CDT Minor Showcase 2024 / 2025

From aviary problem
to working prototype.

Research, electronics, firmware, housing, branding and UI design for an offline automation system for bird breeders.

Project overview

A working prototype, built from the problem upward.

BudgieBase started with a promise I made to my father: build an automation system for his aviary that he could actually trust and understand. During the Creative Design & Technology Minor, that promise became a full product prototype.

The end result: a standalone ESP32 control unit, hacked Sonoff Basic R4 smart plugs running custom ESP-NOW firmware, local data logging, a physical LCD with rotary encoder, and a web UI concept.

This case study covers the process: research with breeders, hardware decisions, firmware iterations, perfboard assembly, product housing, brand identity and interface design.

User researchESP32 firmwareProduct designUI style guide

Central Unit

ESP32 · DS3231 RTC · BME280 sensor

20×4 LCD · rotary encoder · microSD

ESP-NOW

Smart Plugs

Sonoff Basic R4 · custom firmware

Peer-to-peer · no internet needed

Research and direction

Each step narrowed what to build.

Every assumption got tested against what breeders actually needed, what existing tools couldn't do, and what an aviary building allows.

Choose the audience

The focus narrowed to hobbyist budgerigar breeders, because they were reachable, had a real aviary context and could give practical feedback quickly.

Map the environment

Interviews and aviary management research pointed to lighting, air quality, temperature, humidity and breeding rhythm as the things worth designing around.

Reject the wrong tools

Home Assistant and commercial smart home systems were too complex, too internet dependent or too expensive for this specific audience.

Set product goals

I landed on a hybrid: physical controls on the device for reliability, plus a lightweight web interface for monitoring and configuration.

Housing design

From sketches and renders to an Onshape enclosure.

Two directions emerged from sketching and AI renders: a Braun-inspired form with more visual weight and character, and a minimal single-block design. I had a clear personal preference for the Braun direction — but every round of feedback pointed toward the simplest option.

BudgieBase housing Onshape isometric view

Braun-inspired direction

My personal favourite — cleaner references, stronger visual character. Feedback from testers and people around me consistently pointed away from it.

Early Braun-inspired BudgieBase housing sketch

Angled sketch

AI render

Cream concept

Concepts

Front sketch

Compact concept

Final version

BudgieBase render mounted on an aviary wall

Aviary render

Front view

Side view

Rear details

Readable LCD

20×4 display chosen for a rugged, low-cost physical interface

Single control

Rotary encoder keeps setup tactile and understandable

Freestanding use

Kickstand direction came from testing how the unit would sit on a workbench

Wall mounting

Rear panel keeps the option open for permanent placement in an aviary room

Serviceable power

USB power and accessible ports support prototype iteration and repair

Rebuildable body

Two-part PLA construction keeps the prototype easy to open and improve

Under the hood

Technical specifications

Everything was chosen to keep it reliable, repairable and independent of the internet. Standard components, open firmware, nothing that needs a server somewhere.

Central unit

MicrocontrollerESP32

Display20×4 character LCD

InputRotary encoder + push button

ClockRTC module (DS3231)

StorageMicroSD card (event log)

PowerMicro-USB 5 V

Housing3D-printed PLA — Onshape

Wireless & sensors

ProtocolESP-NOW (peer-to-peer)

Range~200 m open air

Internet neededNo

SensorBME280

MeasuresTemperature · Humidity · Pressure

Trigger typesTime schedule · Sensor threshold

Smart plugs

Base hardwareSonoff Basic R4

ModificationCustom ESP-NOW firmware

Max load10 A / 2300 W

PairingVia central device UI

App requiredNo

How it was made

Six phases, from research to branding.

The project was not a straight line. Each step made the next decision more concrete: who it was for, what had to work offline, how the plugs should talk to each other, and what the product should look like.

Phase 1

User and market research

Interviews and source research clarified what matters in aviary management: lighting, temperature, humidity, air quality and breeding-cycle control. Existing home automation options were then compared against those needs.

Phase 2

Architecture decisions

ESP32, a DS3231 RTC, BME280 sensor, SD logging and a 20×4 character LCD were chosen because the system needed to be local, understandable and resilient after power loss.

Phase 3

Wireless plug control

Sonoff Basic R4 plugs were opened, flashed and tested with custom ESP-NOW firmware, cutting out the cloud entirely and talking directly to the central unit.

Opened Sonoff Basic R4 showing internal PCB

Phase 4

Firmware and UI iteration

The central unit grew from clock and sensor experiments into menu navigation, plug pairing, EEPROM persistence, schedule logic, sensor thresholds and SD-card data logging.

ESP32 prototype showing LCD with temperature, humidity and time

Phase 5

Assembly and testing

The breadboard prototype moved to perfboard so it could fit inside the housing. End-to-end testing covered pairing, naming, control types, relay switching and settings surviving a power cycle.

Phase 6

Brand and interface design

The brand guide, housing design and web UI style guide gave the hardware prototype a visual identity that a non-technical audience could actually connect with.

Prototype evidence