The initial project was designed around a Raspberry Pi 2, and later the 3. This was during the time that Arduino didn't have a Wi-Fi option, a time before the ESP series of device changed the face of the IOT world. We also anticipated the need for a user interface, however we never had need for it, and decided to remove the requirement. The also the price, the PI, the wiring, the enclosures, the power requirements, they all resulted in a Bill of Materials (BOM) that was high, and with the dirty power in the building we had SD cards burning out and locking us out of the machines.

We needed a simpler system. Fewer bells that never rung. So, a redesign around the ESP 32 board should give us what we need, a simpler system, and a lower cost per system.

Back to the drawing board.