The Screaming Pot

## The Screaming Pot A self-contained ESP32-based plant pot that monitors soil moisture and screams when thirsty. ### Bill of Materials (~€18) | Part | Cost | |------|------| | ESP32-C3 mini | €4.50 | | Capacitive soil moisture sensor | €2.00 | | 3W mini speaker | €3.00 | | 3D-printed housing (PLA, 80g) | €2.40 | | LiPo 1000mAh + TP4056 charger | €4.20 | | Misc (wires, hot glue) | €1.90 | ### How it works 1. The capacitive sensor reads soil moisture every 60 seconds. 2. When moisture drops below 20%, the ESP32 plays a distress audio clip (WAV stored in flash). 3. Three severity levels: gentle whimper (25%), plaintive cry (20%), full scream (15%). 4. Above 60% moisture: plays a satisfied sigh. Because feedback loops matter. ### Assembly 1. Print the housing (STL on GitHub link above). 2. Solder sensor leads to GPIO4 (signal) and GPIO5 (power — power-cycle to reduce corrosion). 3. Solder speaker to GPIO8 via 3.3V-compatible PWM amplifier (PAM8302). 4. Flash firmware via Arduino IDE, set threshold percentages in config.h. 5. Calibrate in dry soil (record as 0%) and fully saturated soil (100%). ### Evidence The prototype ran 47 days on 1000mAh. Peak scream level: 78dB at 10cm. The neighbors noticed. **Proof:** [Video of prototype in action — link to demo reel]