Homemade weather station on ESP32 looks more expensive than branded gadgets

Homemade projects don’t have to look artisanal. Enthusiast mfactory_osaka showed on Reddit the ESPTimeCast device – a compact weather station based on ESP32 that combines wide functionality and neat design. This gadget will become not only useful, but also a stylish addition to your workplace.

What ESPTimeCast can do

The device is based on an 8×32 LED matrix with a MAX7219 controller and support for custom fonts. The screen displays the clock, weather forecast, date, countdown to a set date, and even glucose data (Nightscout compatibility).

• LED matrix display (8×32) based on MAX7219 with support for custom fonts
• Simple web interface for customization (Wi-Fi, weather, time zone, display time, etc.)
• Automatic time synchronization via NTP with reliable feedback and replays
• Receive weather data from OpenWeatherMap every 5 minutes (temperature, humidity, description)
• Access Point (AP) standby mode for easy initial setup or configuration
• Select time zone from the IANA database (including daylight saving time on the server side)
• My location button to get approximate coordinates (latitude/longitude)
• Display of the day of the week and weather description in different languages
• Permanent configuration storage in LittleFS with backup and restore function
• Status animations for Wi-Fi connection, AP mode and time synchronization
• Advanced settings panel with options:
  • Enter primary and backup NTP server
  • switch to display the day of the week (enabled by default)
  • flashing colons switch (enabled by default)
  • date display switch (off by default)
  • select time format 24/12 hours (default 24-hour)
  • unit switch in °F (default °C)
  • humidity display switch (next to temperature)
  • switch to display weather description (e.g.: heavy rain, scattered clouds, thunderstorm, etc.)
  • turn the display 180°
  • display brightness adjustment
  • screen dimming schedule
  • countdown function (scroll/drama mode)
  • optional glucose level and trend display (compatible with Nightscout, set via ntpserver2)

  Flexible customization and design

  ESPTimeCast stores settings in the LittleFS file system with backup capabilities. Status animations (Wi-Fi, time synchronization, etc.) are provided for display, as well as additional options from date format switching to 180° inversion of the display.

  The case for the device can be printed on a 3D printer: the author has posted the files on the Printables platform. This makes it easy to change the look of the gadget or integrate it with other projects.

  Where to find the project

  Source code and instructions are available on the author’s GitHub page. The enclosure is loaded separately from Printables. Thanks to its open architecture, ESPTimeCast can be customized and you can even use its components for other DIY projects.