Total Time: 35 hours

23rd June: Initial conception and part sourcing.

Initial conception of the idea: an easy way for theatre techs to check whether xlr cables work.

After a bit of brainstorming, heres the BOM I arrived at:

Item	Model	Qty	Price	Shipping	Link
Audio Codec	ES8388	1	$26.99	$12.40	ES8388 Module
Audio Transformer	ED8	2	$2.92	$2.50	ED8 Transformer
XLR3 Male	NC3MAAV	1	$1.74	$3.98
XLR3 Female	NC3FAAV	1	$1.74
Microcontroller	ESP32-S3	1	$9.30	Free	ESP32-S3 Mini
Rotary Encoder w/ Button	EC11	1	$5.25	Free	EC11 Encoder Module
LED Bar Graph	HDSP-4836	1	$8.50	Free	12-LED Bargraph

Total: $56.44
Total (inc. Shipping): $75.32

Yes, I know the ES8388 is expensive, I'm going to do some more digging over the next few days for some alternatives.

Anyway, this is my first time doing anything to do with pcb's and the like, I normally code my way out of problems. So we'll see how it goes.

With that being said, I'm onto wiring and modelling tomorrow.

Thanks for following along,

Josh

Total time spent: 2h

25th June: Finalising BOM and starting Wiring/Modelling

This is my updated parts list:

Part	SKU	Model	Quantity	Price	Shipping	Link
Audio Module	PCBA2103	ES8388	1	$26.99	$12.40	Link
Audio Transformer		ED8	2	$5.84	$2.50	Link
XLR3 Male	NC3MAAV	XLR3	1	$1.74	$3.98	Link
XLR3 Female	NC3FAAV	XLR3	1	$1.74	''	Link
Microcontroller	WS-25081	ESP32-S3	1	$9.30	Free	Link
Rotary Encoder w/ Button	ADA377	PEC11	1	$9.95	''	Link
LED Bar Graph	ADA1719	KWL-R1230XDUGB	2	$8.50	''	Link

Total: $64.06 (AUD) Total (inc. Shipping): $82.94 (AUD)

I found a rotary encoder with a lower profile. I think, unfortunately, that I'm going to have to shell out for the PCB artists ES8388.

On another note, I've started wiring and modelling the body using KiCad and Fusion360.

Thanks for following along,

Josh

Total time spent: 5h

9th July: Schematic editing and firmware

Ok a lot to cover in this one, I've been busy for the last week, and so have been unable to get around to this project. But the day til highway ends draws near, so this project needs an update. I decided to make a start on the firmware, the majority if my time was spent figuring out how to use Espressif's IDF with CLion, and the rest on working out how to interface with the ES8388 using espressif/espcodecdev, a very poorly documented library. Despite all this I have made a definite start, with more to follow in the morning. Most of the parts I'm using don't have KiCad symbols or footprints available, however, thanks to the symbol design guide, I have been able to push through and finally lay down a rough plan for wiring (we'll see how I go).

KiCad Schematic

Total time spent: 7h

13th July: Finished hardware.

I'm probably not keeping this thing as updated as i should... After wrestling with ESP-IDF and ESP-ADF for days on end, I decided to switch tracks and finish the hardware. And along the way i made some pretty drastic changes; the BOM has changed, the materials have changed, the design has changed. But it's for the best as I'm now 96% done with the hardware, and the bones of the firmware have been laid out. I still need to figure out how to attach the 4 parts of my case together (heat insets? snap joints?). With that (short) update, I'm for bed. Happy coding :}

PCB 3D Render

Total time spent: 15h

14th July: I'm done! (theoretically)

I've finished the case, the PCB, and the firmware. While the firmware isn't polished, it's enough for an MVP (and it will be a lot easier to see what's working when I have it in my hands). One thing that I will have to check with the Hackclub crew, is am I allowed to pay for JLCPCB to put the ES8388 chip on the board, they offer it as a service and I, as a beginner, am not confident in my prowess with a soldering iron.

I am using 4 M2 bolts to hold the case together (with the help of some superglue), and 2 M1.6 bolts, these shouldn't be hard to source as there is a hardware shop down the road.