Skip to Content

Home›Projects

Industrial automation projects with the ESP32 PLC

An ESP32 PLC project starts from your signal list and ends with a controller running on site. Each project on this page shows the problem, how it is solved and the hardware it uses.

  • Try it in a simulator, in the browser and without hardware.
  • Build it from a project pack or a recipe with tested code.
  • Talk to us: Industrial Shields engineers help you choose the model and get started.
Your signalsand the jobSimulatortry the logicESP32 PLCwith tested codeOn siteinstalled
Send us your projectTry a simulator

How a project works with us

Four steps, from the first message to the first controller on site.

  1. Send your signal list

    Inputs, outputs, sensors and what the system must do. A rough list is enough to start.

  2. Try a similar process

    Run the closest simulator and break things on purpose: network cuts, faults, peaks.

  3. Start from tested code

    Take a project pack or a recipe from the PLC Solution Library and adapt it.

  4. Choose the model

    We check the I/O count and the communications with you and you get a quote.

Industrial Shields engineers answer your questions from the first contact. The wiring and the start-up on site are done by your team or your integrator.

Projects with the ESP32 PLC

Seven projects with a real problem behind them. Each card links the simulator, the code and the installations where it already runs.

Schematic illustration of a packaging line retrofit with an ESP32 PLC

ESP32 PLC · MQTT · OEE

Machine monitoring and OEE on existing machines

The problem

Older machines give no data. Nobody knows when they stop, why, or how many good parts they make.

How it is solved

An ESP32 PLC reads the run, stop, cycle and reject signals, counts parts and sends each event over MQTT. If the network fails, the data waits on the SD card.

Ask about this projectRequest a quote

Energy meter simulator: kWh per machine read by an ESP32 PLC 21 CORE

ESP32 PLC 21 CORE · Modbus RTU and TCP

Energy per machine and per shift

The problem

The main meter tells you how much energy the plant used. It does not tell you which machine used it, in which shift, or while it produced nothing.

How it is solved

The ESP32 PLC reads the machine meters over Modbus, splits the kWh by shift and raises an alarm when a machine uses power with no production.

Ask about this projectRequest a quote

SCADA screen of the FEDA water consumption project with ESP32 PLCs

ESP32 PLC · 4-20 mA · LoRaWAN or 4G

Remote telemetry for pumping stations and water networks

The problem

Pumping stations and tanks are far away, have no staff and often no fixed network. A failure shows up when the water stops.

How it is solved

Each station runs on its own ESP32 PLC: level probe on 4-20 mA, pump alternation and failover. Alarms and data go over LoRaWAN or 4G to one control room.

Ask about this projectRequest a quote

Schematic illustration of a center pivot controlled by sectors with a PLC

ESP32 PLC · 4G · MQTT

Greenhouse climate and irrigation control

The problem

Wind, rain and heat change faster than the staff can react. Vents and irrigation run by hand arrive late.

How it is solved

An ESP32 PLC opens and closes the vents, runs the irrigation and protects against wind and rain. In the pivot case, one PLC waters by sector and stops on low pressure.

Ask about this projectRequest a quote

Entrance gate of the Dinokeng Game Reserve, controlled with ESP32 PLC 19R units

ESP32 PLC 42 · MySQL · MQTT

Gates and barriers driven from a database

The problem

The order to open a gate already lives in a database or an ERP. Someone still has to turn it into a movement on site.

How it is solved

The ESP32 PLC reads the commands from the table, moves the gates and writes their state back. If the network drops, each gate keeps a known state.

Ask about this projectRequest a quote

Schematic illustration of vehicle counting at a service station

ESP32 PLC 21 CORE · persistent counters

People and vehicle counting

The problem

A shop, a car park or a service station has to know how many people or vehicles are inside. Nobody can count by hand all day.

How it is solved

Two beams or loops at each entrance tell entries from exits. The ESP32 PLC keeps the count through power cuts and drives the traffic light and the barrier.

Ask about this projectRequest a quote

ESP32 PLC 38R industrial controller

ESP32 PLC 38R · Bluetooth LE

Mobile machinery controlled from a smartphone

The problem

Mobile hydraulic equipment has no fixed panel and no network. The operator still needs to control it and see its state.

How it is solved

The ESP32 PLC talks to a phone app over Bluetooth LE and runs the valves with a state machine. Overpressure protection stays in the PLC, never in the app.

Ask about this projectRequest a quote

Your project

Is your project different?

Many projects mix pieces of these seven. Tell us what the system must do and which signals it has.

We will tell you which model and which example to start from.

Send us your project

Projects with other Industrial Shields controllers

Some projects fit better on an Arduino PLC or on a Raspberry PLC with Linux. If you are not sure, read how to choose an industrial controller.

Resources for your project

Free material to design, test and supervise the project before you order anything.

Free course · 9 lessons

Build the SCADA for your project with Node-RED

Your PLCs send data over MQTT or Modbus. This course shows how to turn that data into screens, alarms and history with Node-RED.

Start the course

SCADA · Node-RED

Frequently asked questions

Can Industrial Shields help me build my project?

Yes. Industrial Shields engineers help you choose the controller, the communications and the code to start from, and they answer your questions from the first contact to after-sales. The wiring and the start-up on site are done by your team or your integrator.

How much does an ESP32 PLC project cost?

It depends on the number of inputs and outputs, the communications and how many controllers the project needs. Send us your signal list with the form on this page and we will prepare a quote.

Can I test the logic before I buy hardware?

Yes. The PLC simulators run in the browser without hardware. You can start the process, cut the network or inject a fault and see what the PLC reads, calculates and switches.

What is in a project pack?

A project pack gathers runnable examples, the bill of materials and integration notes for one application, such as pumping stations, knitting machines or mobile hydraulic equipment.

Which ESP32 PLC model do I need?

Count the digital and analog inputs and outputs, the relays and the communications you need, then compare the models of the ESP32 PLC family. The controller comparison shows every model with its I/O.

Can I build a SCADA for my project?

Yes. The free course Develop your SCADA application based on Node-RED shows how to build screens, alarms and history from the data your PLCs send.

Send us your project

Tell us what the system must do and which signals it has. An Industrial Shields engineer will answer with the model and the next steps.

Project:

Send

Thank you. We have received your project and an engineer will contact you.

Prefer email or phone? Use the contact page.

Send us your project