Today, we're diving into a DIY project that's been high on my to-do list: creating a weather station with a 2.4″ Nextion display and a LOLIN (also known as WEMOS) D1 mini with an ESP8266 at its heart, all housed in a 3D-printed case. The only catch? You'll need a 3D printer, which, unfortunately, remains on my wish list. Later on, I'll provide a comprehensive parts list to guide you through the setup.
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What Sets Nextion Displays Apart?
Nextion displays stand out in the market due to their user-friendly interface and robust features, earning widespread popularity among both hobbyists and professionals in electronics and smart home projects. The hallmark of these displays is their integrated touchscreen functionality, facilitating intuitive interactions.
They are equipped with a dedicated editor that streamlines the design of graphical interfaces, allowing for drag-and-drop component placement and significantly reducing the need for complex coding. Moreover, Nextion displays conduct much of the processing internally, relieving the microcontroller of excessive tasks and simplifying the communication protocol. This design enables you to craft rich, visually appealing interfaces while minimizing the performance impact on the main system.
Capabilities of the ESPHome Weather Station with a Nextion Display
This nifty device is your ultimate weather station, offering real-time temperature readings from sensors around your home and even weather forecasts powered by the Home Assistant weather component. As an ESPHome project, it can display virtually anything from your Home Assistant setup. Being network-connected and integrated with Home Assistant, it ensures you're always viewing the latest data.
Building Your ESPHome Weather Station
The ESPHome weather station is an ingenious creation by GitHub user bruxy70, akin to our previous exploration. It's a straightforward build involving a 2.4″ Nextion display and a D1 mini ESP8266 board connected by just four wires (GND, +5V, RX, and TX), all without the need for extra sensors or lights, neatly encased in a 3D-printed shell. To flash the display, you'll require a microSD or USB FTDI board. After flashing, the microSD card can be reused for other purposes.
Customization is done through the Nextion Editor. If you're using the project as-is from the GitHub repository, your display will feature two pages: one showing temperature readings from sensors and another for weather forecasts.
If you admire the design shown in the images, you're in luck. The creator has provided all necessary files on GitHub, including STL files for 3D printing and the design file for the display.
Bringing the Wemos D1 to life with ESPHome
Initially, the ESPHome code for this project may seem daunting. However, the accompanying comments are there to guide you. A noteworthy feature is its intelligence to power down when no one's home and to dim the display after sunset, enhancing energy efficiency.
