fix: kick-start fan on every 0→on transition

Previous kick-start only fired when duty < 200, but all level duties are
≥230, so L1 starts from rest at PWM 230 and the rotor can't break static
friction. Now we briefly drive 100% on any off→on transition before
dropping to the target duty.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -1,70 +1,87 @@
 # ESP32-C3 Fan Controller
 
-An automatic server fan controller built on the ESP32-C3, featuring temperature-based relay control, OLED status display, and Home Assistant integration via MQTT.
+An automatic server fan controller built on the ESP32-C3. Drives a 5 V fan over PWM through an IRLZ44N MOSFET, auto-selects fan speed from a temperature table with hysteresis, shows live status on an OLED, and publishes sensor/fan state to Home Assistant over MQTT.
 
 ## Features
 
-- **Auto fan control** — relay switches ON/OFF based on temperature thresholds with hysteresis
-- **DHT22 sensor** — reads temperature and humidity every second
-- **SSD1306 OLED** — displays live temp, humidity, and fan state
-- **MQTT publishing** — streams sensor data and fan state to Home Assistant
-- **WiFi** — connects on boot, auto-reconnects if MQTT drops
+- **Temperature-driven PWM fan control** — 5 discrete speed levels, selected automatically from the current temperature
+- **Hysteresis** — 1 °C drop-down margin prevents level flapping
+- **DHT22 sensor** — reads temperature and humidity every 3 s
+- **SSD1306 OLED** — displays live temp, humidity, fan state, and level
+- **MQTT publishing** — streams sensor and fan data for Home Assistant
+- **WiFi** — connects on boot, auto-reconnects WiFi and MQTT if they drop
 
 ## Hardware
 
 | Component | Details |
 |---|---|
-| Microcontroller | ESP32-C3 (with onboard OLED) |
+| Microcontroller | ESP32-C3 |
 | Sensor | DHT22 (temperature + humidity) |
-| Relay | 5V relay module (active-LOW) |
-| Fan | USB 5V fan |
-| Display | SSD1306 128×64 OLED (I2C) |
+| Driver | IRLZ44N N-channel MOSFET (logic-level) |
+| Fan | 2-wire 5 V fan |
+| Display | SSD1306 128×64 OLED (I²C) |
 
 ## Wiring
 
 | ESP32-C3 Pin | Connected To |
 |---|---|
-| `GPIO2` | DHT22 DATA (+ 4.7kΩ pullup to 3V3) |
-| `GPIO3` | Relay IN |
+| `GPIO2` | DHT22 DATA (+ 4.7 kΩ pullup to 3V3) |
+| `GPIO3` | MOSFET gate (via ~150 Ω) + 100 kΩ gate→GND pulldown |
 | `GPIO5` (SDA) | OLED SDA |
 | `GPIO6` (SCL) | OLED SCL |
 | `3V3` | DHT22 VCC, OLED VCC |
-| `GND` | DHT22 GND, OLED GND, Relay GND |
+| `GND` | DHT22 GND, OLED GND, MOSFET source, fan − |
 
-Relay wiring:
+Fan wiring:
 
-- **COM** → USB 5V
-- **NO** → Fan + (red wire)
-- Fan − (black wire) → GND
+- Fan **+** → USB 5 V
+- Fan **−** → MOSFET **drain**
+- MOSFET **source** → GND
+- MOSFET **gate** → `GPIO3`
 
 ## Configuration
 
-Copy `secrets.h.example` to `secrets.h` and fill in your values:
+Copy `main/secrets.h.example` to `main/secrets.h` and fill in your values:
 
 ```cpp
 #define WIFI_SSID     "your_wifi_ssid"
 #define WIFI_PASS     "your_wifi_password"
-#define MQTT_HOST  "192.168.1.X"   // Home Assistant IP
+#define MQTT_HOST     "192.168.1.X"
+#define MQTT_PORT     1883
 #define MQTT_USER     "mqtt_user"
-#define MQTT_PASS  "mqtt_pass"
+#define MQTT_PASS     "mqtt_password"
+#define MQTT_CLIENT   "esp32c3_fan"
 ```
 
-### Temperature Thresholds
+`secrets.h` is gitignored.
 
-Edit these defines in `fan_controller.ino`:
+### Fan Level Table
 
-```cpp
-#define TEMP_ON   28.0   // Fan turns ON above this (°C)
-#define TEMP_OFF  25.0   // Fan turns OFF below this (°C)
-```
+Fan speed is selected from a table of (temperature threshold → PWM duty) in `main/main.ino`:
+
+| Level | Temp ≥ | PWM duty (0–255) |
+|-------|--------|------------------|
+| 0 (off) | —      | 0                |
+| 1     | 28 °C  | 230              |
+| 2     | 30 °C  | 236              |
+| 3     | 32 °C  | 242              |
+| 4     | 34 °C  | 249              |
+| 5     | 36 °C  | 255              |
+
+`TEMP_HYST` (default `1.0 °C`) controls the drop-down margin: the fan only drops a level once temperature falls this much below that level's threshold. Below level 1's threshold minus hysteresis, the fan turns off.
+
+Tune `LEVELS[]` and `TEMP_HYST` in `main/main.ino` to match your thermal setup.
 
 ## MQTT Topics
 
-| Topic | Direction | Payload |
+All topics are publish-only (the firmware does not accept remote commands).
+
+| Topic | Payload | Notes |
 |---|---|---|
-| `esp32c3_fan/temperature` | Publish | `23.5` (°C) |
-| `esp32c3_fan/humidity` | Publish | `41` (%) |
-| `esp32c3_fan/fan/state` | Publish | `ON` / `OFF` |
+| `esp32c3_fan/temperature` | `23.5` | °C, every loop |
+| `esp32c3_fan/humidity`    | `41`   | %, every loop |
+| `esp32c3_fan/fan/state`   | `ON` / `OFF` | retained |
+| `esp32c3_fan/fan/speed`   | `0`..`5` | current level, retained |
 
 ## Home Assistant Setup
 
@@ -85,6 +102,10 @@ mqtt:
       unit_of_measurement: "%"
       device_class: humidity
 
+    - name: "Server Fan Level"
+      unique_id: "esp32c3_fan_level"
+      state_topic: "esp32c3_fan/fan/speed"
+
   binary_sensor:
     - name: "Server Fan"
       unique_id: "esp32c3_fan"
@@ -108,10 +129,12 @@ Install via Arduino IDE Library Manager:
 ## Project Structure
 
 ```
-esp32c3-fan-controller/
-├── fan_controller.ino   # Main sketch
-├── secrets.h            # WiFi & MQTT credentials (gitignored)
-├── secrets.h.example    # Credentials template
+fan4life/
+├── main/
+│   ├── main.ino            # Main sketch
+│   ├── secrets.h           # WiFi & MQTT credentials (gitignored)
+│   └── secrets.h.example   # Credentials template
+├── cad/                    # Mechanical / enclosure files
 ├── .gitignore
 └── README.md
 ```

cad/server-lid-Body-with-logo.mtl

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Blender 5.1.0 MTL File: 'None'
+# www.blender.org
+
+newmtl SVGMat
+Ns 360.000000
+Ka 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000
+Kd 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
+Ks 0.500000 0.500000 0.500000
+Ke 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
+Ni 1.000000
+d 1.000000
+illum 2

main/main.ino

@@ -55,16 +55,21 @@ int yOffset = 30;
 uint8_t fanLevel = 0;  // 0 = off, 1..NUM_LEVELS
 
 void applyFan() {
+  static uint8_t lastDuty = 0;
   if (fanLevel == 0) {
     ledcWrite(FAN_PIN, 0);
+    lastDuty = 0;
     return;
   }
   uint8_t duty = LEVELS[fanLevel - 1].duty;
-  if (duty > 0 && duty < 200) {
-    ledcWrite(FAN_PIN, 255);  // kick-start
-    delay(300);
+  // Kick-start whenever spinning up from stopped — full duty briefly so the
+  // rotor breaks static friction, then drop to the target.
+  if (lastDuty == 0) {
+    ledcWrite(FAN_PIN, 255);
+    delay(400);
   }
   ledcWrite(FAN_PIN, duty);
+  lastDuty = duty;
 }
 
 void publishFan() {
@@ -95,12 +100,24 @@ uint8_t levelForTemp(float tempC) {
 }
 
 void connectWiFi() {
-  Serial.printf("Connecting to %s", WIFI_SSID);
+  Serial.printf("Connecting to %s\n", WIFI_SSID);
+
+  WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
+  WiFi.setTxPower(WIFI_POWER_8_5dBm);
+  WiFi.disconnect(true, true);
+  delay(200);
+
+  WiFi.setAutoReconnect(true);
+  WiFi.persistent(false);
   WiFi.begin(WIFI_SSID, WIFI_PASS);
-  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
-    delay(500); Serial.print(".");
+
+  uint8_t result = WiFi.waitForConnectResult(15000);
+
+  if (result == WL_CONNECTED) {
+    Serial.printf("WiFi connected: %s\n", WiFi.localIP().toString().c_str());
+  } else {
+    Serial.printf("WiFi failed, result=%u, status=%d\n", result, WiFi.status());
   }
-  Serial.printf("\nWiFi connected: %s\n", WiFi.localIP().toString().c_str());
 }
 
 void connectMQTT() {
@@ -117,18 +134,45 @@ void connectMQTT() {
 }
 
 void handle_oled(float tempC, float humidity) {
-  char line1[20], line2[20], line3[20];
-  snprintf(line1, sizeof(line1), "T: %.1f C", tempC);
-  snprintf(line2, sizeof(line2), "H: %.0f %%", humidity);
-  const char* lvl = fanLevel > 0 ? LEVELS[fanLevel - 1].label : "0";
-  snprintf(line3, sizeof(line3), "Fan: %s L%s",
-           fanLevel > 0 ? "ON" : "OFF", lvl);
+  (void)humidity;
+  char tempStr[12];
+  snprintf(tempStr, sizeof(tempStr), "%.1f", tempC);
 
   u8g2.clearBuffer();
-  u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_4x6_tr);
-  u8g2.drawStr(xOffset, yOffset,      line1);
-  u8g2.drawStr(xOffset, yOffset + 10, line2);
-  u8g2.drawStr(xOffset, yOffset + 20, line3);
+
+  // Large temperature reading + small °C suffix, centered as a unit.
+  u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_logisoso22_tn);
+  int tempW = u8g2.getStrWidth(tempStr);
+  const int suffixW = 10;  // approx width reserved for "°C"
+  const int gap = 2;
+  int totalW = tempW + gap + suffixW;
+  int tempX = (128 - totalW) / 2;
+  int tempY = 46;
+  u8g2.drawStr(tempX, tempY, tempStr);
+
+  u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_6x10_tr);
+  int suffixX = tempX + tempW + gap;
+  u8g2.drawStr(suffixX, tempY - 14, "o");
+  u8g2.drawStr(suffixX, tempY - 2, "C");
+
+  // Fan level indicator: 5 stacked bars at the bottom.
+  // Filled bars = current level, empty bars = remaining.
+  const int barCount = NUM_LEVELS;
+  const int barW = 18;
+  const int barH = 6;
+  const int barGap = 2;
+  const int barsW = barCount * barW + (barCount - 1) * barGap;
+  const int barY = 56;
+  int barX0 = (128 - barsW) / 2;
+  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < barCount; i++) {
+    int x = barX0 + i * (barW + barGap);
+    if (i < fanLevel) {
+      u8g2.drawBox(x, barY, barW, barH);
+    } else {
+      u8g2.drawFrame(x, barY, barW, barH);
+    }
+  }
+
   u8g2.sendBuffer();
 }
 

main/secrets.h.example

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+// Copy this file to `secrets.h` and fill in your values.
+// `secrets.h` is gitignored so credentials stay out of version control.
+
+// --- WiFi ---
+#define WIFI_SSID "your_wifi_ssid"
+#define WIFI_PASS "your_wifi_password"
+
+// --- MQTT ---
+#define MQTT_HOST     "192.168.1.X"   // Home Assistant / broker IP
+#define MQTT_PORT     1883
+#define MQTT_USER     "mqtt_user"
+#define MQTT_PASS     "mqtt_password"
+#define MQTT_CLIENT   "esp32c3_fan"