Topic: New Automation Player

[Weisshaupt]

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13711

This thing looks pretty damn awesome - Wireless Network is built in, with full tcpip stack-- can use standard Arudino scripts and its $16.
 
Since ply plan was to use restful web services to arduino originally this is perfect. Gets the job done without the overkill of a Raspberri pi.
Its the perfect "internet of things" building block

[AmericanPatriot]

What id you just say?
In laymen's terms

[Weisshaupt]

What id you just say?
In laymen's terms

Heap Big Magic in little box costing few beads.

Its a neat little  programmable logic board with built in WIFI so it can be controlled via the web. SO its perfect for remote reporting of temperature, light, humidity, etc via a sensor, or running a system  os simple relays or pumps.  I.e. It can  turn on the heater in an aquaponics system  when its too cold, turn on the pump to water the growbeds and monitor water Ph, and then report that back to somewhere over the web.  Ite the sort of little CPU they would put in a coffee maker etc, but this one is controllable via the web and YOU program it, so if there is a security hole, its your own fault.

[AmericanPatriot]

Thanks for the explanation

[Glock32]

Interesting.  I might get one and as a simple project try to make a web-accessible controller for my outdoor Christmas lights.  I have no low level programming background though, so it'll definitely be something new.

[Libertas]

If it is not too much a bother perhaps listing a simple set of steps folks as ignorant as I could follow if we wanted to to something with it.

And no, it's just a rumor I'd be interested in such a device for setting booby traps...   

[Weisshaupt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvIk_7IVJsg


With this stuff tutorials abound. Most are written for kids to follow. Sparkfun pretty much caters to the maker/ STEM kids in the electronic crowd.  They make it as easy as they can.

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/esp8266-thing-hookup-guide


You will need a FTDI adapter like this one ( because the good ole serial port will never die. They will just keep calling it something else.)

http://www.amazon.com/Mihappy-Ft232rl-Serial-Adapter-Arduino/dp/B00IJXZQ7C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1448466676&sr=8-7&keywords=FTDI++to+usb

Its looks scary because there be pins.  Its for temporary programming so you can just stick those into the board program it and take them back out ( carefully so you don't short anything - or you can solder a header on.  Oh look they have a page on that too

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/esp8266-thing-hookup-guide/hardware-assembly

 Don't know how to solder,  that covered as well.  (as you can see, they want you to adopt and use their product)

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-solder---through-hole-soldering

Sparkfun is NOT the cheapest source for some things ( they make their own FTDI cable adapter for twice the price)  and tey charge large fo basics like headers, cables, breadboards and the like. (http://www.amazon.com/Gikfun-2-54mm-Breakaway-Header-Arduino/dp/B00UHIFG2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448468942&sr=8-1&keywords=pcb+breakaway++headers - compare to  $0.50  for a single 10 pin header)  - One stop shop convenience I suppose. adafruit is the same way, but they also kill you on shipping..

There are numerous systems for programming these little pics (LUA is probably the most popular, andif you cute the trace on the PCB, you can make this board support them. ) But Sparkfun is kid-friendly, so they adapted this to work wit the very C++ like Arduino "Sketch"  language using a plugin - Arduino sketchs are written so kids can easily learn to do robotics with the Ardunio. So if you learn sketch for doing this, you learn it for Arduino at the same time.  If you ever had a programming class  its just different syntax. If you haven't... well neither have these 9-12 year old kids, and tutorials abound. 

This stuff is designed for kids. Its cheap so if your kid blows it out, its $15 ( mini arduino, tHING )  to $40 (raspberry pi)  to  replace. Not $200-1200. And there are opto isolation boards etc that you can use to make it even harder to screw up. ( you are an adult. You don't need them)

As for Glocks project'  this board would work well for that  - its super easy to set up a RESTful protocol to a web server and control multiple strings. ( ask me questions.. they make relay boards for this crap, and USB is already 5 v ( this board steps its input voltage down..) - You can even get staked relays where you send a binary signal  to select which relay to turn on/off. Boards like this are around $15 - and you would just wire them directly to the AC mains..

Te logicl level of this chip is 3.3 to you would proably need to convert to 5v ( http://www.amazon.com/XCSOURCE-Converter-Bi-Directional-Module-TE291/dp/B0148BLZGE/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448471478&sr=8-2-fkmr2&keywords=3.3v+logic+level+relay+board)  to get most relay boards to work.  I have seen some that have these converters built onto the board so you just set a jumper and give it 5v power..

I am trained as a EE - but never had a job doing EE - so ask me questions- I might know the answer.  I can certainly convert to Layman speak if nothing else.

[Glock32]

There are numerous systems for programming these little pics (LUA is probably the most popular, andif you cute the trace on the PCB, you can make this board support them. ) But Sparkfun is kid-friendly, so they adapted this to work wit the very C++ like Arduino "Sketch"  language using a plugin - Arduino sketchs are written so kids can easily learn to do robotics with the Ardunio. So if you learn sketch for doing this, you learn it for Arduino at the same time.  If you ever had a programming class  its just different syntax. If you haven't... well neither have these 9-12 year old kids, and tutorials abound. 

Ahh, cool.  Never used Arduino before, didn't know that.  I was assuming this would be machine language coding.  I am by day a C# developer and I know C++ well too.

I am doing the outdoor Christmas lights as a proof of concept for Libertas' idea.  Thinking of some Claymores were you? 

[Libertas]

There are numerous systems for programming these little pics (LUA is probably the most popular, andif you cute the trace on the PCB, you can make this board support them. ) But Sparkfun is kid-friendly, so they adapted this to work wit the very C++ like Arduino "Sketch"  language using a plugin - Arduino sketchs are written so kids can easily learn to do robotics with the Ardunio. So if you learn sketch for doing this, you learn it for Arduino at the same time.  If you ever had a programming class  its just different syntax. If you haven't... well neither have these 9-12 year old kids, and tutorials abound. 

Ahh, cool.  Never used Arduino before, didn't know that.  I was assuming this would be machine language coding.  I am by day a C# developer and I know C++ well too.

I am doing the outdoor Christmas lights as a proof of concept for Libertas' idea.  Thinking of some Claymores were you? 

Nothing so extravagant...

Sticky flames and broken glass maybe...   

[AlanS]

Really cool, but I guess I'm old fashioned. I much prefer simple stuff I can work on.

[Weisshaupt]

Really cool, but I guess I'm old fashioned. I much prefer simple stuff I can work on.

They have 12 year old kids working with this..  It used to be not simple - like Glock's expectation that he would have to use some sort of assembly, understand the actual architecture ( how many registers, how many positions in the stack, how much memory) and also do every thing one byte at a time.   This stuff isn't hard anymore.  Someone has gone and done it all for you.  Check out that video- you use someone else's library and you can have an App on your phone with the neat little dials in about 2 minutes.  Yeah, you need to ave a purpose in mind ( Aqua ponics/Greenhouse control system, Automatic chicken tractor.. TARDIS lights and sounds.. )