ESP32-Plane-Radar
ESP32-Plane-Radar is open-source firmware that draws a sonar-style radar of live aircraft around your location on a small round or square display. The original project targets the ESP32-C3 Super Mini + 1.28" GC9A01 round display; the RockBase IoT team officially added support for the NM-TV-154 (ESP32 + 1.54" ST7789 square display, 240×240).
- Firmware repository: RockBase-iot/ESP32-Plane-Radar
- Data source: adsb.fi open ADS-B data
- 3D-printed case: MakerWorld model
How It Works
- Wi-Fi setup (first run) — the device starts an AP named
PlaneRadar-Setupwith a captive portal - Radar — live aircraft from adsb.fi are plotted on a radar grid centered on your configured location, refreshing about every 5 seconds
Once Wi-Fi credentials are saved, the device reconnects automatically and the radar runs in the main loop.
Controls
Generic (BOOT button, GPIO 9, active LOW)
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Short tap | Cycle range preset (5 → 10 → 15 → 25 km), saved to flash |
| Hold 3 s | Clear Wi-Fi, location, and units; reboot into the setup portal |
Holding BOOT at power-on also forces a credential reset (same as the long press).
NM-TV-154 Touch Control
On the NM-TV-154, the onboard capacitive touch key (T9 / GPIO32) cycles the same range presets (5 → 10 → 15 → 25 km) without using the BOOT button.
Verified NM-TV-154 Pins
| Signal | Value |
|---|---|
| Display | ST7789, 240×240 |
| LCD power | GPIO 21 (LOW = enabled) |
| Backlight | GPIO 19 (active LOW) |
| Touch | T9 / GPIO32 |
The setup portal also lets you configure the radar center (latitude/longitude) and unit system. If anything is misconfigured, there is no need to reflash — hold BOOT for 3 seconds to reset everything.