Party Cam: Instant Thermal Camera & Digital Gallery

A DIY point-and-shoot camera that prints dithered lo-fi photos on thermal receipts and instantly uploads high-res copies to a local Rust server.

Hardware BOM

ESP32-CAM
Thermal Printer (TTL Serial, 5V-9V)
Batteries (Recommended: 2x 18650 Li-Ion in series = 7.4V, powering printer directly + buck converter to 5V for ESP32)
Button (Tactile switch)
Programmer: FTDI Adapter or Arduino Uno (for flashing)

ESP32-CAM Pin	Component	Function
5V	PSU 5V	Power In
GND	PSU GND	Common Ground
GPIO 12	Button	Trigger (Connect other leg to GND)
GPIO 14 (U1T)	Printer RX	Data TO Printer
GPIO 15 (U1R)	Printer TX	Data FROM Printer
GPIO 4	Flash LED	(Optional) Built-in Flash

See "How to Flash" section below.

The server receives images and hosts the gallery for guests.

Install Rust: curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Configure: Create a .env file in the server folder:

SERVER_HOST=0.0.0.0
SERVER_PORT=3000
GALLERY_PASSWORD=partytime
UPLOAD_DIR=./uploads

Run:
```
cd server
cargo run --release
```
Server will listen on port 3000.

Open Project: Open this folder in VS Code with the PlatformIO extension.
Flash Mode Wiring (Arduino Uno Method):
- Arduino RESET -> Arduino GND (Bypasses Arduino chip).
- Arduino Pin 0 (RX) -> ESP32 U0R (Direct passthrough).
- Arduino Pin 1 (TX) -> ESP32 U0T (Direct passthrough).
- ESP32 IO0 -> ESP32 GND (Enables Download Mode).
Upload:
- Connect via USB.
- Click "Upload".
- Press the RST button on ESP32 when "Connecting..." appears.
Run Mode:
- Disconnect IO0 from GND.
- Press RST to boot.

Power on the camera.
Connect your phone to the WiFi network: PartyCam-Setup.
A captive portal should open (or go to 192.168.4.1).
WiFi: Select the venue's WiFi (or your phone hotspot).
Server URL: Enter your laptop's IP (e.g., http://192.168.1.15:3000/upload).
Settings: Adjust Contrast/Heat if the print is too faint or dark.
Save & Reboot.

The camera is now live!