ARGB PC Fan Controller with Wireless Remote

The project represents an intelligent and independent system for controlling the cooling and lighting (ARGB) inside a PC case. It is based on a two-node architecture that communicates wirelessly via Wi-Fi protocol, eliminating the need for long cables and bloatware software installed on the operating system.

The system is divided into two main units working together:

It is the heart of the system, implemented on a T-HMI (ESP32-S3) module with an integrated LCD display.

• DHT22 Sensor: Constantly reads the case temperature.
• ARGB Control: Manages the colors and modes of the Thermalright fan.
• Real-time Display: Projects the RPM, temperature, and current mode on the screen.

Built on an ATmega328P Xplained Mini board connected to an ESP-01S module.

• Features an expansion board with 5 buttons.
• Allows changing operating modes and speed remotely.
• Externally powered for total portability.

• Auto Mode (Default):
  • The system automatically adjusts the fan speed using a temperature curve.
  • For every 5°C threshold reached, the fan speed progressively increases or decreases to maintain the balance between cooling and noise.
• Manual Mode:
  • The user takes full control via the remote.
  • Dedicated buttons can be used to increase or decrease the speed regardless of the read temperature.

The primary purpose is to provide a user-friendly hardware interface that allows users to easily monitor and control fan speeds and ARGB lighting. While connecting a fan directly to the motherboard provides basic cooling, this project focuses on delivering accessible, real-time control without relying on proprietary software. It essentially protects the user from the risk of losing manufacturer support (abandonware), or turning into resource-heavy bloatware over time.

The idea stemmed from the frustration caused by software dependency and forced firmware updates of commercial products, which often break functionality or add unnecessary background processes. I wanted a hardware-level “Plug & Play” device that guarantees longevity and provides clear information on a physical display, completely independent of the PC's software ecosystem.

• For me: It gives me precise, physical control and immediate visual monitoring over my PC's thermal state and aesthetics without tabbing out of applications or games.
• For others: The same as above, but also Future-Proof & No Obsolescence: Since it doesn't require a dedicated app, it will never lose functionality due to lack of software support from a manufacturer.
  • OS Independence: Works on Windows, Linux, or macOS seamlessly, without requiring any drivers.
  • Zero Resource Consumption: Does not load the PC's processor or RAM (crucial for gamers or heavy-duty tasks).
  • Customization: While the interface is simple, it ofers all the customization a normal user needs.

• Microcontrollers: ESP32-S3 (Central unit) and ATmega328P Xplained Mini (Remote).
• Remote Communication: ESP8266 ESP-01S Wi-Fi module.
• Sensor: AM2302 (DHT22) for temperature and humidity.
• Actuator: Thermalright C12CW-S ARGB Fan.
• Interface: LCD Display (integrated on T-HMI) and a 5-button module.
• Power Management:
  • Remote: External battery and an AMS1117-3.3V voltage regulator (to step down voltage for the Wi-Fi module).
  • Controller: Laptop USB-C connection (5V for the ESP32 logic and ARGB LEDs), a 12V 1A Wall Adapter, and a DC Screw Terminal (for the fan motor).

The Remote Node utilizes an ATmega328P microcontroller communicating with an ESP8266 (ESP-201 breakout format) Wi-Fi module. Voltage regulation from 5V to 3.3V is handled by an AMS1117-3.3V linear regulator.

DHT22 Sensor

ARGB 3-PIN Connector

4-PIN PWM Fan Header

External Power (Accumulator)

The project utilizes a hybrid software architecture tailored to the specific capabilities of each microcontroller. The entire system is managed via Visual Studio Code (VS Code) combined with the PlatformIO extension. This IDE was chosen over the standard Arduino IDE due to its superior toolchain management and the ability to handle independent compilations for different architectures (ESP32 and AVR) within the same environment.

• Central Node (Controller - ESP32-S3 T-HMI): The firmware is developed using the official ESP-IDF (Espressif IoT Development Framework) in C. ESP-IDF was selected to ensure low-level control over hardware peripherals (such as hardware timers for PWM and the I80 parallel interface for the display) and to run the application on top of a Real-Time Operating System (FreeRTOS).
• Remote Node (Control Unit - Arduino Mega 2560): The firmware utilizes the standard Arduino framework (C++), which significantly simplifies the management of hardware serial communication (Serial1 for the ESP-01S module) and the debouncing logic for the physical input buttons.

The system is designed with minimal reliance on external third-party libraries, implementing critical logic from scratch to maximize efficiency and stability. For the Central Node, native ESP-IDF components were exclusively used:

• driver/ledc.h: For generating the hardware PWM signals required by the fan.
• driver/gpio.h & esp_timer.h: For managing hardware interrupts (ISR) and high-precision microsecond timing.
• esp_lcd_panel_*.h: Native drivers for initializing and pushing data to the ST7789 LCD via the I80 parallel bus.
• Note: No external libraries (such as Adafruit DHT) were used for the AM2302/DHT22 temperature sensor. The 1-Wire communication protocol was manually implemented (bit-banging).

The software architecture relies on the following core algorithms:

• Digital Decoding Algorithm (Bit-Banging) for DHT22: Because the ESP32-S3 FreeRTOS scheduler can cause microsecond desynchronization on the 1-Wire bus, a strict timing algorithm (dht_wait_state) was implemented. It measures high/low pulse durations in microseconds. Pulses longer than 40µs are interpreted as a logical 1, successfully reconstructing the 40-bit data packet (16-bit humidity, 16-bit temperature, 8-bit checksum).
• Tachometric (RPM) Calculation Algorithm: Utilizes an Interrupt Service Routine (ISR) attached to the falling edge of the fan's TACHO pin. A variable counts the pulses generated by the fan's internal Hall-effect sensor. Periodically, the interrupt is paused, and the pulse count is multiplied by a timing constant (e.g., 15, for a 2-second sampling interval) to calculate the exact Revolutions Per Minute (RPM).
• Thermal Control Structure (Fan Curve): A step-based linear conditional block maps the read temperature ranges to an 8-bit Duty Cycle interval (0–255). Predefined thresholds dynamically adjust the RPM (e.g., <25°C equals ~20% power; >35°C equals 100% power) to maintain an optimal cooling-to-noise ratio.
• Framebuffer Rasterization for Display: To prevent visual flickering on the LCD, characters are not drawn directly to the screen. Instead, they are drawn into an allocated memory structure (uint16_t framebuffer[320 * 240]). A rasterization algorithm parses a custom 8×8 font dictionary, applies a 3x scaling multiplier, maps the 16-bit RGB565 colors, and pushes the entire buffer to the display in a single block.

The following critical C functions were developed and validated for the central unit:

• dht_wait_state(int state, int timeout_us): A blocking function equipped with an internal timeout (based on esp_timer_get_time()) that measures the duration of a logical state on the GPIO pin, preventing infinite loops in case of sensor disconnection.
• read_dht22(float *temp): Initiates the sensor wake-up sequence, temporarily disables global OS interrupts (taskDISABLE_INTERRUPTS) to guarantee precise bus timing, decodes the bitstream, and validates data integrity via the checksum.
• tacho_isr_handler(): The hardware interrupt function. It incorporates a software debouncing mechanism (now - last_pulse_time > 2500 µs) to filter out parasitic electrical noise on the tachometer line before incrementing the pulse_count.
• fan_hardware_init(): Configures the LEDC timer for a 25kHz frequency (the industry standard for 4-pin PC fans), sets the 8-bit resolution, and attaches the ISR to the RPM reading pin.
• init_display_primitive(): Initializes the 8-bit I80 parallel bus and configures the internal ST7789 display controller (including color inversion and XY memory mapping).
• draw_char_to_fb() / draw_string_to_fb() / clear_framebuffer(): A suite of custom graphical functions that take a string, read the corresponding binary pattern from the font matrix (font8x8), scale it, and write the pixel data into the framebuffer array.
• control_task(): The main FreeRTOS task running in an infinite loop (while(1)). It orchestrates the overall system logic: reads the DHT22 sensor, calculates the RPM while safely pausing interrupts, applies the thermal curve via ledc_set_duty, renders the UI to the framebuffer, flushes it to the screen, and suspends itself for 2 seconds (vTaskDelay).

Controller: Remote Control: Testing that shows RPM and the temperature sensor working properly:

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