Tests & Results

Test basic two-way communication between the ESP8266 and Particle Boron 404x via UART.

ER-1, ER-2, ER-3

Connect the two microcontrollers together serially via UART. Connect to power and ground with an LED load. Monitor serial terminals via laptop USB.

Run code to exchange messages between both microcontrollers. Test commands to turn LED on/off from each microcontroller.

Pass if communication is established and LED can be controlled via ESP website or Boron commands. Fail if messages cannot be sent/received or LED cannot be controlled.

Continuing to test more advanced communication features.

Test website control of outlet status through the ESP8266 WiFi network.

ER-11

Connect ESP8266 to power, ground, and a laptop for serial monitoring. Use a smartphone to connect to the ESP's WiFi network and access the locally hosted webpage.

Run code on ESP8266. Connect smartphone to ESP WiFi and navigate to local URL. Toggle USB outlet on/off. Verify refresh button shows correct status.

Pass if outlet status changes via webpage and refresh reflects accurate state. Fail if device cannot connect or status is not reflected correctly.

Successfully changed status of output over WiFi.

Test current and voltage readings from INA219. (Note: replaced by INA260 in final design.)

ER-7

Connect INA219 sensor to ESP8266 via I²C. LED connected as the test load.

Take voltage and current measurements using the sensor and compare with actual values. Evaluate accuracy as a fit for the project.

Pass if measurements are within accuracy range of ER-7. Fail if accuracy does not meet requirements.

Sensor was not within the required accuracy range. Team subsequently upgraded to INA260.

Test maximum WiFi range of the ESP8266 hotspot.

ER-11

ESP8266 powered outdoors via portable supply. Smartphone connected to ESP WiFi network. Distances measured outdoors.

Pass if connection is maintained at ≥ 20m distance. Fail otherwise.

This test was not completed due to time constraints — most time was dedicated to getting core components working.

Calculate power consumption of the system using component-level measurements.

ER-6

Full system assembled. Power measurements taken per component using sensors.

Pass if internal system consumes ≤ 5W under typical operation.

Power calculations completed. Full instrumented test conducted in Spring (ST-2 / FT-11).

Test scheduling feature for all four outlets across single instances throughout one day.

ER-2, ER-12

Full REACH circuit with loads on all 4 outlets (3 ESP8266 boards + 1 LED). Scheduled 15-minute ON/OFF intervals via Grafana dashboard, repeated 3 times per outlet in one day.

Set single-instance schedules in Grafana. Connect loads to each USB outlet to measure current draw. Record current values at each interval and verify outlets switch at scheduled times.

Pass if all 4 outlets turn on/off at correct scheduled times and maintain target state for full 15-minute duration. Fail if any outlet misses its scheduled transition.

Test how accurately and consistently the ESP sends telemetry data to the database over an extended period.

ER-3, ER-7

REACH system operated continuously for ~13 hours on March 7, 2026. Expected 57 telemetry uploads (10-minute intervals).

Analyzed database for all 57 expected telemetry events. Verified all 4 outlet values per event for accuracy and completeness.

Pass if most telemetry data received for all 4 outlets with no bogus values. Fail if a significant number of data points are missing or contain unexplainable values.

Verify that Grafana sends an email alert when battery voltage drops below 11.8V.

ER-2

Grafana alert configured to check battery supply voltage every minute. Alert fires below 11.8V. Checked email alert functionality three times over two hours.

Pass if email received when voltage below 11.8V. Fail if alert fails to fire or fires incorrectly.

Verify INA260 current sensor accuracy for outlet power measurement.

ER-7

INA260 with arbitrary load on a power station. Load current increased from 0 to 1A in steps.

Pass if measured current is within ±10 mA of actual load current. Fail if error exceeds 10 mA.

Verify DCT-Electronic voltage sensor accuracy after calibration.

ER-7

Full REACH circuit. Bench power supply stepped from 0V to 15V in 0.5V increments. Readings taken through ADS1115 to ESP.

Pass if voltage measured within ±0.2V after calibration. Fail if error exceeds ±0.2V.

Test load prioritization algorithm with variable loads and simulated voltage drops.

ER-2

Full REACH circuit with LEDs + potentiometers as variable loads. DC bench supply simulates battery voltage drop below thresholds (11.7V and 11.5V). Outlet #1 set as high priority; all others low.

Case 1: High-priority outlet draws high current; low-priority outlets draw minimal. Drop voltage below 11.7V — high-priority stays on, highest-draw low-priority shuts off. Case 2: Two low-priority outlets draw equal current (within 5 mA). Both shut off when voltage drops.

Pass if high-priority outlet never turns off and only the highest-draw low-priority outlet shuts off per case. Fail if prioritization logic does not match expected behavior.

Verify internal system power consumption does not exceed 5W under normal operating conditions.

ER-6

NORDIC Power Profiler Kit II used to power and log power consumption. REACH box operating under normal conditions without MOSFET switches activated.

Power Profiler Kit II (10% accuracy) connected to REACH. System powered and operated normally. Power consumption logged and averaged via the Power Profiler UI.

Pass if logged power consumption is ≤ 5W under normal conditions without attached loads.