Picking Up a New Hobby
I think I’m picking up a new hobby.
I bought this timer a few months ago to use it as a Pomodoro timer. I really like the tactile feel of winding the key to start the countdown, but it has two major problems:
- It makes a ticking sound while running, which is distracting when I am trying to focus on my work.
- When I am finally in the zone, it rings so suddenly that it gives me a mini heart attack.
So, I've been thinking about creating my own timer with the same level of physical tactile feeling. I want it to be silent, track time based on specific projects, and sync data to a database so I can check my stats on my phone or computer.
A quick search online told me I can do this using an ESP32 development board. I’ve messed around with Arduino before and really enjoyed it, so I’ve been thinking about diving into the ESP32 and learning electronics.
I’ve been saving up, and yesterday I finally bought these parts:
- ESP32-S3 DevKitC
- 1.3-inch OLED Display (I2C 4-pin)
- Rotary Encoder
- Breadboard and jumper cables
- LEDs, resistors, and push buttons
- A cheap soldering iron
I honestly feel like a kid again. Although I currently have zero knowledge of the ESP32, I’m eager to learn project by project and will be sharing my progress here.