Sensor Board
The original Automato node. ESP32 + LoRa radio, built-in display, 14-channel screw-terminal I/O, LiPo battery charging, and microSD data logging. Designed for wired sensor installations and long-range LoRa mesh networks.
The original Automato node
The Sensor Board is a fully-featured ESP32 sensor and control node with a built-in display, 14 screw-terminal I/O channels, LoRa radio for long-range mesh, LiPo battery support, and microSD data logging — all in one board.
It’s designed for installations where you need lots of wired I/O — connecting existing analog sensors, relays, solenoids, and meters to a single central node.
Controlling the Relay Board
The Sensor Board can control the Relay Board in two ways:
- USB-C cable — direct plug-and-play connection between the two boards (planned addition — not in current Relay Board schematic)
- GPIO pin — wire a GPIO pin from the 14-channel I/O terminal directly to the Relay Board’s SPI control header
USB-C cable, LiPo battery, LoRa antenna, and sensors sold separately.
Comparing boards? The Brain Board V2.0 is our newer, more compact node with onboard sensors and WiFi 6. The Sensor Board is better when you need lots of wired I/O, long-range LoRa mesh, or direct USB-C relay control.
| Microcontroller | ESP32-WROOM-DA-N4 (Xtensa dual-core 240 MHz, 4 MB flash, dual antenna) |
| Wireless | LoRa (RFM95W-868S2), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Display | Built-in display (see KiCad files for exact part) |
| I/O terminal | 14-channel Phoenix Contact screw terminal (3.5 mm pitch) — analog + digital |
| USB | 2× USB-C (Amphenol 12401610E4-2A) — one for power/programming, one for data |
| Battery | LiPo connector (JST PH 2-pin), MCP73831T charge controller, P-ch MOSFET power path |
| Power regulation | Diodes Inc. AP2112K-3.3 LDO (3.3V), Monolithic Power MP2452DD buck regulator |
| USB-UART | Silicon Labs CP2104-F03 bridge |
| Data storage | microSD (Hirose DM3D-SF connector) |
| SMA connector | Right-angle edge-mount SMA for external LoRa antenna |
| Switches | RESET, BOOT (tactile), power SPDT (C&K L102021ML04Q) |
| LEDs | Yellow, Green, Red status LEDs |
| Relay Board control | Via USB-C cable (planned addition to Relay Board schematic) or direct GPIO pin via 14-ch I/O terminal → Relay Board SPI header |
| License | MIT (hardware & firmware) |
| Pin / Label | GPIO | Function |
|---|---|---|
| I/O Terminal CH1–CH14 | Various | 3.5 mm screw terminal — analog/digital I/O, power, GND. Any channel can drive Relay Board SPI control. |
| Qwiic | IO21 (SDA), IO22 (SCL) | I2C expansion via JST 1 mm 4-pin connector |
| SMA | — | External LoRa antenna connector |
| LiPo | — | JST PH 2-pin battery connector |
| microSD | SPI bus | Data logging storage |
| BOOT | IO0 | Boot button — hold at power-on for flash mode |
| RESET | EN | Hard reset |
Quick start guide
Flash firmware and connect sensors
Firmware reference
Full API and I/O configuration
Hardware files on GitHub
KiCad schematics, BOM, PCB layout
Example sketches
Arduino code samples for common setups
LoRa long-range setup
Multi-node mesh with LoRa radio
Pair with the Relay Board
Add 4-channel mains-rated switching