From ESP32 Code to a Web-Controlled Car

Well, finally got my hands on a 2WD RC car kit.

And naturally, instead of just driving it around, I decided to make the ESP32 drive it.

The first step was getting the hardware under control. I connected the ESP32 to a TB6612FNG motor driver and wired it to the two DC motors on the car.

Then came the basic movement tests:

- Forward
- Backward
- Left
- Right
- Stop

It sounds simple until one wheel decides that your definition of “forward” is completely different from yours.

After fixing the motor direction and testing each movement, the basic motor-control stage is working.

But the car isn't actually “web controlled” yet.

That's the next part.

The goal is to turn this:

ESP32 → Motor Driver → Motors

into:

Browser
↓
Wi-Fi
↓
ESP32 Web Server
↓
Motor Driver
↓
2WD Car

The interesting part for me is that this project isn't just about making a car move. I'm using it to learn how embedded software, electronics, networking, and hardware control come together in one system.

I'll be building it incrementally rather than throwing everything into one giant program.

Stage 1: Motor control — done.

Next: Wi-Fi and web control.

The project is available on GitHub, and I'll be documenting the development as I go.

#ESP32 #IoT #EmbeddedSystems #Robotics #CPlusPlus #Arduino #PlatformIO #WebServer #LearningByBuilding