Electrical & Control Systems
In ProgressA hybrid Raspberry Pi + ESP32 control system runs lighting, water, power and a Tesla-style digital dashboard — engineered to keep working even if the main screen fails.
The camper's electrical system is designed like a small vehicle network. A mini-computer acts as the 'pretty brain' — the touchscreen UI, maps, media and local server — while rugged microcontrollers form the reliable nervous system that actually switches loads and reads sensors.
The critical rule: the mini-computer is never the only device responsible for a critical load. If the main screen reboots, the vehicle and habitat keep functioning through the controllers and physical switch fallbacks.
Three controllers split the work — a Cab controller (CAN/OBD data, front lighting, ignition sense), a Habitat controller (interior lighting, water, fans, fridge, inverter, audio zones) and a Security controller (immobiliser, sensors, cameras). They share a single central state model and talk over MQTT and USB serial.
Building automotive-grade reliability: safe startup/shutdown for the Pi, brownout protection during cranking, and physical fallbacks for every critical circuit.
Local-first and offline-capable. Controllers run independently; the dashboard is a client, never the switch. 240V is contactor-controlled and electrician-installed.
Designing the state model first — one shared JSON contract across UI, server and firmware — made every later decision simpler.
