Transmission Techniques in Data Acquisition Systems using Arduino and ESP32

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to present three methods of data transmission using two acquisition boards (ESP32 Node MCU and Arduino UNO) and two design platforms (Labview and Blynk). With the help of temperature, brightness, and humidity sensors, the acquisition boards can acquire data regarding the environmental parameters within a plant cultivation framework. The ESP32 Node MCU acquisition board achieves data transmission through serial communication and via Blynk, while the Arduino UNO acquisition board achieves data transmission through serial communication and via Labview. Data acquired using the two boards (Arduino and ESP32) and through the three methods (serial, via Blynk and via Labview), are compared in order to highlight the performance of each in terms of transmission speed, complexity, costs and user accessibility. It was demonstrated that coupling the Arduino board with the Labview platform greatly enhances the user interface, making it on par with an interface achieved by the ESP32 board via the modern Blynk on-line server. The methods presented in this paper can be applied as didactical aids in many university laboratories.