ESP32 Environment Sensor Shield Hookup Guide

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Contributors: SFUptownMaker
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Introduction

The ESP32 Environment Sensor Shield provides sensors and hookups for monitoring environmental conditions. This tutorial will show you how to connect your sensor suite to the Internet and post weather data online.

SparkFun ESP32 Thing Environment Sensor Shield

DEV-14153
1 Retired

Required Materials

You'll need the ESP32 Thing board to interface with this shield. Other microcontroller boards will work, but since the shield is designed to stack on the ESP32 Thing, interfacing with them will be difficult.

You'll also need some means of connecting the two boards together. While it's possible to solder them together using snappable male header pins, it makes good sense to use female headers on one of the boards board so the boards can be separated again later if needed.

Female Headers

Female Headers

PRT-00115
$1.75
8
Break Away Headers - Straight

Break Away Headers - Straight

PRT-00116
$1.75
20
SparkFun ESP32 Thing

SparkFun ESP32 Thing

DEV-13907
$23.50
69

The ESP32 Environment Sensor Shield comes with connections for our weather station. You may also wish to add a soil moisture sensor, which you'll need two three-position 3.5mm screw terminals and enough wire to connect the sensor to the board.

SparkFun Soil Moisture Sensor

SparkFun Soil Moisture Sensor

SEN-13322
$6.50
16
Screw Terminals 3.5mm Pitch (3-Pin)

Screw Terminals 3.5mm Pitch (3-Pin)

PRT-08235
$1.05

Weather Meters

SEN-08942
26 Retired

Tools

At a minimum, you'll need a soldering iron and some solder. You may need a small screwdriver for attaching the wire to the screw terminals between the soil moisture sensor and the sensor shield. Our pocket screwdriver and screwdriver kit both have bits that will work wonderfully for that purpose. They're also just handy to keep around!

Solder Lead Free - 15-gram Tube

Solder Lead Free - 15-gram Tube

TOL-09163
$3.95
4
Tool Kit - Screwdriver and Bit Set

Tool Kit - Screwdriver and Bit Set

TOL-10865
$10.95
8
Pocket Screwdriver Set

Pocket Screwdriver Set

TOL-12891
$4.50
5
Soldering Iron - 30W (US, 110V)

Soldering Iron - 30W (US, 110V)

TOL-09507
$10.95
7

Suggested Reading

If you have not yet used the ESP32 Thing Development Board, check out this guide first.

ESP32 Thing Hookup Guide

October 27, 2016

An introduction to the ESP32 Thing's hardware features, and a primer on using the WiFi system-on-chip in Arduino.

If you intend to use wind and rain Weather Meters with your ESP32 Environment Sensor Shield, check out our Weather Meter Assembly Guide.

Weather Meter Hookup Guide

July 20, 2017

How to assemble your very own weather meter!

If you aren't familiar with the following concepts, we recommend checking out these tutorials before continuing.

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Analog to Digital Conversion

The world is analog. Use analog to digital conversion to help digital devices interpret the world.

I2C

An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.