AI Smart Curtain Controller powered by ESP32-C3

Client

A smart home automation company looking for a low-power, retrofit-friendly curtain motor controller with smart home ecosystem integration.

Challenge

Designing a motor controller that fits inside a standard curtain rod (28mm diameter), operates silently, and runs for months on a single charge while supporting real-time cloud scheduling.

Product Concept & Architecture

We selected the ESP32-C3 for its RISC-V architecture with excellent power management features. The motor is driven by a TMC2209 stepper driver in stealthChop mode. A small 6V solar panel trickle-charges a 2000mAh Li-Po battery.

Engineering Solution

Built on ESP-IDF with FreeRTOS. The system uses a custom adaptive sleep scheduler: if the curtain hasn't moved in 4 hours, it increases the Wi-Fi beacon interval to 300 seconds. A built-in ambient light sensor (BH1750) enables sunrise-aligned gradual opening over 30 minutes to simulate natural waking. Over-the-air firmware updates are delivered via ESP-OTA.