Intro to Microcontrollers Using ESP32

Overview

Another IEEE Concordia bi-weekly workshop where I introduced students to the world of microcontrollers. Starting from "what even is a microcontroller?" and ending with participants controlling LED brightness from their phones over WiFi.

Workshop Details

| Duration | 3 hours | | Attendees | ~30-40 students | | Audience | 1st-3rd year students, beginners welcome | | Role | Sole instructor | | Hardware | ESP32 dev kits provided to each participant |

Curriculum

Fundamentals

• What is a microcontroller vs. a computer?
• Understanding GPIO pins and pinouts
• Introduction to Arduino IDE

Programming Basics

• Variables, functions, and program structure
• The setup() and loop() paradigm
• Serial monitor for debugging

Digital I/O

• Digital read/write operations
• Working with LEDs and buttons
• The classic "blink" sketch

Analog I/O

• Analog sensors and ADC
• PWM for analog output
• Controlling LED brightness

Sensors

• Digital vs. analog sensors
• Reading sensor data
• Basic signal interpretation

WiFi & Networking

• ESP32's wireless capabilities
• Setting up a simple web server
• HTTP requests and responses

Hands-On Progression

Each participant received an ESP32 dev kit with sensors, LEDs, and components. The workshop followed a progressive structure:

1. Blink — The "Hello World" of embedded systems
2. Digital input — Reading button states
3. Digital output — Controlling multiple LEDs
4. Analog input — Reading sensor values
5. PWM output — Fading LEDs smoothly
6. WiFi finale — Controlling LED brightness from a phone

The Payoff

By the end, every participant had their ESP32 running a web server. They could open a browser on their phone, connect to the ESP32's network, and control the brightness of an LED in real-time.

I provided the web interface code so students could focus on understanding the hardware-software interaction rather than getting stuck on HTML/JavaScript.