ESP32-S3 RemoteXY BLE LED Control

A beginner-friendly project for controlling the ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1U (N8R8) using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and the RemoteXY mobile app.

This project demonstrates how to:

1. Configure PlatformIO for the N8R8 (8MB Flash / 8MB PSRAM) module.
2. Create a Mobile GUI (Switch & Indicators) without writing app code.
3. Control the Built-in RGB LED (NeoPixel) and an External LED simultaneously.

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📸 Project Demo

Here you can see the system in action.

• Left: The RemoteXY iOS App controlling the device.
• Right: The Physical ESP32-S3 and LED responding instantly.

App View (iOS)	Hardware View

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🛠 Hardware Required

• Development Board: Espressif ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1U-N8R8 (or similar S3 board).
• External LED: Any standard LED (Red/Blue/Green).
• Resistor: 220Ω or 330Ω (for the external LED).
• Smartphone: Android or iOS with Bluetooth support.

🔌 Wiring & Pinout

Component	ESP32-S3 Pin	Note
Built-in RGB LED	GPIO 38	Addressable NeoPixel (WS2812). Logic is handled by neopixelWrite.
External LED (+)	GPIO 2	Connect via resistor.
External LED (-)	GND	Common ground.

Note: Different ESP32-S3 boards may use different pins for the built-in RGB LED (e.g., GPIO 48). If yours does not light up, check your board's datasheet and update PIN_RGB_BUILTIN in main.cpp.

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📂 Project File Structure

Here is an overview of the files in this project to help you navigate the code.

ESP32-S3_RemoteXY_BLE_LED_Control/
├── docs/
│   └── remotexy_original_backup.cpp # Backup of the raw code from RemoteXY editor
├── img/
│   ├── app_01_homescreen.png        # Tutorial: App Home
│   ├── app_02_main_menu.png         # Tutorial: Main Menu
│   ├── app_03_add_device.png        # Tutorial: Add Device
│   ├── app_04_scan_list.png         # Tutorial: Scan List
│   ├── app_05_connecting.png        # Tutorial: Connecting
│   ├── app_06_switch_off.png        # Tutorial: UI Off State
│   ├── app_07_switch_on.png         # Tutorial: UI On State
│   ├── app_demo_ios.gif             # Animation: App Walkthrough
│   ├── hardware_demo.gif            # Animation: Hardware Response
│   ├── hardware_demo_toggle.mp4     # Raw Video: Hardware Response
│   ├── remotexy_01_config.png       # Screenshot: Editor settings
│   ├── remotexy_02_editor.png       # Screenshot: GUI design
│   └── remotexy_03_code.png         # Screenshot: Generated code
├── platformio.ini                   # (CRITICAL) Project configuration file
├── src/
│   └── main.cpp                     # (MAIN) The actual source code (Setup, Loop)
└── README.md                        # This documentation file

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💻 Software Setup

1. Prerequisites

• VSCodium or VS Code.
• PlatformIO extension installed.
• RemoteXY App installed on your phone.

2. Installation

1. Clone the repo:

   git clone [https://github.com/welton5532/ESP32-S3_RemoteXY_BLE_LED_Control.git](https://github.com/welton5532/ESP32-S3_RemoteXY_BLE_LED_Control.git)

2. Open in PlatformIO: Open VSCodium, go to the PlatformIO Home, and click "Open Project". Select this folder.
3. Upload: Connect your ESP32-S3 via USB. Click the Right Arrow (→) icon in the bottom status bar to Build and Upload.

3. Usage

1. Open the RemoteXY app on your phone.
2. Enable Bluetooth on your phone.
3. Tap + (New Device) -> Bluetooth BLE.
4. Select "RemoteXY_BLE_LED_Control" from the list.
5. Toggle the switch on the screen.
   • ON: External LED turns ON, Built-in RGB turns GREEN.
   • OFF: Both LEDs turn OFF.

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📱 Deep Dive: How to Edit the GUI

This project uses RemoteXY, a platform that allows you to create a mobile interface (GUI) for your microcontroller using a drag-and-drop editor.

If you want to modify this project (e.g., add a slider or change colors), follow these steps:

Step 1: Configuration

1. Go to the RemoteXY Editor.
2. Open the Configuration menu on the left.
3. Select the following settings to match this project:
   • Connection: Bluetooth BLE
   • Board: ESP32 (Select "ESP32 on board" or "ESP32-S3" if available)
   • IDE: Arduino IDE

Step 2: Design Interface

1. Drag and Drop: Use the left sidebar to drag components like Switch, LED, or Text onto the phone screen area.
2. Properties: Click on any component to see its properties on the right.
3. Variable Names: Note the variable name (e.g., pushSwitch_01). This is the name you will use in your C++ code to read the button state.

Step 3: Get the Code

1. Click the green "Get Source Code" button in the top right.
2. A popup will appear containing the generated C++ code.
3. Copy only:
   • The #pragma pack... block (The Configuration Array).
   • The struct { ... } RemoteXY; block (The Variables).
4. Paste these into your main.cpp, replacing the existing configuration blocks.

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⚠️ Connectivity & Power Modes (iOS vs Android)

Bluetooth behavior varies significantly between operating systems when "Power Saving" modes are active.

🍎 iPhone (iOS) Users

If you are using an iPhone, you may experience connection failures or significant lag/delay when toggling the LED.

• Reason: iOS "Low Power Mode" aggressively restricts Bluetooth background activity and reduces data polling rates.
• Solution: Disable Low Power Mode (Settings -> Battery) for a smooth experience.

🤖 Android Users

• Status: Generally Stable.
• Android's "Battery Saver" mode typically allows BLE connections to function normally without noticeable lag for this type of application.

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⚙️ PlatformIO Configuration (N8R8)

This project is specifically configured for the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U-N8R8 module which uses Octal SPI (OPI) for PSRAM.

If you use a standard S3 board (N8R2 or no PSRAM), you may need to edit platformio.ini:

• Change: board_build.arduino.memory_type = qio_opi ➔ qio_qspi (or remove it).

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📄 License

This project uses the RemoteXY library. Please refer to the RemoteXY License.