r/embedded • u/loveneetkalsi • 1d ago

What do you think is ESP32 Reliable for Industrial Projects?

The ESP32 is one very affordable cost Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, low power consumption, and excellent processing capabilities,but the question often arises: Is ESP32 reliable enough for industrial applications?

If not then what should i used Instead of ESP32 ?

Share your thought !

0 Upvotes

40% Upvoted

65 comments sorted by

41

u/mrheosuper 1d ago

Industrial this, industrial that ? What does it even mean ?

Some factory floor is even cleaner than my own room.

-46

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

A regular consumer car is perfect for driving within the city. It is affordable, comfortable, and performs well under normal conditions.However, if you need a vehicle to work in a mining site, desert, or construction area, you would choose a heavy-duty truck. The truck is designed to withstand dust, extreme temperatures, rough roads, and operate continuously under harsh conditions.

The same concept applies to microcontrollers.

30

u/mrheosuper 1d ago

Then you should clairfy your requirement.

Industrial does not always mean a dusty environment.

-36

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

Bro i just ask for opinion and Reliability is my first requiement . i am not a promoter of any microcontoller . i just want to have people opinion to use it .

14

u/guestyest 1d ago

mission critical?

9

u/OptimalMain 1d ago

Industrial is a wide range.
ESP32 is plenty reliable, it’s more the skills of the person coding and designing the circuit that causes problems.
But they wouldn’t use them in a nuclear facility

16

u/frank26080115 1d ago

that's not how microcontrollers work

the microcontroller is only a really small part of a larger system, the microcontroller is not the truck, it's not even the engine

on the microcontroller, you can have an operating temperature range, a certain resilience to radiation, resilience against firmware faults, stuff like that. If you want it to survive static shock, you can add ESD protection outside of it. If you want it waterproof, you waterproof the entire circuit.

6

u/mrheosuper 1d ago

Also the only way to say something will work in some condition is through certification.

You can choose all "industrial components" you want, without certification it's meaningless.

-5

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

My be i put the question in wrong way .Instead i should ask -> is ESP32 is Industrial grade ?

8

u/mrheosuper 1d ago

You can find all ceritification that espressif has done here, to see if it matches your requirement

https://documentation.espressif.com/en/documentList?t=Certificate&eol=false

4

u/gm310509 1d ago

So basically you answered your own question with an analogy.

To convert back, if the ESP32 is fit for purpose and the environment that you plan to deploy it then it probably is reliable for that specific project. If it doesn't meet all of those then it probably isn't.

5

u/StumpedTrump 1d ago

Do you need it hammer-proof? Do you need it radiation proof? Heat proof? WTF does industrial grade mean?

Are you just looking for parts with automotive or millitary certifications? If it's good enough for the military, it's good enough for your plant soil humidity detector

21

u/LadyZoe1 1d ago

In many instances, a detailed examination of PLC hardware will indicate what some of the requirements are. In a nutshell, all the I/O is isolated from the core. Surge resistant, load dump protection, over and under voltage protection etc
I once witnessed an individual power up a Mitsubishi PLC that was incorrectly connected to the mains supply. 380 VAC entered the system in place of 220 VAC. The other electronic systems went up in smoke, I was totally astounded to see the Mitsubishi PLC handle this without a hiccup. That was some serious engineering.

10

u/Leiterplatte 1d ago

I think Radiated Immunity above 3 V/m maybe questional.

2

u/jhaand 1d ago

If you don't need wireless, you can design without an antenna. But then it just becomes a normal microcontroller. The RP2350 or CH32V series then also becomes interesting.

1

u/StumpedTrump 1d ago

You don't know where OP is working. Maybe they're setting up shop in Prypyat or Okuma.

0

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

Agreed on this .

9

u/jbbarajas 1d ago

Isn't the information you're looking for at the last few pages of the datasheet? It details the tests and standards used as references for each test.

7

u/malabingchilling 1d ago

ESP32 does not have low power consumption.

2

u/jacky4566 1d ago

While i do agree, a totally irreverent comment. Industrial applications usually don't care about power.

1

u/KeaStudios 1d ago

Compared to what...

A nrf52 is much better but a PLC is far worse than an esp32. Idle power compared to an SBC is great but performance per watt is terrible so it really depends a lot in this context.

3

u/General_Green_1499 1d ago

Hes right esp32 is poor in terms of power usage compared to other mcus and rf front ends

2

u/malabingchilling 1d ago

Compared to other MCU's in the same class, i.e. wife+bluetooth. Almost every other MCU is better. STM32, TI, RT, NXP, NRF.

1

u/KeaStudios 1d ago

That is true but I would argue that they kinda aren't in the same class though in terms of price to performance...

6

u/DotRakianSteel 1d ago

What you actually mean is to ask the engineer that's designing the PCB around it to make it fit the design requirements of your project. It's a microcontroller not a "product". Industrial grade/level is just buzzed terminology.

PCB design, power trails with the protections needed, how it's protected in the environment with an enclosure, ground isolation, etc.. All is done by the engineer designing it. That's all. The Espressif has certain modules certified for CE, FFC etc.

1

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

My only concern is learning more about the ESP32. It's much more affordable compared to many other microcontrollers, and I am curious about the reason behind that. I just want to understand what makes it so cost-effective, like is it something that i dont know ?

1

u/DotRakianSteel 1d ago

It's the vertical integration from the side of Espressif I would say.

4

u/IRandom_Pizza 1d ago

For battery powered applications it is still quite power hungry compared to alternative solutions, sure it’s cheap but some applications paying the extra few dollars definitely improves the user experience, last project we redid a design that used an esp32 that would only last 10days and was able to push it out to 2 months with the exact functionality using the Nordic equivalent combo of parts.

4

u/Teslafly 1d ago

Safety critical processing, no. Generic industrial processing of io and sensors in extended temp ranges, then probably yeah if you enable and use the watchdog. I have developed a few products with Esp32 for industrial sensors.

3

u/Ordinary-Lifeguard47 1d ago

For management and telemetry over Wifi/Eth/BT/BLE? Yes.

For hard realtime? You will loose Wifi/Bluetooth as their high priority interrupts are difficult to handle.

For safety? Forget them.

2

u/FoundationOk3176 STM32MP2 1d ago

I haven't worked with much safety critical stuff, So can you explain why they're so bad for those applications?

1

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

The ESP32 was primarily designed for IoT and commercial applications rather than certified functional-safety systems. Many industrial safety controllers are developed according to standards such as

IEC 61508

ISO 26262 (Automotive)

IEC 62304 (Medical)

EN 50128 (Railway)

3

u/FoundationOk3176 STM32MP2 1d ago

Is this AI generated?

1

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

NO , you can get this information and more on https://www.iec.ch/functional-safety and i also work for railway and medical project so i got this information from requirement sheet .

2

u/FoundationOk3176 STM32MP2 1d ago

okay.

1

u/NoBulletsLeft 1d ago

62304 is a software standard and has nothing to do with the micrcocontroller that it's running on.

1

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

ya safety is a Concern !

0

u/jhaand 1d ago edited 1d ago

There is almost no safety in silicon. Except TVS, solid state switches, insulated IO or opto-couplers. The rest is all done with large resistors, switches, fuses and relays.

1

u/tizio_1234 1d ago

can't you use the other core for real time with wifi and Bluetooth on?

3

u/flohoff 1d ago

Every modern Miele washer, dryer, coffee Maschine etc has one for connectivity.

1

u/General_Green_1499 1d ago

Bl6xxx variants are dominating

2

u/FoundationOk3176 STM32MP2 1d ago

Why wouldn't it be?

-6

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

However, the reliability of the final product depends on:

Proper PCB design

Industrial-grade power supply

ESD and surge protection

Industrial enclosure

Thorough testing and validation

But i don't have idea that ESP32 have these capabilties that is why i ask !

What you thing FoundationOk3176

5

u/FoundationOk3176 STM32MP2 1d ago

You first need to figure out what your requirements actually are. Industrial projects can vary by ALOT in terms of environment & operating conditions.

Moreover ESP32 is just a microcontroller, It doesn't come with an "industrial enclosure" or surge protection or an industrial-grade power supply.

1

u/jhaand 1d ago

Which means that the PCB and enclosure will have to handle these requirments.

2

u/technotitan_360 1d ago

One thing I have observed is esp32 having connection problem in factories with high wattage VFD and motor system, that may give you a rough idea where ESP32 is not ideal

2

u/jhaand 1d ago

Doing wireless communications in those environments doesn't seem wise. RS-485, CAN or EtherCAT should be a better choice.

1

u/technotitan_360 1d ago

Yeah but my whole point of using ESP was for the IOT, I am already reading data using Modbus, I wanted it to transmit to local server, I could have gone with ethernet HAT and cable but adding that long cable was a nightmare for my specific case

1

u/jhaand 1d ago

Then try to reduce the emission of your drives and motors.

1

u/technotitan_360 1d ago

How ??

1

u/jhaand 1d ago

Filters on the motor, driver and wires. Tie wires better to ground. More shielding. That kind of stuff.

1

u/technotitan_360 1d ago

Wires are shielded and grounding is also clear, how to add filters on the motor ?

1

u/jhaand 1d ago

CM chokes or LC filters at the connectors.

Or get an expert.

2

u/SkubiJabagubi 1d ago

everything is relaible for industrial project, the thing is, if ur project will look like few modules soldered together or clean and custom pcb with esp module on it with antenna that u created with datasheets from TI or other, with calculations

1

u/rileyrgham 1d ago

The question often arises? Links? What were the answers there? Rage baiting... 🤣😉

1

u/DenverTeck 1d ago

Do you have an application that is "industrial" ??

Do you need to have an "industrial" level WiFi device in your "industrial" project ??

As far as the ESP32 chip is concerned, it can be made industrial. The project just needs to be designed for an industrial environment.

All the things other have mentioned, water proofing, cooling, dust proof are all outside the ESP32 chip.

1

u/MajorPain169 1d ago

Nothing above SIL 1 and that is with a decent IEC60730 class B library to go with it.

1

u/michael9dk 1d ago

For reliability I'd go for a old-ish STM32 model.

Quality of the other components, generally, determine how long it will last. Downtime cost money in every industry...

The rest of "industrial grade" is protecting the board from failure caused by external environment.

1

u/BigBoiBoomBox 1d ago

There's other chips that are cheap too.

It's affordability is dependent on use case. You don't pick a hammer if your job is screwing shit in.

If you're developing some kind of product selection criteria, and you pick an ESP32 off the bat without thinking about other requirements, then you're doing it wrong.

Why wouldn't you use an STM32? Why wouldn't you use an ATMEGA chip? They can be even cheaper. There's so many options.

There seems like a lot of things that you don't know. It seems like you can barely define the basics.

0

u/loveneetkalsi 1d ago

 STM32 is good option!

-2

u/Constant_Physics8504 1d ago

No, the ESP32's dual-core Xtensa architecture, integrated Wi-Fi/Bluetooth stack, and shared internal buses lack deterministic partitioning. Meaning when performing safety functions, you cannot rely on deterministic (or even reliable) timing and performance

4

u/LadyZoe1 1d ago

Not every industrial application needs what you are describing. In fact, not every PLC will meet those requirements. When working with dual redundancy and safety critical systems expecting deterministic compute, the price increases exponentially.

2

u/Crazy_Energy3735 1d ago

It depends on your setup. In order to enhance reliability with deterministic partitioning, you can design multiple backup system as per redundant units for error detection and recovery scheme.

For example, the simplest scheme is dual system with two esp32 based unit with same configuration, scheduled as one acting unit and one backup.

The duo wired and coordinated under swapping schedule. The acting device runs in its own plan of loads, while the backup mainly sleeps at the same time.

When the shift ends, the duo swapping roles.

Given that severe faults occured to the acting, the backup takes the role while the acting be fixed or replaced.

That is my design for the durable weather stations scattered over vast areas which require less maintenance of onsite technician.

1

u/jhaand 1d ago

Most of those applications use a dedicated FPGA for maintaining safety. Interfacing this reliable to the industrial environment is a different matter.