ESP8266 - Control Car via Web
This tutorial instructs you how to use the ESP8266 to wirelessly control a robot car from a Web browser on your smartphone or PC using WiFi. The control is facilitated through a graphical web user interface using something called WebSocket, allowing for smooth and dynamic control of the car.
Hardware Preparation
Or you can buy the following sensor kits:
| 1 | × | DIYables Sensor Kit (30 sensors/displays) | |
| 1 | × | DIYables Sensor Kit (18 sensors/displays) |
Disclosure: Some of the links provided in this section are Amazon affiliate links. We may receive a commission for any purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
Additionally, some of these links are for products from our own brand, DIYables.
Additionally, some of these links are for products from our own brand, DIYables.
Overview of 2WD RC Car and WebSocket
Now, why go for WebSocket? Here's the scoop:
- Without WebSocket, changing the car's direction would require reloading the page every time. Not ideal!
- However, with WebSocket, we establish a special connection between the webpage and the ESP8266. This enables sending commands to the ESP8266 in the background, without needing to reload the page. The result? The robot car moves seamlessly and in real-time. Pretty cool, right?
In a nutshell, the WebSocket connection enables the smooth, real-time control of the robot.
We have specific tutorials about 2WD RC Car and WebSocket. Each tutorial contains detailed information and step-by-step instructions about hardware pinout, working principle, wiring connection to ESP8266, ESP8266 code... Learn more about them at the following links:
- ESP8266 - 2WD RC Car tutorial
- ESP8266 - WebSocket tutorial
How It Works
The ESP8266 code creates both a web server and a WebSocket Server. Here's how it works:
- When you enter the ESP8266's IP address in a web browser, it requests the webpage (User Interface) from the ESP8266.
- The ESP8266's web server responds by sending the webpage's content (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Your web browser then displays the webpage.
- The JavaScript code within the webpage establishes a WebSocket connection to the WebSocket server on the ESP8266.
- Once this WebSocket connection is established, if you press/release the buttons on the webpage, the JavaScript code quietly sends the commands to the ESP8266 through this WebSocket connection in the background.
- The WebSocket server on the ESP8266, upon receiving the commands, controls the robot car accordingly.
The below table show commands list that the webpage sends to ESP8266 based on the user's actions:
| User's Action | Button | Command | Car Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRESS | UP | 1 | MOVE FORWARD |
| PRESS | DOWN | 2 | MOVE BACKWARD |
| PRESS | LEFT | 4 | TURN LEFT |
| PRESS | RIGHT | 8 | TURN RIGHT |
| PRESS | STOP | 0 | STOP |
| RELEASE | UP | 0 | STOP |
| RELEASE | DOWN | 0 | STOP |
| RELEASE | LEFT | 0 | STOP |
| RELEASE | RIGHT | 0 | STOP |
| RELEASE | STOP | 0 | STOP |
Wiring Diagram between 2WD RC Car and ESP8266
This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image
See more in ESP8266's pinout and how to supply power to the ESP8266 and other components.
Typically, you need two power sources:
- One for the motor via the L298N module.
- Another for the ESP8266 board, L298N module (Motor driver).
But, you can simplify it using just one power source for everything – four 1.5V batteries (totaling 6V). Here's how:
- Connect the batteries to the L298N module as shown.
- Place two jumpers from ENA and ENB pins to 5 volts on the L298N module.
- Remove a jumper labeled 5VEN (yellow circle on the diagram).
- Do the remaining wiring as above diagram.
Since the 2WD RC car has an on/off switch, you can optionally connect the battery via the switch to enable turning on/off power for the car. If you want to make it simple, just ignore the switch.
ESP8266 Code
The webpage's content (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) are stored separately on an index.h file. So, we will have two code files on Arduino IDE:
- An .ino file that is ESP8266 code, which creates a web sever and WebSocket Server, and controls car
- An .h file, which contains the webpage's content.
Detailed Instructions
To get started with ESP8266 on Arduino IDE, follow these steps:
- Check out the how to setup environment for ESP8266 on Arduino IDE tutorial if this is your first time using ESP8266.
- Wire the components as shown in the diagram.
- Connect the ESP8266 board to your computer using a USB cable.
- Open Arduino IDE on your computer.
- Choose the correct ESP8266 board, such as (e.g. NodeMCU 1.0 (ESP-12E Module)), and its respective COM port.
- Open the Library Manager by clicking on the Library Manager icon on the left navigation bar of Arduino IDE.
- Search “WebSockets”, then find the WebSockets created by Markus Sattler.
- Click Install button to install WebSockets library.
- On Arduino IDE, create new sketch, Give it a name, for example, newbiely.com.ino
- Copy the below code and open with Arduino IDE
/*
* This ESP8266 NodeMCU code was developed by newbiely.com
*
* This ESP8266 NodeMCU code is made available for public use without any restriction
*
* For comprehensive instructions and wiring diagrams, please visit:
* https://newbiely.com/tutorials/esp8266/esp8266-controls-car-via-web
*/
#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include <ESP8266WebServer.h>
#include <WebSocketsServer.h>
#include "index.h"
#define CMD_STOP 0
#define CMD_FORWARD 1
#define CMD_BACKWARD 2
#define CMD_LEFT 4
#define CMD_RIGHT 8
#define IN1_PIN D2 // The ESP8266 pin connected to the IN1 pin L298N
#define IN2_PIN D5 // The ESP8266 pin connected to the IN2 pin L298N
#define IN3_PIN D6 // The ESP8266 pin connected to the IN3 pin L298N
#define IN4_PIN D7 // The ESP8266 pin connected to the IN4 pin L298N
const char* ssid = "YOUR_WIFI_SSID"; // CHANGE IT
const char* password = "YOUR_WIFI_PASSWORD"; // CHANGE IT
ESP8266WebServer server(80); // Web server on port 80
WebSocketsServer webSocket = WebSocketsServer(81); // WebSocket server on port 81
void webSocketEvent(uint8_t num, WStype_t type, uint8_t* payload, size_t length) {
switch (type) {
case WStype_DISCONNECTED:
Serial.printf("[%u] Disconnected!\n", num);
break;
case WStype_CONNECTED:
{
IPAddress ip = webSocket.remoteIP(num);
Serial.printf("[%u] Connected from %d.%d.%d.%d\n", num, ip[0], ip[1], ip[2], ip[3]);
}
break;
case WStype_TEXT:
//Serial.printf("[%u] Received text: %s\n", num, payload);
String angle = String((char*)payload);
int command = angle.toInt();
Serial.print("command: ");
Serial.println(command);
switch (command) {
case CMD_STOP:
Serial.println("Stop");
CAR_stop();
break;
case CMD_FORWARD:
Serial.println("Move Forward");
CAR_moveForward();
break;
case CMD_BACKWARD:
Serial.println("Move Backward");
CAR_moveBackward();
break;
case CMD_LEFT:
Serial.println("Turn Left");
CAR_turnLeft();
break;
case CMD_RIGHT:
Serial.println("Turn Right");
CAR_turnRight();
break;
default:
Serial.println("Unknown command");
}
break;
}
}
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(IN1_PIN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(IN2_PIN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(IN3_PIN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(IN4_PIN, OUTPUT);
// Connect to Wi-Fi
WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
delay(1000);
Serial.println("Connecting to WiFi...");
}
Serial.println("Connected to WiFi");
// Initialize WebSocket server
webSocket.begin();
webSocket.onEvent(webSocketEvent);
// Serve a basic HTML page with JavaScript to create the WebSocket connection
server.on("/", HTTP_GET, []() {
Serial.println("Web Server: received a web page request");
String html = HTML_CONTENT; // Use the HTML content from the servo_html.h file
server.send(200, "text/html", html);
});
server.begin();
Serial.print("ESP8266 Web Server's IP address: ");
Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
}
void loop() {
// Handle client requests
server.handleClient();
// Handle WebSocket events
webSocket.loop();
// TO DO: Your code here
}
void CAR_moveForward() {
digitalWrite(IN1_PIN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(IN2_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN3_PIN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(IN4_PIN, LOW);
}
void CAR_moveBackward() {
digitalWrite(IN1_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN2_PIN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(IN3_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN4_PIN, HIGH);
}
void CAR_turnLeft() {
digitalWrite(IN1_PIN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(IN2_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN3_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN4_PIN, LOW);
}
void CAR_turnRight() {
digitalWrite(IN1_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN2_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN3_PIN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(IN4_PIN, LOW);
}
void CAR_stop() {
digitalWrite(IN1_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN2_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN3_PIN, LOW);
digitalWrite(IN4_PIN, LOW);
}
- Create the index.h file On Arduino IDE by:
- Either click on the button just below the serial monitor icon and choose New Tab, or use Ctrl+Shift+N keys.
- Give the file's name index.h and click OK button
- Copy the below code and paste it to the index.h.
- Now you have the code in two files: newbiely.com.ino and index.h
- Click Upload button on Arduino IDE to upload code to ESP8266
- Open the Serial Monitor
- Check out the result on Serial Monitor.
- Take note of the IP address displayed, and enter this address into the address bar of a web browser on your smartphone or PC.
- You will see the webpage it as below:
- The JavaScript code of the webpage automatically creates the WebSocket connection to ESP8266.
- Now you can control the car to turn left/right, move forward/backward via the web interface.
- If you modify the HTML content in the index.h and does not touch anything in newbiely.com.ino file, when you compile and upload code to ESP8266, Arduino IDE will not update the HTML content.
- To make Arduino IDE update the HTML content in this case, make a change in the newbiely.com.ino file (e.g. adding empty line, add a comment....)
/*
* This ESP8266 NodeMCU code was developed by newbiely.com
*
* This ESP8266 NodeMCU code is made available for public use without any restriction
*
* For comprehensive instructions and wiring diagrams, please visit:
* https://newbiely.com/tutorials/esp8266/esp8266-controls-car-via-web
*/
const char *HTML_CONTENT = R"=====(
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>ESP8266 Control Car via Web</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=0.7, maximum-scale=1, user-scalable=no">
<style type="text/css">
body { text-align: center; font-size: 24px;}
button { text-align: center; font-size: 24px;}
#container {
margin-right: auto;
margin-left: auto;
width: 400px;
height: 400px;
position: relative;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
div[class^='button'] { position: absolute; }
.button_up, .button_down { width:214px; height:104px;}
.button_left, .button_right { width:104px; height:214px;}
.button_stop { width:178px; height:178px;}
.button_up {
background: url('https://newbiely.com/images/tutorial/up_inactive.png') no-repeat;
background-size: contain;
left: 200px;
top: 0px;
transform: translateX(-50%);
}
.button_down {
background: url('https://newbiely.com/images/tutorial/down_inactive.png') no-repeat;
background-size: contain;
left:200px;
bottom: 0px;
transform: translateX(-50%);
}
.button_right {
background: url('https://newbiely.com/images/tutorial/right_inactive.png') no-repeat;
background-size: contain;
right: 0px;
top: 200px;
transform: translateY(-50%);
}
.button_left {
background: url('https://newbiely.com/images/tutorial/left_inactive.png') no-repeat;
background-size: contain;
left:0px;
top: 200px;
transform: translateY(-50%);
}
.button_stop {
background: url('https://newbiely.com/images/tutorial/stop_inactive.png') no-repeat;
background-size: contain;
left:200px;
top: 200px;
transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
}
</style>
<script>
var CMD_STOP = 0;
var CMD_FORWARD = 1;
var CMD_BACKWARD = 2;
var CMD_LEFT = 4;
var CMD_RIGHT = 8;
var img_name_lookup = {
[CMD_STOP]: "stop",
[CMD_FORWARD]: "up",
[CMD_BACKWARD]: "down",
[CMD_LEFT]: "left",
[CMD_RIGHT]: "right"
}
var ws = null;
function init()
{
var container = document.querySelector("#container");
container.addEventListener("touchstart", mouse_down);
container.addEventListener("touchend", mouse_up);
container.addEventListener("touchcancel", mouse_up);
container.addEventListener("mousedown", mouse_down);
container.addEventListener("mouseup", mouse_up);
container.addEventListener("mouseout", mouse_up);
}
function ws_onmessage(e_msg)
{
e_msg = e_msg || window.event; // MessageEvent
//alert("msg : " + e_msg.data);
}
function ws_onopen()
{
document.getElementById("ws_state").innerHTML = "OPEN";
document.getElementById("wc_conn").innerHTML = "Disconnect";
}
function ws_onclose()
{
document.getElementById("ws_state").innerHTML = "CLOSED";
document.getElementById("wc_conn").innerHTML = "Connect";
console.log("socket was closed");
ws.onopen = null;
ws.onclose = null;
ws.onmessage = null;
ws = null;
}
function wc_onclick()
{
if(ws == null)
{
ws = new WebSocket("ws://" + window.location.host + ":81");
document.getElementById("ws_state").innerHTML = "CONNECTING";
ws.onopen = ws_onopen;
ws.onclose = ws_onclose;
ws.onmessage = ws_onmessage;
}
else
ws.close();
}
function mouse_down(event)
{
if (event.target !== event.currentTarget)
{
var id = event.target.id;
send_command(id);
event.target.style.backgroundImage = "url('https://newbiely.com/images/tutorial/" + img_name_lookup[id] + "_active.png')";
}
event.stopPropagation();
event.preventDefault();
}
function mouse_up(event)
{
if (event.target !== event.currentTarget)
{
var id = event.target.id;
send_command(CMD_STOP);
event.target.style.backgroundImage = "url('https://newbiely.com/images/tutorial/" + img_name_lookup[id] + "_inactive.png')";
}
event.stopPropagation();
event.preventDefault();
}
function send_command(cmd)
{
if(ws != null)
if(ws.readyState == 1)
ws.send(cmd + "\r\n");
}
window.onload = init;
</script>
</head>
<body>
<h2>ESP8266 - RC Car via Web</h2>
<div id="container">
<div id="0" class="button_stop"></div>
<div id="1" class="button_up"></div>
<div id="2" class="button_down"></div>
<div id="8" class="button_right"></div>
<div id="4" class="button_left"></div>
</div>
<p>
WebSocket : <span id="ws_state" style="color:blue">closed</span><br>
</p>
<button id="wc_conn" type="button" onclick="wc_onclick();">Connect</button>
<br>
<br>
<div class="sponsor">Sponsored by <a href="https://amazon.com/diyables">DIYables</a></div>
</body>
</html>
)=====";
COM6
Connecting to WiFi...
Connected to WiFi
ESP8266 Web Server's IP address IP address: 192.168.0.5
Autoscroll
Clear output
9600 baud
Newline
To save the memory of ESP8266, the images of the control buttons are NOT stored on ESP8266. Instead, they are stored on the internet, so, your phone or PC need to have internet connection to load images for the web control page.
※ NOTE THAT:
Line-by-line Code Explanation
The above ESP8266 code contains line-by-line explanation. Please read the comments in the code!