Development Log
Following the real-time progress of the GrowBot V1.0 Alpha build.
June 26, 2025
Core System & Sensor Integration
A marathon session of hardware debugging led to major breakthroughs. After troubleshooting faulty USB cables, a stable connection to the ESP32 was established. We successfully brought up the core system, with the ESP32 controlling the TFT display. Following this, the PCF8575 I/O expander was integrated and validated with a blink test. Finally, the DHT20 climate sensor was connected, and the firmware was updated to display live temperature and humidity data on the screen. The foundational hardware stack is now proven and stable.
June 15, 2025
App Development Workflow Established
After diagnosing a complex codesigning issue, a stable workflow for iOS app development was established using VS Code for editing and Xcode for building. The initial Flutter starter app was successfully deployed to a physical iPhone, confirming all certificates and profiles are valid. The Growbot Dashboard UI has replaced the starter app, unblocking all future app development.
June 14, 2025
Project Foundation & Web Presence
A foundational day for the project. All plans were consolidated into the "Growbot Master Blueprint". The growbot.com.au domain was registered and connected to Firebase Hosting. The cloud backend, including a Firestore Database, was created. The development environment was fully configured for Flutter and ESP32 development.
June 12, 2025
Project Inception: The Arduino Prototype
The Growbot project officially began with a V0.01 proof-of-concept built on the Arduino platform. This prototype successfully integrated multiple sensors with a servo-controlled water valve, all managed via a multi-screen OLED interface. Its success validated the core project idea and its limitations highlighted the need to move to the more powerful ESP32 platform.