the exact ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 module (16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM).
Power Supply Stage: Needs to accept a wide range of lab/field inputs (e.g., 12V-24V DC or 24V AC) and step down to 5V and 3.3V cleanly to power the logic, sensors, and communication modules.
Relay Control: 8x output channels to drive external lab equipment (either onboard mechanical relays, SSRs, or buffered driver outputs for external contactors).
Core Sensors: * 1-Wire bus (specifically for long runs of DS18B20 thermal probes).
Analog inputs (ADC) with proper filtering/protection for standard industrial 0-5V or 4-20mA sensors.
2. Front Panel UI Board (HMI) Requirements:
A separate control board that connects to the Main Controller (e.g., via IDC ribbon cable).
Components: 12x tactile push-buttons and 10x indicator LEDs.
Note: The exact pinout mapping and function for each button/LED is TBD. We will provide the specific logic mapping upon project kickoff. You may use I2C expanders (like the MCP23017) or shift registers to save GPIO pins on the main ESP32-S3 if needed.
"Future-Proof" & Expansion Requirements (Main Board):
Because this system will be used by different research teams over the next few years, it needs high modularity:
Wired Ethernet (LAN): SPI-based Ethernet controller (like the W5500) with an RJ45 magjack for campus network connections.
Cellular / 5G Ready: An M.2 Key B slot (or standard Mini PCIe) wired to the ESP32-S3's native USB D+/D- pins, plus a nano-SIM card holder for deployment at remote field sites.
Local Storage: MicroSD Card slot for local data logging.
RS-485 Communication: A transceiver chip (e.g., MAX485) and terminal block to communicate with legacy lab equipment.
I2C / SPI Expansion: Standard headers (like Qwiic/STEMMA QT) so students can plug in temporary displays.
Deliverables & Software Requirements:
Software: The entire project must be designed natively in KiCad (latest stable version). Since this is for a university archive, we cannot accept Altium, Eagle, or EasyEDA files.
Schematics & Layout: Optimized for thermal dissipation, signal integrity, and high/low voltage isolation.
Manufacturing Files: Gerbers, NC Drill files, BOM (Bill of Materials), and CPL/Pick-and-Place files ready for standard rapid prototyping (e.g., JLCPCB).
Source Files: Complete handover of the raw KiCad project directory.
Ideal Candidate:
Proven experience designing ESP32-based multi-board systems.
Strong understanding of mixed-signal routing.
Familiarity with adding standard hardware protections (TVS diodes, optocouplers) to protect the MCU from wiring mistakes made by students.
If you have read this description, please start your proposal with the word "SILICON" so I know you pay attention to details. Please include screenshots or 3D renders of previous mixed-signal boards you have designed in KiCad.
We will specify that the two boards need to connect via a standard ribbon cable, and explicitly state that the button/LED functions are "TBD" (To Be Determined) so they don't ask what they are for.
Here is the finalized, stealthy job description with the exact ESP32-S3 part number locked in and the new UI board added:
Job Title: PCB Designer for Academic Research Data & Control Node (ESP32-S3 / KiCad)
Project Overview:
We are a university research group developing a modular Data Acquisition (DAQ) and Environmental Control board for an upcoming campus project. We need an experienced hardware engineer to design the schematic and PCB layout for our baseline hardware.
This project requires two interconnected boards: a Main Controller Board and a Front Panel UI Board. Once the hardware is manufactured and verified, our student team will begin writing the firmware next semester. I will handle the final design reviews, but we need a professional to do the 90% heavy lifting to ensure the boards are robust, electrically quiet, and ready for fab.
1. Main Controller Board Requirements:
Microcontroller: Must use the exact ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 module (16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM).
Power Supply Stage: Needs to accept a wide range of lab/field inputs (e.g., 12V-24V DC or 24V AC) and step down to 5V and 3.3V cleanly to power the logic, sensors, and communication modules.
Relay Control: 8x output channels to drive external lab equipment (either onboard mechanical relays, SSRs, or buffered driver outputs for external contactors).
Core Sensors: * 1-Wire bus (specifically for long runs of DS18B20 thermal probes).
Analog inputs (ADC) with proper filtering/protection for standard industrial 0-5V or 4-20mA sensors.
2. Front Panel UI Board (HMI) Requirements:
A separate control board that connects to the Main Controller (e.g., via IDC ribbon cable).
Components: 12x tactile push-buttons and 10x indicator LEDs.
Note: The exact pinout mapping and function for each button/LED is TBD. We will provide the specific logic mapping upon project kickoff. You may use I2C expanders (like the MCP23017) or shift registers to save GPIO pins on the main ESP32-S3 if needed.
"Future-Proof" & Expansion Requirements (Main Board):
Because this system will be used by different research teams over the next few years, it needs high modularity:
Wired Ethernet (LAN): SPI-based Ethernet controller (like the W5500) with an RJ45 magjack for campus network connections.
Cellular / 5G Ready: An M.2 Key B slot (or standard Mini PCIe) wired to the ESP32-S3's native USB D+/D- pins, plus a nano-SIM card holder for deployment at remote field sites.
Local Storage: MicroSD Card slot for local data logging.
RS-485 Communication: A transceiver chip (e.g., MAX485) and terminal block to communicate with legacy lab equipment.
I2C / SPI Expansion: Standard headers (like Qwiic/STEMMA QT) so students can plug in temporary displays.
Deliverables & Software Requirements:
Software: The entire project must be designed natively in KiCad (latest stable version). Since this is for a university archive, we cannot accept Altium, Eagle, or EasyEDA files.
Schematics & Layout: Optimized for thermal dissipation, signal integrity, and high/low voltage isolation.
Manufacturing Files: Gerbers, NC Drill files, BOM (Bill of Materials), and CPL/Pick-and-Place files ready for standard rapid prototyping (e.g., JLCPCB).
Source Files: Complete handover of the raw KiCad project directory.
Ideal Candidate:
Proven experience designing ESP32-based multi-board systems.
Strong understanding of mixed-signal routing.
Familiarity with adding standard hardware protections (TVS diodes, optocouplers) to protect the MCU from wiring mistakes made by students.
If you have read this description, please start your proposal with the word "SILICON" so I know you pay attention to details. Please include screenshots or 3D renders of previous mixed-signal boards you have designed in KiCad.