Lead Developer
3 months
2025
I
Overview
The I2C-MQTT Bridge project was born from a need to integrate legacy industrial sensors with modern IoT infrastructure. Many industrial environments rely on I2C-based sensors that were never designed to communicate over the internet. This bridge enables seamless data transmission from these sensors to cloud platforms via MQTT.
The Challenge
Industrial facilities often have valuable sensor data locked in legacy I2C devices. Replacing these sensors is expensive and time-consuming. The challenge was to create a reliable, low-latency bridge that could handle multiple I2C devices while maintaining data integrity and supporting various MQTT brokers.
The Solution
Built on the ESP32 platform, the bridge implements a robust I2C scanner and data translator. It features automatic device discovery, configurable polling intervals, JSON payload formatting, and support for multiple MQTT brokers with TLS encryption. The system includes watchdog timers and automatic reconnection logic for reliability.
Technology Stack
🔌ESP32
📡MQTT
⚙️C
🔗I2C
Development Process
Step 1
Research & Planning
Analyzed common I2C sensor protocols and MQTT requirements. Mapped out data flow architecture.
Step 2
Hardware Selection
Chose ESP32 for its dual-core capability, allowing I2C polling and MQTT communication in parallel.
Step 3
Core Development
Implemented I2C scanner, device handlers, and MQTT client with connection management.
Step 4
Testing & Optimization
Stress tested with 20+ concurrent sensors. Optimized memory usage and reduced latency.
Code Highlights
C
Results & Impact
0+
Sensors Supported
0ms
Avg Latency
0%
Uptime
0
Months Dev Time
Key Learnings
- 1
Deep understanding of I2C protocol timing and error handling
- 2
MQTT QoS levels and their impact on reliability vs performance
- 3
ESP32 FreeRTOS task management for concurrent operations
- 4
Importance of watchdog timers in production IoT devices