IOT Farming with the ACEBOTT ESP32 Smart Farm kit

A few weeks ago, we were contacted by Acebott, a company founded in 2013 that specializes in manufacturing professional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) education solutions and innovative open-source products. Acebott boasts an impressive array of offerings, including learning kits, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and Micro:Bit controller boards, intelligent robots, and a variety of sensors and modules. These products are specifically designed for children aged 8 and above, as well as educational institutions, with the goal of stimulating creativity and enhancing technical skills to promote STEM education at all levels.

Acebott graciously offered to send us their IOT Smart Farm Starter Kit for review, which contains an ESP32 and therefore aligns well with our review criteria. 😉

In today’s technologically driven world, the convergence of agriculture and the Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing traditional farming practices. The ACEBOTT QE010 ESP32 Smart Farm Starter Kit is an educational tool designed to empower young minds to explore and advance in the realm of smart farming using Arduino and ACECode (Scratch).

What Makes the ACEBOTT QE010 Special?

The ACEBOTT QE010 Smart Farm Kit is built around the powerful ESP-WROOM-32 microcontroller, a versatile SoC (System on Chip) renowned for its capability to support a multitude of IoT applications. This kit provides a remarkable hands-on learning experience by combining practical farming scenarios with IOT tech solutions.

Here’s an overview of the impressive hardware and features packed into this compact kit:

Specifications

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi | Bluetooth LE
• Chip: ESP-WROOM-32
• Clock Speed: 240MHz
• RAM: 448KB
• Flash Memory: 4MB
• Interfaces: UART | I2C | SPI | CAN
• Input Voltages: 6-18V
• Pinout:
  • 25 Digital Pins
  • 15 Analog Pins
  • 25 PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Pins
  • 2 DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) Pins
  • 2 UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) Ports
  • 2 SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) Ports
  • 1 I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) Port
• Dimensions: 27.1 x 19 x 23 cm

The set includes a diverse array of sensors and modules, such as a temperature sensor, rain sensor, moisture sensor, OLED module, light sensor, buzzer, RGB strip, motor, water pump, relay, PIR sensor, LED, touch sensor, and more.

Building experience

Assembling the kit wasn’t as straightforward as it might seem at first glance. The manual occasionally lacks clarity, and our 12-year-old was quick to point out some minor inconsistencies. We had to disassemble certain elements to correct a few missed steps, but overall the process wasn’t too difficult. The quality of the parts is quite decent, which made the experience more enjoyable despite the small hiccups.

Software: Arduino and ACECode (Scratch)

The kit is specifically designed to cater to both beginners and advanced users, providing a versatile platform to explore:

1. Arduino: The universally popular open-source platform that makes electronic prototyping accessible. The online tutorial provides all the necessary information, program files, and drivers to get started with the Arduino IDE. We used this to get everything up and running. It is recommended to use an older version of the ESP32 library (2.x) because the project becomes too large to fit on the ESP32 with version 3.0. Acebott should consider optimizing the project files to ensure they fit.
2. ACECode (Scratch spin off) is a visual programming language designed to simplify the coding process. It allows users to create programs by connecting blocks, making it especially effective for younger learners. Unfortunately, ACECode is only available for Windows. As we are Mac users, we were unable to test this software.
3. ESPHome? We are confident that we could adapt this kit to ESPHome, as most, if not all, of the sensors are supported. We just need to find the time, so perhaps it will be part of a future update to this article. 😉

Why buy the ACEBOTT QE010 Your Smart Farm Project?

User Experience

• Educational Value: The ACEBOTT QE010 Kit serves as an excellent educational tool. It turns complex IoT concepts into interactive and comprehensible projects that are perfect for both classroom settings and individual exploration.
• Skill Development: From understanding soil moisture levels to automating irrigation systems, users can develop a diverse range of skills that include coding, electronics, and IoT systems integration.
• Wiki: With extensive documentation and a Wiki, beginners can quickly get started while experts can dive into more complex project development.

Technical Prowess

• Connectivity: With its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE capabilities, the ESP32 ensures seamless communication between the device and other smart elements within the farm ecosystem.
• Comprehensive Interface: With multiple interfaces like UART, I2C, SPI, and CAN, the QE010 allows extensive connectivity and control potential, making it adaptable to a wide variety of sensors and modules.
• Flexibility in Power Input: Despite the inclusion of a battery power option, the module offers an acceptable voltage range of 6-18V, ensuring compatibility with a variety of power sources.

Conclusion

The ACEBOTT QE010 ESP32 Smart Farm Starter Kit not only demystifies the concept of smart farming but also ignites innovation among its users. Whether you’re a young tech enthusiast or an educator, this kit provides an excellent platform to explore efficient farming practices through IoT and coding. We thoroughly enjoyed assembling the kit and experimenting with its various sensors. A big thanks to Acebott for providing the review sample.

For more information, visit ACEBOTT’s official product page