So after much struggle I finally made this thing work.
ESP32 ( not using ESPHOME ) with a led light strip for output
MQTT ( with Mosquitto Broker in HA )
Hardcoded Yaml to create an entity ( Discovery msg? - had to throw in the towel on this one )
Creates an entity
Gets linked to a card
Can turn on/off light strip using switch from HA Dashboard ( correctly remembers the state -if ESP or HA loses connection/power )
GOOD TIMES!
My struggles were a result of being a newb at HA and mixing Schemas in error. When trying to implement discovery messages I was using json yet I was trying to also mix in default for control… it’s no wonder I never got discovery to create an entity!
SO…
What is with the different Schemas? ( default , json, template ) having more than 1 certainly adds to the understanding complexity.
Why one over another - should I stick with one schema for all future devices? I am willing to learn json and templates -is one superior?
Thanks