02 / Boards and I/O

Hardware

Two off-the-shelf development boards today — a Waveshare ESP32-S3-POE-ETH and an ESP32 WROOM 32 devkit. Either can be a head end or a field panel. Transport is a property of the board, not of the job it does.

Profile A — ESP32-S3 with Ethernet

Wired, powered over the same cable.

What it is: A Waveshare ESP32-S3-POE-ETH board: ESP32-S3R8 with 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM, W5500 Ethernet over SPI and native USB-C.
What it is for: The one you want in a comms cupboard.
How it is powered: PoE 802.3af via a stacking module, so power and data arrive on one cable.
How it connects: Wired Ethernet through the W5500.
The trade: More board and more cable, in exchange for a wired link and a single run per panel.

Profile A — ESP32-S3 with Ethernet specifications
MCU	ESP32-S3R8
Flash	16 MB
PSRAM	8 MB
Transport	W5500 Ethernet over SPI
USB	Native USB-C
Power	PoE 802.3af (stacking module)

Profile B — ESP32 WROOM 32 on WiFi

Cheap, wireless, useful where cable is impractical.

What it is: A commodity ESP32 WROOM 32 devkit with 4 MB flash and USB over CH340 or CP2102.
What it is for: Where cable is impractical, or for a bench.
How it is powered: A local supply at the panel.
How it connects: WiFi to an access point on the local network.
The trade: Less cost and no cabling, in exchange for a wireless link and a separate power source.

Profile B — ESP32 WROOM 32 on WiFi specifications
MCU	ESP32 WROOM 32
Flash	4 MB
Transport	WiFi
USB	CH340 or CP2102
Power	Local supply

Start small. Grow without replacing anything.

Four stages. Only the first exists — the rest carry a roadmap status, and none of them is available.

Stage 01 — Development boardsToday

The two profiles above. Off-the-shelf, self-sourced, self-assembled.

Commodity boards you can buy from more than one supplier, wired to external breakout and relay boards. Nothing proprietary, no single supplier, nothing that stops working because a vendor discontinues a part.

This is the stage that exists today, on the bench.

Stage 02 — Validated third-party boardsPlanned

A published list of additional boards tested and supported.

Widening choice rather than narrowing it, so an installer can buy from more than one place with confidence about what will work.

Would require each candidate board to be tested on the bench for pin behaviour, cold-boot relay safety and transport stability before it is listed.

Stage 03 — Purpose-built boardsExploring

Gentex-designed hardware with I/O, supervision and relay protection integrated.

A panel becomes one board rather than three and a loom. Fewer parts, fewer wiring mistakes, faster installs. Development boards would remain supported.

Would require a settled design, a manufacturing run and hardware that has been proven in real installs — none of which has happened.

Stage 04 — Server editionExploring

A Linux head end on a small dedicated machine for larger sites.

Event history, multiple users and roles, reporting, and setup performed on the device itself rather than through a browser tool. Field panels are unchanged.

Would require the local head end to be finished first, and demand from sites large enough to need it.

The device protocol does not change as you move up. Panels, wiring and commissioning stay the same — only the head end grows.

What a site needs

Boards — one per head end and one per field panel, either profile.
Breakout boards for the I/O.
Relay boards for the outputs.
A switch, or an access point, for the local network.
A PoE injector, or local supplies, depending on profile.
Cabling for zones and relays.
End-of-line resistors for supervised zones.

This is a build-it-yourself system. The parts list above is a description of what a site takes, not a kit you can order, and there are no prices here because nothing is sold.