I've been wanting to make use of the ESP32 in this project. Low power consumption, sleep mode, wireless comms, 2 DAC outputs, I2C, RTC, SD-card module and plenty of GPIO. Rather than have an ESP32 CAM module run the show, talking to a PIC that manages the events, I will just use a standard ESP32 dev board and allow adding a controlled camera module via I2C/S{I/UART. This will keep base costs and power consumption down, and still be suitable for those who don't want or already have a camera for this.

So new PCB and software, optional I2C/UART/SPI-controlled camera - everything else will stay the same.

The 2 DAC outputs will enable remote sensor adjustment - I can replace the pots with the DAC outputs.

Solar power becomes more practical since power consumption will be lower (~150 when transmitting using wireless comms, ~80 when just listening, ~20 mA with wireless disabled, <1 mA sleeping).

I can still enable remote monitoring and control, and make a more informative dashboard. Sending data and maybe files to a service to process/store would be even better and more power-efficient,

Wifi and Bluetooth might also be options for camera control.

LoRa or cellular might be worth considering since I'd like to deploy one of these in a park someday.

Just putting this here so I don;t forget. I won't be able to start on this for a few weeks.