Battery Powered Attendance System using Face Recognition on ESP32-CAM Board

Parts You'll Need

This project is sourced from another site, not written by us — this list is our best match of their components against what we stock, not a verified bill of materials. Always check the original blog (linked above) for the actual parts list before buying.

This list includes a generic resistor set as a placeholder — it is not matched to the exact value or part number this circuit needs. The correct one is specified on the original source page linked above; check it before buying.

We don't carry yet: Boost Converter (Step-up)
Capacitors
Inductors / Coils / Ferrite
Diodes (1N4007 / 1N4148 / Schottky / Zener)

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How It Works

The Battery Powered Attendance System centers around the ESP32-CAM board, which captures image frames using its onboard camera module for edge-based face recognition processing. Power is supplied by an 18650 Lithium cell, configured with a TP4056 Li-Ion Battery Charger IC and a Micro USB 2.0 B type 5 Pin Connector to safely manage charging from a standard 5V USB source. Because the battery voltage varies during discharge, an FP6291 Boost Converter IC paired with an inductor, diode, and supporting resistors and capacitors steps up the voltage, while an AMS1117 3.3V Voltage Regulator ensures a stable logic supply for the microcontroller and peripherals. The circuit relies on a network of resistors, filtering capacitors, and indicator LEDs to stabilize power delivery and monitor status. Once a face is successfully recognized locally by the ESP32-CAM firmware, the system connects via Wi-Fi to the IFTTT Webhooks service, which automatically logs the attendance record directly into a Google Sheets spreadsheet in the cloud.

Why Build This

Develop practical competence in deploying edge machine learning models for computer vision tasks on resource-constrained microcontrollers.

Gain hands-on experience integrating custom power management topologies, including lithium battery charging and DC-DC boost conversion, into portable embedded designs.

Implement IoT data pipelines by bridging embedded hardware with cloud services like IFTTT and Google Sheets for automated logging.

Real-World Application

Automated attendance tracking for educational institutions, corporate offices, and secure access logging.

Skills You'll Learn

Edge AI deployment

computer vision on microcontrollers

lithium-ion battery management

DC-DC step-up power supply design

wireless IoT cloud integration

firmware programming via USB-to-TTL modules

Safety Precautions

Ensure correct polarity when connecting the 18650 lithium-ion cell and verify charging circuit components before applying USB power.

Technology Tags

ESP32-CAM

FACE RECOGNITION

IOT

WI-FI

IFTTT

GOOGLE SHEETS

TP4056

FP6291

PCB DESIGN

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is an external USB-to-TTL module required for programming?

The ESP32-CAM board lacks an onboard USB-to-UART bridge chip, so an external FTDI programmer is necessary to upload code from the Arduino IDE.

How does the system maintain a steady voltage as the 18650 battery discharges?

The circuit uses an FP6291 boost converter configuration alongside an AMS1117 3.3V regulator to step up and stabilize the varying battery output into reliable operating voltages for the digital logic and camera.

Do I need an always-on computer for the attendance data to reach Google Sheets?

No, the ESP32-CAM connects directly to your local Wi-Fi network and communicates with Google Sheets through IFTTT Webhooks completely independently of a computer.

Gallery

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