Internal ESP32-S3 Internet Adapter [hardware]

[dave]

The following render shows the current state of my ESP32-S3 internet adapter.
This does require "messing" with the internals of NABU. Specifically, the TR1863 UART IC is removed from the NABU PCB and put onto this PCB, which is then inserted back into NABU. It therefore acts as an interposer, which "deactivates" the external serial interface and connects it to the microcontroller, instead.

As of now, the hardware is finished. It will allow a user to either pop in a microSD card with software for fully headless operation, but the hardware also allows attaching a pigtail cable with an SMA connector positioned on the back of NABU for WiFi reception.

How it will be used, depends entirely on the software written for it, which is the biggest To-Do for this project as of now. But I'm on it, starting with the nicely documented NABU-TFTP code for Raspberry Pi Pico W.

[LeoBinkowski]

I'm interested in what this can do. It seems that at the very least a good storage medium with SD.

[dave]

I'm interested in what this can do. It seems that at the very least a good storage medium with SD.

Well, that all depends on the software running on it. I imagined using it simply for running internet adapter emulator software and saving a bunch of binaries on the SD card. However now that you mention this, would it be possible to store data from the NABU itself (e.g. when running CloudCPM) on it, too? Or would that only work through the hard drive connections on the motherboard?

[DJ Sures]

The drives could be hosted on the sd card as physical files in the fat disk format. So any changes to the files would be stored in the file.

I went the raspberry pi route instead. With a tiny little touchscreen that plugs onto the pi. It costs a little more but I can use all the new features of the internet adapter software.

[dave]

The drives could be hosted on the sd card as physical files in the fat disk format. So any changes to the files would be stored in the file.

I went the raspberry pi route instead. With a tiny little touchscreen that plugs onto the pi. It costs a little more but I can use all the new features of the internet adapter software.

Okay, so I can change these files from NABU (e.g. in CloudCPM), even though they're basically located on the internet adaptor host?
That would mean that something similar is also possible on any other IA emulator (e.g. running on a PC)?

[DJ Sures]

Yeah you can change them on the of version of my internet adapter too. It’s just they get auto updated if the cloud version changes them. But if you’re esp32 internet adapter doesn’t use the cloud, they’ll never update.

But you have c: for your own usage with my internet adapter and that never gets auto updated. I can’t see someone needing more than that huge c: if you do I can add another personal drive to the bios if needed

[dave]

Yeah you can change them on the of version of my internet adapter too. It’s just they get auto updated if the cloud version changes them. But if you’re esp32 internet adapter doesn’t use the cloud, they’ll never update.

But you have c: for your own usage with my internet adapter and that never gets auto updated. I can’t see someone needing more than that huge c: if you do I can add another personal drive to the bios if needed

Oh that's great to know, thanks! I will definitely look into this, then. Would allow for a completely headless NABU booting off of the ESP into CloudCPM and having persistent file storage, too.