# Jolly Roger
#### Overview
This project implements a distributed network of Halloween animatronics controlled by **ESP32 microcontrollers**. The system is organized around a **master/slave architecture**, with the *Jolly Roger* animatronic acting as the master unit and several additional animatronics operating as synchronized slaves. Communication between units is handled wirelessly over Wi-Fi (esp-now), allowing for coordinated, scalable effects.
#### Overview
- Each animatronic is controlled by an ESP32. Master has an LD2410 radar sensor to detect human presence and broadcasts triggers to slaves.
- Audio: DFPlayer Mini on every unit.
- Motion: SG90 hobby servos (powered from a 5V supply).
- Lighting: addressable LEDs (WS2812-style) or simple LED strings — powered from 5V.
- Eyes: GC9A01 round SPI LCD.
---
#### Power & decoupling
- Supply rails:
- **5V** for servos, DFPlayer, LEDs, speakers (if using amp) — recommended common supply for power-hungry parts.
- **3.3V** for ESP32 logic (ESP32's regulator when using 5V VIN).
- **Common ground**: absolutely tie the 5V and ESP32 ground together.
- **Decoupling for servos & LEDs**:
- Add a 1000 μF electrolytic capacitor (or larger depending on the number of servos) close to the servo/LED power feed.
- Add 0.1 μF ceramic capacitors near ESP32 Vcc pins.
- **Wire gauge**: use thicker wires (20–18 AWG) for servo + LED power if several are in parallel to avoid voltage drop.
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#### Master (Jolly Roger) wiring (high level)
- **ESP32** VCC -> 3.3V (or VIN from 5V via onboard regulator)
- **LD2410**
- VCC -> 5V (or module-specified supply)
- GND -> common GND
- Output -> ESP32 BUSY/INT pin (see section 5)
- **DFPlayer Mini**
- VCC -> 5V
- GND -> GND
- RX/TX -> ESP32 UART (use hardware UART, see section 6)
- **Servos (SG90)**
- VCC -> 5V rail
- GND -> GND
- Signal -> ESP32 PWM-capable pin
- **LEDs** -> 5V + data pin to ESP32 (with 470Ω series on the data line recommended for WS2812)
- **GC9A01** -> SPI bus pins + CS/DC/RST (see section 7)
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#### Slave animatronic wiring (same as master but no LD2410)
- ESP32, DFPlayer, servos, LEDs, GC9A01 wired exactly like master nodes.
- Each slave listens for the master broadcast and runs its local routine.
---
#### Level shifting & BUSY-pin handling
- **Problem:** DFPlayer BUSY may be open-drain/floating or output 5V.
- **If BUSY is 5V TTL**: use a resistor divider (example below) or logic level shifter.
**Voltage divider (5V -> 3.3V)**
BUSY (DFPlayer) ---- R1 ----+----> ESP32 input
|
R2
|
GND
Use R1 = 10kΩ, R2 = 20kΩ -> Vout ≈ 3.33V when BUSY = 5V
**BUSY to input-only pins (GPIO34–39)**
- These pins **do not support internal pull-ups**. If the BUSY line can float (open-drain), add an external **10k pull-up to 3.3V**.
- If you wire BUSY to GPIOs that support `INPUT_PULLUP` (e.g., 25, 26, 32, 33), you can use `pinMode(pin, INPUT_PULLUP)`.
---
#### DFPlayer wiring notes (UART)
- DFPlayer VCC -> 5V, GND -> common ground.
- DFPlayer TX -> ESP32 RX (no level shift needed if DFPlayer TX ≈ 3.3V). If unsure, measure with a multimeter.
- DFPlayer RX -> ESP32 TX (ESP32 TX is 3.3V, OK for DFPlayer RX).
- Use one of ESP32 hardware UARTs (UART2 is convenient): e.g. TX2=GPIO17, RX2=GPIO16. These pins are commonly free on dev boards.
- If these pins conflict in your build, pick other UART-capable pins and configure `Serial2.begin(9600, SERIAL_8N1, rxPin, txPin);`.
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#### GC9A01 round LCD (SPI) wiring
Example mapping (shared SPI bus; one CS per display):
> These pins are examples — SPI can be remapped. Keep MOSI/SCLK on the same SPI peripheral for best performance.
---
#### Servo wiring & recommendations
- SG90 signal pins are 3.3V-logic-friendly.
- Use separate 5V supply for servos to avoid brownouts on ESP32.
- Add a 1000 μF cap across 5V and GND near servo power feed.
- Use PWM pins for servo signals; each ESP32 can drive several servos using `ledc` or `servo` libraries.