Assembly Guide

This guide walks you through assembling your blinqr device on a breadboard. Once you’ve verified everything works, you can move to a more permanent solution.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

• All required components
• A clear workspace
• Basic understanding of breadboard connections

Caution

Always disconnect power before making wiring changes. Double-check all connections before powering on.

Step 1: Place the ESP32

1. Position your ESP32 board on the breadboard
2. Straddle the center channel so pins are accessible on both sides
3. Make sure it’s firmly seated

Step 2: Connect the LEDs

For each LED (repeat for slots 0-4):

1. Identify the LED legs:

   • Longer leg = Anode (+)
   • Shorter leg = Cathode (-)

2. Connect the resistor:

   • One end to the GPIO pin
   • Other end to the LED anode

3. Connect the LED cathode to GND

LED Circuit Diagram

GPIO Pin ──[220Ω]──┬──► LED (+)
                   │
              LED (-)
                   │
                  GND

Default Wiring

Slot	GPIO	LED Color (suggestion)
0	GPIO 2	Blue (Water 💧)
1	GPIO 4	Red (Meds 💊)
2	GPIO 5	Yellow (Dog 🐶)
3	GPIO 18	Green (Task 📌)
4	GPIO 19	White (Other ⚪)

Step 3: Connect the Buttons

For each button (repeat for slots 0-4):

1. Place the button on the breadboard spanning the center channel
2. Connect one side to the GPIO pin
3. Connect the other side to GND

The firmware uses internal pull-up resistors, so no external resistor is needed.

Button Circuit Diagram

GPIO Pin ────┬──── Button ────── GND
             │
      (internal pull-up)

Default Wiring

Slot	GPIO
0	GPIO 12
1	GPIO 13
2	GPIO 14
3	GPIO 27
4	GPIO 26

Step 4: Power Connections

1. Connect the 3.3V rail on your breadboard to the ESP32’s 3.3V pin
2. Connect the GND rail to the ESP32’s GND pin
3. Use these rails for all LED/button ground connections

Step 5: Verify Connections

Before powering on, double-check:

• All LEDs have resistors in series
• LED polarity is correct (long leg toward GPIO)
• Buttons are connected between GPIO and GND
• No short circuits between adjacent pins
• Power rails are connected correctly

Step 6: Test

1. Connect the ESP32 via USB
2. Flash the firmware (see Building)
3. Open the serial monitor at 115200 baud
4. You should see startup messages
5. Connect with the mobile app and test each LED/button

Troubleshooting

LED doesn’t light up

• Check polarity (long leg to GPIO)
• Verify resistor connection
• Test with a different LED
• Check GPIO pin assignment in firmware

Button doesn’t register

• Verify both legs are connected (GPIO and GND)
• Check for loose connections
• Test button with a multimeter
• Verify GPIO pin in firmware

No BLE connection

• Ensure ESP32 has BLE capability (most do)
• Check serial output for BLE initialization messages
• Try restarting the device
• Make sure the app has Bluetooth permissions

Next Steps

Once assembled and tested:

• Build the firmware if you haven’t already
• Download the mobile app
• Consider designing a custom enclosure

Enclosure Ideas

Once your breadboard prototype works, consider:

1. 3D Printed Case - Design your own or use community designs (coming soon)
2. Project Box - Drill holes for LEDs and buttons
3. Laser Cut - Acrylic panels with custom cutouts
4. Desktop Stand - Angled display for visibility

Share your builds with the community!