ENGR 491 / ENGR 492 – Engineering Capstone
Regent University | 2025–2026
Team Members:
- Riley Pence
- Alex O'Neal
- Elijah Atkinson
Instructor: Gregory M. Baumgardner
This project is part of the Engineering Capstone sequence at Regent University. The goal is to design and implement an Internet-connected smart light controller that allows a homeowner to remotely manage a light bulb using an ESP32 microcontroller and a web-based interface.
The system is designed to be modular, secure, and reproducible, with both hardware and software components developed collaboratively by the team.
Key capabilities include:
- Remote on/off control
- Brightness dimming via a TRIAC-based circuit
- Scheduled automation
- User authentication and permissions
- Power usage monitoring
- Activity logging
- Conflict handling when multiple users issue commands
- ESP32-C6 (or similar ESP32 variant)
- TRIAC-based AC dimmer circuit
- AC-to-DC power regulation
- Optional current / power sensor (e.g., ACS712)
- Python/Django backend
- Relational database (local development via Docker)
- Web-based control interface
- REST and/or MQTT communication between ESP32 and server
This project uses a containerized development workflow to ensure all team members run the same environment.
- VS Code Dev Container for a consistent Linux development environment
- Docker Compose for backend services and database
- Makefile for standardized development commands
No local Python or Django installation is required.
All setup instructions and development workflows are maintained in a centralized onboarding document.
👉 Team Onboarding & Development Setup Guide
Please follow the onboarding guide before making any code changes.
👉 Capstone Week-by-Week Execution Plan
This document outlines:
- Weekly objectives and deliverables
- Task sequencing for hardware and software
- Team coordination and milestones
- Expected progress through the semester
This plan serves as the primary schedule and accountability reference for the team.
smartlight-iot-controller/ ├── firmware/ # ESP32 firmware (PlatformIO) ├── server/ # Django backend ├── ops/ # Environment and operational configuration ├── .devcontainer/ # VS Code Dev Container configuration ├── docker-compose.yml # Local backend and database services ├── Makefile # Standardized team commands ├── README.md