System Performance Notifier Service for ESP32

Latest Update: Service management has been simplified with a unified PowerShell script (Scripts/service-manager.ps1) that consolidates all operations into a single, user-friendly interface with both interactive menu and command-line support.

A Windows service that collects and sends system information (CPU, GPU, RAM usage and temperatures) to an ESP32 development board via USB/Serial connection. Perfect for creating custom PC monitoring displays with LCD screens.

Features

Real-time System Monitoring: CPU usage, GPU usage, temperatures, and RAM usage
USB/Serial Communication: Automatic ESP32 detection and connection
ESP32 LCD Display: Complete Arduino code for 20x4 LCD display
Windows Service: Runs in background, starts automatically with Windows
Auto-reconnection: Handles USB disconnection/reconnection gracefully
Compact JSON Format: Optimized for ESP32 memory constraints
Progress Bars: Visual LCD progress bars for usage percentages

System Requirements

Windows PC

Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2019+
.NET 8.0 Runtime
Administrator privileges for service installation
Available USB port for ESP32

ESP32 Hardware

ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 ESP32-8048S050 development board with integrated display
USB cable (USB-A to USB-C)
No additional wiring required (integrated display)

Hardware Setup

ESP32-S3 Display Interface

The ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 ESP32-8048S050 features an integrated display that connects via internal interface (no external wiring required).

Quick Start

1. Setup Windows Service

Install Dependencies

# Clone or create the project
git clone https://github.com/icefox0801/SystemPerformanceNotifierService
cd SystemPerformanceNotifierService

# Restore NuGet packages
dotnet restore

Build and Install Service

# Build the project
dotnet build -c Release

# Install service using the unified management script (recommended)
Scripts\service-manager.ps1 install

# Or use the interactive management console
Scripts\service-manager.ps1

# Alternative: Manual installation commands (run as Administrator)
dotnet publish SystemPerformanceNotifierService.csproj -c Release -o bin\Release
sc create SystemPerformanceNotifier binPath="bin\Release\SystemPerformanceNotifierService.exe" start=delayed-auto
sc description SystemPerformanceNotifier "System Performance Notifier Service - Monitors and transmits system performance data"
sc failure SystemPerformanceNotifier reset=86400 actions=restart/5000/restart/10000/restart/30000
sc start SystemPerformanceNotifier

Service Management

The service is managed through a unified PowerShell script located in the Scripts folder:

Interactive Management (Recommended)

# Launch the interactive management console
cd Scripts
.\service-manager.ps1

This opens an interactive menu system with:

Real-time service status display
Context-sensitive menu options
Guided troubleshooting
Live monitoring capabilities

Command Line Operations

# Service lifecycle management
.\service-manager.ps1 install      # Install service with auto-start
.\service-manager.ps1 uninstall    # Remove service completely
.\service-manager.ps1 restart      # Restart the service
.\service-manager.ps1 status       # Show detailed service status

# Monitoring and diagnostics  
.\service-manager.ps1 logs          # View service logs (last 24 hours)
.\service-manager.ps1 logs -Live    # Live event monitoring
.\service-manager.ps1 diagnostics   # Run comprehensive system checks
.\service-manager.ps1 diagnostics -Quick  # Quick essential checks only

# Help and information
.\service-manager.ps1 help          # Show all available commands and options

Advanced Options

# Installation options
.\service-manager.ps1 install -SkipBuild    # Use existing build, skip compilation
.\service-manager.ps1 install -Force       # Skip interactive prompts

# Monitoring options  
.\service-manager.ps1 status -Detailed     # Include recent events and hardware info
.\service-manager.ps1 logs -Hours 48       # View logs from last 48 hours
.\service-manager.ps1 diagnostics -ExportReport  # Export diagnostics to JSON

Service Features

The unified management script provides:

Automatic elevation - Requests admin privileges when needed
ESP32 auto-detection - Automatically finds connected ESP32 devices
Comprehensive diagnostics - System health checks and troubleshooting
Live monitoring - Real-time event and log monitoring
Error recovery - Automatic service restart on failure
Smart configuration - Delayed startup and dependency management

Auto-Start Configuration

The service is configured to:

✅ Auto-start with Windows (delayed start for better boot performance)
✅ Restart on failure (with increasing delays: 5s, 10s, 30s)
✅ Start after network services (depends on TCP/IP services)
✅ Comprehensive monitoring with event logging and diagnostics

2. Setup ESP32-S3

Install Required Arduino Libraries

ArduinoJson (by Benoit Blanchon)
ESP32-specific display libraries (LVGL or similar for GUI)

Upload ESP32-S3 Code

Open ESP32 code in Arduino IDE or PlatformIO
Select ESP32-S3 board and COM port
Upload the code to the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 ESP32-8048S050
The integrated display will automatically initialize

3. Connect Hardware

Connect ESP32-S3 to PC via USB-C
The service will auto-detect the ESP32-S3 and start sending data
The integrated display will show the system performance interface

Configuration

Windows Service Configuration

Edit appsettings.json:

{
  "SystemMonitor": {
    "SerialPort": "AUTO",           // Auto-detect or specific port (e.g., "COM3")
    "BaudRate": 115200,             // Serial communication speed
    "TransmissionInterval": 1000,   // Milliseconds between updates
    "ESP32VendorId": "1A86",       // USB Vendor ID for detection
    "ESP32ProductId": "7523",      // USB Product ID for detection
    "AutoDetectESP32": true,       // Enable automatic ESP32 detection
    "ReconnectInterval": 5000      // Reconnection attempt    "ReconnectInterval": 5000      // Reconnection attempt interval
  },
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime": "Information"
    }
  }
}

ESP32 Configuration

The ESP32-S3 code automatically configures:

Integrated display interface (no external wiring required)
UART on Serial0 at 115200 baud
JSON parsing and GUI display updates
Touch interface for interaction (if supported)

Example JSON Output

The service sends JSON data to the ESP32 every second. Here's an example of the data format:

{
  "ts": 1755143472,
  "cpu": {
    "usage": 11,
    "temp": 36,
    "fan": 932,
    "name": "Intel Core Ultra 7 265K"
  },
  "gpu": {
    "usage": 2,
    "temp": 36,
    "name": "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti",
    "mem_used": 4008,
    "mem_total": 16303
  },
  "mem": {
    "usage": 42,
    "used": 26.378284,
    "total": 63.409534,
    "avail": 37.03125
  }
}

Field Descriptions

Field	Type	Description	Unit
`ts`	number	Unix timestamp	seconds
`cpu.usage`	number	CPU usage percentage	%
`cpu.temp`	number	CPU temperature	°C
`cpu.fan`	number	CPU fan speed	RPM
`cpu.name`	string	CPU model name	-
`gpu.usage`	number	GPU usage percentage	%
`gpu.temp`	number	GPU temperature	°C
`gpu.name`	string	GPU model name	-
`gpu.mem_used`	number	GPU memory used	MB
`gpu.mem_total`	number	GPU memory total	MB
`mem.usage`	number	RAM usage percentage	%
`mem.used`	number	RAM used	GB
`mem.total`	number	RAM total	GB
`mem.avail`	number	RAM available	GB

Project Structure

SystemPerformanceNotifierService/
├── Program.cs                 # Main application entry point
├── SystemMonitorWorker.cs     # Background service worker
├── Models/
│   └── SystemInfo.cs         # Data transfer objects
├── Services/
│   ├── ISystemInfoCollector.cs
│   ├── SystemInfoCollector.cs # Hardware monitoring logic
│   └── SerialCommunicator.cs  # ESP32 communication
├── Scripts/
│   ├── service-manager.ps1   # Unified service management script
│   └── README.md             # Script documentation
└── README.md                 # This documentation

Troubleshooting

Service Issues

Installation: Use Scripts\service-manager.ps1 install with automatic admin elevation
Auto-start: Service uses delayed auto-start (starts after Windows boot completes)
Dependencies: Service waits for TCP/IP services to start first
Failure Recovery: Service automatically restarts if it crashes (5s, 10s, 30s delays)
Health Monitoring: Use Scripts\service-manager.ps1 diagnostics for comprehensive system checks
Event Logs: Use Scripts\service-manager.ps1 logs to view detailed service events
Interactive Management: Use Scripts\service-manager.ps1 for guided troubleshooting

Quick Diagnostics

# Run comprehensive health check
Scripts\service-manager.ps1 diagnostics

# Quick essential checks only
Scripts\service-manager.ps1 diagnostics -Quick  

# Check current status with details
Scripts\service-manager.ps1 status -Detailed

# View recent service events
Scripts\service-manager.ps1 logs

# Live event monitoring
Scripts\service-manager.ps1 logs -Live

# Interactive management console
Scripts\service-manager.ps1

Auto-Start Verification

# Check service configuration
Scripts\service-manager.ps1 status

# Verify auto-start settings
sc qc SystemPerformanceNotifier | findstr "START_TYPE"

# Check service dependencies  
sc qc SystemPerformanceNotifier | findstr "DEPENDENCIES"

ESP32 Connection Issues

Check USB cable and port
Verify ESP32 drivers are installed
Monitor serial output for connection messages

LCD Display Issues

Verify I2C wiring connections
Check LCD I2C address (default 0x27)
Test LCD with simple Arduino sketch first

Development

Script Management

The Scripts folder contains a single unified PowerShell script that handles all service management operations:

Why Unified?

Simplicity: One script instead of multiple files
Consistency: Unified error handling and user experience
Maintainability: Single file to update and maintain
User-friendly: Interactive menu system for easy navigation
Automation-ready: Complete command-line interface for CI/CD

Migration from Multiple Scripts

Previous versions used multiple separate scripts. The new unified approach:

Consolidates all functionality into service-manager.ps1
Maintains backward compatibility for all operations
Adds enhanced features like live monitoring and comprehensive diagnostics
Provides both interactive and command-line interfaces

Building from Source

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/icefox0801/SystemPerformanceNotifierService
cd SystemPerformanceNotifierService

# Build in development mode
dotnet build

# Run in development mode
dotnet run --environment Development

Hardware Compatibility

Tested CPUs: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, AMD Ryzen series
Tested GPUs: NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 40 series
Tested ESP32: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 ESP32-8048S050 (integrated display), ESP32-WROOM-32, ESP32-S3
Display Compatibility: Integrated ESP32-S3 display, 20x4 I2C LCD with PCF8574 backpack

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Commit your changes
Push to the branch
Create a Pull Request

Support

For issues and questions:

Open an issue on GitHub
Check existing documentation
Verify hardware setup and connections

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 28 Commits
.vscode		.vscode
Models		Models
Properties		Properties
Scripts		Scripts
Services		Services
.gitignore		.gitignore
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
Program.cs		Program.cs
README.md		README.md
SystemMonitorWorker.cs		SystemMonitorWorker.cs
SystemPerformanceNotifierService.csproj		SystemPerformanceNotifierService.csproj
SystemPerformanceNotifierService.sln		SystemPerformanceNotifierService.sln
appsettings.Development.json		appsettings.Development.json
appsettings.json		appsettings.json

icefox0801/SystemPerformanceNotifierService

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