ELLA-Box: The Box You Can Hack!

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ELLA-Box is a pocket-sized, hackable IoT gadget in a 3D-printed case — designed to control and monitor almost anything. Use it for smart home control, sensors, notifications, remote control, wearables, or experimental gadgets and even retro game console.

It features a futuristic, cyberpunk-style interface (glowing OLED, tactile feedback, pulsing menus) driven by an ESP32-C3 microcontroller — low-cost, compact, and extensible.

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Features

• Display: 1.3″ SH1106 OLED (128×64)
• Input: Rotary encoder (scroll) + push-button (select)
• Feedback: Mini vibration motor + buzzer, adjustable intensity/volume
• UI: Cyberpunk-themed, large fonts, glowing borders, scanlines, pulsing animations
• Settings: Persistent user preferences stored in EEPROM
• Power: Deep-sleep mode (~5 µA), wakes on encoder/button press
• Menus: Modular system (Main, Settings, Tools, System, Scan, About)
• Binary size: 310–510 KB, fits ESP32-C3 flash (1.2 MB)

Potential uses: smart-home remote, environmental sensor hub, wearable notifier, debugging tool, interactive art, or custom IoT gadget.

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Hardware Components

• ESP32-C3 Dev Board × 1
• 1.3″ SH1106 OLED Display (128×64) with Rotary Encoder + Push-button × 1
• Mini coin-type Vibration Motor × 1
• Passive Buzzer × 1
• TP4056 LiPo charger × 1
• 500 mAh LiPo battery × 1
• 3D-CAD design enclosure here

3D enclosure model preview

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Build Instructions

Wiring (Minimum requirements)

• OLED: SDA → GPIO20, SCL → GPIO21
• Rotary encoder: A → GPIO8, B → GPIO9, SW → GPIO10
• Vibration motor → GPIO7
• Buzzer (PWM) → GPIO6
• Optional: LiPo + TP4056 charger for portable use

Schematic diagram (detail for PCB)

Software Setup

• Install Arduino IDE + ESP32 core (select “ESP32-C3 Dev Module”)
• Add libraries: U8g2 (OLED), EEPROM (comes with core)
• Clone this repository (ella-box_OS firmware)
• Optimize compiler settings: size optimization, enable LTO

Compile & Flash

• Compile firmware (310–510 KB)
• Flash to ESP32-C3 (ensure total < 1.2 MB)

Test & Customize

• Navigate menus with encoder + button
• Adjust settings: sound/vibration intensity, sleep timer, UI
• Extend: add sensors, BLE/WiFi modules, custom Tools, notifications

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Possible Extensions & Ideas

• Custom PCB + 3D-printed enclosure
• BLE / WiFi smart-home integration
• Attach sensors (BME280, etc.) for handheld sensor hub
• Wearable notification badge
• Games/utilities (“Snake”, menu apps)
• OTA firmware updates via WiFi
• Tiny AI/ML models interface/controller

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Demo

Licensing

• Software & firmware: see LICENSE
• Hardware designs: see LICENSE-HARDWARE (CERN-OHL-S)