Hacker Con Badges

linux.conf.au 2016 Open Hardware Miniconf · Australia · 2016

LCA2016 ESPlant

ESP8266 environmental-sensor board for the linux.conf.au Open Hardware Miniconf

linux.conf.au 2016's Open Hardware / Arduino Miniconf produced ESPlant, an ESP8266 WiFi environmental-sensor board with solar-friendly power, onboard sensors, optional external sensors, Arduino firmware, and public hardware files.

linux.conf.au Open Hardware Miniconf Australia Geelong ESPlant ESP8266 STM32F042 BME280 ADXL345 MQTT Arduino Oceania
LCA2016 ESPlant badge image
Eventlinux.conf.au 2016 Open Hardware Miniconf
Serieslinux.conf.au Open Hardware Miniconf
LocationGeelong, Victoria
CountryAustralia

Image Provenance

Asset
optimized WebP from official repository render
Status
licensed official upstream raster render
Source
Photos/ESPlant.front.png
License
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
Attribution
CCHS Melbourne / ESPlant repository contributors
Notes
Original 1278x655 transparent repository render downloaded from the official CCHS-Melbourne/ESPlant repository and preserved in Public/images/source. The repository LICENSE states that photos and other documentation are provided under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 license. The published WebP delivery asset is metadata-stripped and otherwise keeps the upstream front render of the ESPlant board; this is not generated content or a placeholder. The published badge.gallery delivery file is an optimized WebP generated from the rights-cleared local derivative/source with metadata stripped, WebP quality 82, and a maximum side cap of 1600 pixels when the source is larger; upstream source URL, license, and attribution remain unchanged.

People

Authors & Credits

Open Hardware Team

Andy Gelme

Named in the ESPlant README credits and copyright statement.

Source

Open Hardware Team

John Spencer

Named in the ESPlant README credits and copyright statement.

Source

Open Hardware Team

Mark Wolfe

Named in the current CCHS Melbourne ESPlant README credits.

Source

Open Hardware Team and ESP8266 presenter

Angus Gratton

Named in the ESPlant README credits; Simon Lyall's notes identify Angus Gratton as the ESP8266 session presenter discussing ESPlant context.

Source

Open Hardware Team and assembly-machine presenter

Jon Oxer

Named in the ESPlant README credits; Marc Merlin's writeup documents Jon opening the miniconf and presenting the assembly machine that placed ESPlant components.

Source

attendee writeup and code publisher

Marc Merlin

Published the first-hand ESPlant Arduino Miniconf writeup and linked the public blinky-code fork.

Source

hardware and firmware repository publisher

CCHS Melbourne

Publisher of the primary ESPlant hardware, firmware, library, STM firmware, photo, wiki, credit, and license repository.

Source

Why It Mattered

ESPlant is an important Oceania bridge between earlier Arduino Miniconf hardware and later LCA badgelife: it put WiFi, solar sensor telemetry, open hardware files, attendee assembly, and post-event MQTT hacking into one conference artifact.

Hardware

The public repository documents an ESP8266 WiFi microcontroller, STM32F042 secondary microcontroller for USB/serial and I2C ADC behavior, 16340 lithium-cell holder, solar-input-friendly lithium charger, automatic switching between solar, battery, and USB power, BME280 temperature/humidity/barometric pressure sensor, ADXL345 accelerometer, screw-terminal optional external sensors, DS18B20 support, PIR sensor support, WS2812B LED strip support, switchable 3.3 V sensor rail, and KiCad/source material.

Software & Apps

The repository documents Arduino IDE ESP8266 setup, NodeMCU v1.0 compatibility, ESPlant serial-sensor firmware, production-test firmware, MQTT sensor firmware with WiFi provisioning, git-submodule libraries, and ESP_Kwai bridging to STM32/I2C ADC peripherals. Attendee writeups also show post-event MQTT graphing and custom LED-strip code.

Lore

Marc Merlin described the LCA open-hardware team bringing ESPlant as a new ESP8266 board for plant monitoring, with Jon Oxer showing the assembly machine that built the boards. The repository credits the 2016 linux.conf.au Open Hardware Team and HackMelbourne/CCHS community.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

hardware architecture source-backed

ESP8266 environmental sensor platform

The repository documents ESPlant as an ESP8266 WiFi kit for transmitting environmental data, with Arduino IDE, Espressif SDK, and esp-open-rtos programming paths.

Compatibility: LCA2016 ESPlant

Source
post-event firmware path source-backed

MQTT and LED-strip reuse path

Repository sketches include production-test, serial-sensor, and MQTT sensor firmware; Marc Merlin's writeup adds a participant LED-strip blinky reuse trail.

Compatibility: LCA2016 ESPlant

Source
power architecture source-backed

Solar-friendly lithium power stack

ESPlant included a 16340 lithium-cell holder, solar-input-friendly charger interface, and automatic switching between solar input, battery, and USB power.

Compatibility: LCA2016 ESPlant

Source
sensor interface source-backed

Onboard and external sensor bus

The board exposed BME280 and ADXL345 I2C sensors, screw-terminal ADC inputs for soil moisture, DS18B20, PIR, WS2812B LED strip support, and a switchable VSens rail.

Compatibility: LCA2016 ESPlant

Source
support microcontroller source-backed

STM32F042 bridge microcontroller

An onboard STM32F042 acted as USB/serial interface and I2C ADC bridge, with ESP_Kwai library support and STM firmware material in the repository.

Compatibility: LCA2016 ESPlant

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

image provenance upgrade note

The ESPlant visual uses the official `Photos/ESPlant.front.png` repository front render under the repository LICENSE statement covering photos and other documentation as Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0.

The public badge page, image archive, and API now point at a real upstream ESPlant render with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes preserved.

Confidence
official repository license and exact raster source
Status
licensed official upstream render applied
Timeframe
current catalogue build
Source note
CCHS-Melbourne/ESPlant repository LICENSE, official `Photos/ESPlant.front.png`, and badge.gallery image policy.
revision and repository-depth caveat note

The public repository preserves source files, firmware, photos, wiki links, and features, but this pass did not audit exact production-board revision, BOM state, manufacturing count, or whether every repository image maps to the distributed LCA2016 boards.

The dossier records verified features and source locations while avoiding unsupported production-run or image-provenance claims.

Confidence
source-backed but historical
Status
needs board-revision audit
Timeframe
2016 hardware-kit archive pass
Source note
CCHS Melbourne ESPlant repository, Marc Merlin writeup, and Simon Lyall session notes.

Resources

ESP8266 talk notes mentioning ESPlant attendee session notes · Simon Lyall's LCA2016 notes cite ESPlant as a solar-powered gardening sensor project built in the Open Hardware Miniconf. ESPlant Arduino Miniconf writeup first-hand attendee writeup · Marc Merlin's LCA2016 writeup documenting ESPlant as the Arduino Miniconf board, ESP8266 plant-monitoring purpose, Melbourne Hardware Hacking team context, pick-and-place assembly talk, LED-strip reuse, and linked blinky code. ESPlant front render image source · Official repository front render used as the local rights-cleared ESPlant image under the repository LICENSE statement covering photos and documentation as CC BY-SA 3.0. ESPlant hardware and firmware repository hardware and firmware source · Primary CCHS Melbourne source for the linux.conf.au Open Hardware Project ESPlant kit, ESP8266/STM32F042/BME280/ADXL345 hardware, Arduino setup, firmware sketches, wiki links, credits, and TAPR OHL licensing. LCA2016 video-list corroboration session-list reference · Secondary video-index source listing ESP8266 ESPlant (Wi-Fi garden sensors) design and operation, Pick and Place Machine, and Open Hardware Assembly Workshop sessions. Linux.conf.au 2016 Geelong context attendee event writeup · Attendee source corroborating the Geelong LCA2016 setting and Melbourne Open Hardware Hackers context after conference close. Marc Merlin ESPlant code fork attendee firmware source · Public fork preserving post-event ESPlant experimentation and blinky code linked from the attendee writeup; used for lifecycle context rather than official hardware provenance.

Sources

Cyberhades: Videos de linux.conf.au 2016 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Secondary video-list source corroborating a public LCA2016 session titled ESP8266 ESPlant (Wi-Fi garden sensors) design and operation and related Open Hardware Miniconf assembly sessions. GitHub / CCHS Melbourne: CCHS-Melbourne/ESPlant Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary technical source for the ESPlant kit, open-source environmental-data platform, LCA 2016 board video link, hardware features, sensors, external sensor terminals, Arduino setup, sketches, credits, and TAPR Open Hardware License statement. GitHub / CCHS Melbourne: Photos/ESPlant.front.png Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Image-provenance source for the official ESPlant front render; the repository LICENSE states that photos and other documentation are provided under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0. GitHub / Marc Merlin: marcmerlin/ESPlant Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public attendee code fork linked from the ESPlant writeup; used as source evidence for post-event LED-strip experimentation and participant reuse rather than official board design authority. Marc Merlin: ESPlant, Arduino Miniconf at Linux.Conf.AU 2016 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · First-hand attendee source for ESPlant's LCA Open Hardware / Arduino Miniconf distribution, ESP8266 plant-monitoring framing, Melbourne Hardware Hacking team, Jon Oxer's assembly-machine talk, LED-strip hack, and linked blinky code. Marc Merlin: Linux.conf.au 2016, Geelong Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Event-context source for the Geelong linux.conf.au 2016 setting and post-conference Melbourne Open Hardware Hackers context. Simon Lyall: Linux.conf.au 2016 - Friday - Session 2 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Attendee session notes for Angus Gratton's ESP8266 talk, corroborating ESPlant as a solar-powered gardening sensor project built in the Open Hardware Miniconf.