My recent experiment with DS18B20 waterproof temperature sensor probe and ESP-01. The idea was to design such device which can monitor and log temperature of my 109 gallon Fish Tank, and also I can check the temperature from any part of the world. So I decided to use ESP-01 chip.

I have designed enclosure and PCB in house. I used Laser Engraving method to etch the PCB and 3D printed the enclosure around the PCB using PLA. The challenge was to design the device in Thermometer Shape.

Step 1: Circuit and PCB Designing

The circuit was designed in Autodesk Eagle, with all the required components.

Step 2: Enclosure Designing

I have used OpenSCAD for enclosure designing.

Step 3: PCB Fabrication

I exported image file from Eagle and processed it to GCode so that my laser software can accept.
First I spray painted the Copper surface followed by Blank Copper Clad cleaning. After that I left it for 20 minutes to cure the paint in well ventilated space. Once cured I etched the board with Laser and laser removed places where copper needs to be removed. After that I used the FeCl3 (Ferric chloride) solution to remove unwanted copper.

The results can be viewed in the images attached.

Step 4: PCB Drilling and Assembly

I cut down the PCB in the required shape using saw and drilled holes for components and mounts.

Step 5: Final Assembly

Finally, I have assembled all the parts shown in the images.

Step 6: Postscript

PCB was not masked as it was just a prototype. But by doing fabrication in house, I can visualize and feel the product without any hassle.

I have not covered Programming Part here as there are already lots of tutorials available on instructables. But for the information I have used Blynk Self hosted Server to monitor the temperature.