Overland Controller
Overland Controller is a local-first vehicle power and monitoring system designed for overland, camping, and off-grid vehicle use.
Current target vehicle:
overland vehicle
The firmware itself is intended to stay vehicle-agnostic.
Current Version
0.5.0
What It Does
The ESP32 controller currently provides:
- Local WebUI
- HTTP API
- UART JSON protocol
- USB serial maintenance commands
- Relay control
- JBD/Xiaoxiang BLE BMS telemetry
- DS18B20 temperature sensor support
- Persistent configuration
- WiFi AP mode
- WiFi STA mode
- Multiple saved WiFi networks with priority
Current Hardware
Current controller:
- ESP32 2-relay board
Primary dashboard target:
- Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-5
- WiFi client to the Cargo ESP32 access point
- HTTP API integration
Optional future expansion:
- Pi Zero for long-term logging, charts, and local integrations
WebUI
The embedded WebUI is served directly from the ESP32.
Access through AP mode:
http://192.168.4.1
Access through STA mode:
http://<controller-ip>
The WebUI includes:
- Overview tab
- Battery tab
- Config tab
The Config tab is the preferred initial setup workflow.
Core Concepts
The ESP32 is the source of truth.
The Waveshare ESP32-S3 dashboard is a client-only local display and control surface.
The WebUI is used for setup, configuration, and phone access from camp.
A future Pi Zero may be added for long-term logging or richer local integrations, but it must not become required for core control.
Documentation
Important docs:
docs/project-state.mddocs/API.mddocs/ARCHITECTURE.mddocs/HARDWARE.mddocs/dashboard-esp32s3.mddocs/CONFIGURATION.mddocs/UART_PROTOCOL.mddocs/SERIAL_COMMANDS.mddocs/PARITY_MATRIX.mddocs/TEMP_SETUP.mddocs/ROADMAP.mddocs/CHANGELOG.md
Safety
This project controls vehicle electrical loads.
Use:
- Proper fusing
- Proper wire gauge
- Proper terminals/ferrules
- Common ground
- Strain relief
- Testing before connecting expensive loads
Do not connect vehicle 12V directly to ESP32 GPIO pins or dashboard GPIO pins.