Glossary¶
Every technical term used in this tutorial, in plain words.
Analog — a signal that can be any value in a range (e.g. 0 to 4095 on the ESP32). Contrast with digital, which is only 0 or 1.
Block — a single coloured shape you drag into the Flowlence Code workspace.
Breadboard — a plastic board with holes that lets you connect components without soldering.
Cloud — remote servers you can reach over the internet. "Sending data to the cloud" means sending it from your ESP32 to a service like Flowlence Cloud.
Dashboard — a web page that shows live information from one or more IoT devices.
Digital — a signal that is either on (HIGH / 1 / 3.3 V) or off (LOW / 0 / 0 V).
ESP32 — the small computer board at the heart of every project in this tutorial.
Flowlence Cloud — Flowlence's IoT platform (built on ThingsBoard) where your ESP32 sends data and you build dashboards. Not part of the workshop curriculum — coming in a future tutorial expansion.
Flowlence Code — the block-based programming app you use to write programs for your ESP32.
GPIO — General Purpose Input/Output. The pins on the ESP32 where you connect sensors and actuators.
I²C (pronounced "I-squared-C") — a way for two devices to talk using just two wires (SDA and SCL). The 1602 LCD uses I²C.
IoT — Internet of Things. Physical devices that send or receive data over a network.
LED — Light Emitting Diode. A small light you can turn on and off with code.
LDR — Light Dependent Resistor. A sensor whose resistance changes with how much light hits it.
MQTT — a lightweight messaging protocol designed for IoT. Flowlence Cloud uses MQTT to receive data from your ESP32.
PIR — Passive Infrared. A type of motion sensor that detects warm bodies (like humans) moving nearby.
Pin — a single metal leg on the ESP32. Each pin has a number (GPIO 2, GPIO 15, etc.).
PWM — Pulse Width Modulation. A way to fake "in-between" values on a digital pin by switching it on and off very fast. Used for LED brightness and servo control.
Relay — an electrically controlled switch that lets a low-power device (your ESP32) turn a high-power device (like a water pump) on and off.
Script — a complete block program that starts from a when Arduino begin block.
Sensor — a component that reads something from the world (light, temperature, distance, moisture, …).
Serial Monitor — a panel in Flowlence Code that shows messages your ESP32 sends back to the computer. Useful for debugging.
Servo — a small motor that can rotate to a specific angle (0°–180°).
Toolbox — the coloured column on the left of Flowlence Code holding all the blocks you can use.
Variable — a named container for a value your program can read or change.
Widget — a single component on a dashboard (a gauge, chart, map, …).
WiFi — wireless networking. The ESP32 uses WiFi to reach Flowlence Cloud.
Workspace — the grey area in the middle of Flowlence Code where you build your program by snapping blocks.