A comprehensive course that will teach you how to build a modern IoT application This book will take you on a whirlwind tour of full-stack web application development using Raspberry Pi. You will learn how to build an application from the ground up. You will gain experience and know-how of technologies including: The Linux operating system and command line. The Python programming language. The Raspberry Pi General Purpose Input Output pins (GPIOs). The Nginx web server. Flask Python web application microframework. JQuery and CSS for creating user interfaces. Dealing with time zones. Creating charts with Plotly and Google Charts. Data logging with Google Sheet. Developing applets with IFTTT. Securing your application with SSL. Receiving SMS notifications to your phone using Twilio. This book will also teach you how to set up a remote wireless Arduino sensor node and collect data from it. Your Raspberry Pi web application will be able to process Arduino node data in the same way it processes data from its onboard sensor. Raspberry Pi Full Stack will teach you many skills essential to building Web and Internet of Things applications. The application you will build in this project is a platform that you can extend upon. This is just the start of what you can do with a Raspberry Pi and the software and hardware components that you will learn about. This book is supported by the author via a dedicated discussion space.
This book is about DC electric motors and their use in Arduino and Raspberry Pi Zero W based projects. The book includes many tested and working projects where each project has the following sub-headings: Title of the project Description of the project Block diagram Circuit diagram Project assembly Complete program listing of the project Full description of the program The projects in the book cover the standard DC motors, stepper motors, servo motors, and mobile robots. The book is aimed at students, hobbyists, and anyone else interested in developing microcontroller based projects using the Arduino Uno or the Raspberry Pi Zero W. One of the nice features of this book is that it gives complete projects for remote control of a mobile robot from a mobile phone, using the Arduino Uno as well as the Raspberry Pi Zero W development boards. These projects are developed using Wi-Fi as well as the Bluetooth connectivity with the mobile phone. Readers should be able to move a robot forward, reverse, turn left, or turn right by sending simple commands from a mobile phone. Full program listings of all the projects as well as the detailed program descriptions are given in the book. Users should be able to use the projects as they are presented, or modify them to suit to their own needs.
Learn to use Python productively in real-life scenarios at work and in everyday lifeIf you have mastered the basics of Python and are wanting to explore the language in more depth, this book is for you. By means of concrete examples used in different applications, the book illustrates many aspects of programming (e.g. algorithms, recursion, data structures) and helps problem-solving strategies. Including general ideas and solutions, the specifics of Python and how these can be practically applied are discussed.Python 3 for Science and Engineering Applications includes:
practical and goal-oriented learning
basic Python techniques
modern Python 3.6+ including comprehensions, decorators and generators
complete code available online
more than 40 exercises, solutions documented online
no additional packages or installation required, 100% pure
Python Topics cover:
identifying large prime numbers and computing Pi
writing and understanding recursive functions with memorisation
computing in parallel and utilising all system cores
processing text data and encrypting messages
comprehending backtracking and solving Sudokus
analysing and simulating games of chance to develop optimal winning strategies
handling genetic code and generating extremely long palindromes
Download the software on GitHub.
Practical Introduction to 3D Modeling from Enclosure to Front PanelEmbedding a vintage component, creating a professional looking home for a circuit board, or even designing a complex apparatus complete with a chassis – these and many other challenges turn into a stimulating pleasure with FreeCAD. Once you have internalized the basic processes, there are virtually no limits to your imagination.Starting to use a new software is never straightforward – especially with a tool as versatile as FreeCAD. Manageable, but at the same time easily usable individual components provide the starting point in this book. Putting these components together later results in assemblies.In the FreeCAD universe, a workable trajectory is demonstrated. The described procedure is illustrative so the examples are easily applied to custom tasks. The devices were made by the author and illustrated with photos.Creating a 3D design is requiring some effort but the initial investment pays off soon. Besides the impressive spatial representation of the projects, the extracted drawings yield a solid base for documentation and production. Extended FreeCAD capabilities like the unfolding of sheet metal parts enormously add to efficiency and pushes models forward into practical assembly.Soon you will definitely not want to do without FreeCAD!
In this book the author presents all essential aspects of microcontroller programming, without overloading the reader with unnecessary or quasi-relevant bits of information. Having read the book, you should be able to understand as well as program, 8-bit microcontrollers.The introduction to microcontroller programming is worked out using microcontrollers from the PIC series. Not exactly state-of-the-art with just 8 bits, the PIC micro has the advantage of being easy to comprehend. It is offered in a DIP enclosure, widely available and not overly complex. The entire datasheet of the PIC micro is shorter by decades than the description of the architecture outlining the processor section of an advanced microcontroller. Simplicity has its advantages here. Having mastered the fundamental operation of a microcontroller, you can easily enter into the realms of advanced softcores later.Having placed assembly code as the executive programming language in the foreground in the first part of the book, the author reaches a deeper level with ‘C’ in the second part. Cheerfully alongside the official subject matter, the book presents tips & tricks, interesting measurement technology, practical aspects of microcontroller programming, as well as hands-on options for easier working, debugging and faultfinding.
An Introduction to RISC-V RISC-V is an Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) that is both free and open. This means that the RISC-V ISA itself does not require a licensing fee, although individual implementations may do so. The RISC-V ISA is curated by a non-profit foundation with no commercial interest in products or services that use it, and it is possible for anyone to submit contributions to the RISC-V specifications. The RISC-V ISA is suitable for applications ranging from embedded microcontrollers to supercomputers. This book will first describe the 32-bit RISC-V ISA, including both the base instruction set as well as the majority of the currently-defined extensions. The book will then describe, in detail, an open-source implementation of the ISA that is intended for embedded control applications. This implementation includes the base instruction set as well as a number of standard extensions. After the description of the CPU design is complete the design is expanded to include memory and some simple I/O. The resulting microcontroller will then be implemented in an affordable FPGA development board (available from Elektor) along with a simple software application so that the reader can investigate the finished design.
Create Models for 3D Printing, CNC Milling, Process Communication and DocumentationEngineers dread designing 3D models using traditional modeling software. OpenSCAD takes a refreshing and completely different approach. Create your models by arranging geometric solids in a JavaScript-like language, and use them with your 3D printer, CNC mill, or process communication.OpenSCAD differs from other design systems in that it uses programmatical modeling. Your model is made up of primitives that are invoked using a C-, Java- or Python-like language. This approach to model design is close to the “mechanical work” done in the real world and appeals to engineers and others who are not a member of the traditional creative class.OpenSCAD also provides a wide variety of comfort functions that break the 1:1 relationship between code and geometry. This book demonstrates the various features of the programming language using practical examples such as a replacement knob for a LeCroy oscilloscope, a wardrobe hanger, a container for soap dispensers, and various other real-life examples.Written by an engineer with over 15 years of experience, this book is intended for Linux and Windows users alike. If you have programming experience in any language, this book will have you producing practical three-dimensional objects in short order!
Mastering PCB design with real-world projects This book will help you practice your new KiCad 6 skills by challenging you in a series of two real-world projects, supported by a comprehensive set of recipes with detailed instructions on how to achieve a variety of simple and complex tasks. Design the PCBs for an Arduino-powered datalogger and a custom ESP32 board. Understand the finer details of the interactive router and how to manage KiCad project teams with Git, and much more. KiCad 6 is a modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors. This stable and mature PCB tool is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and hobbyists. With KiCad 6, you can create PCBs of any complexity and size without the constraints associated with the commercial packages. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 6, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versions Improved and customizable electrical and design rule checkers Theme editor allowing you to fully customize the look of KiCad on your screen Ability to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and more Enhanced bus handling Full control over the presentation of information by the layout editor: set the visibility, color, and attribute of any board element, and create presets Filters define which elements of a layout are selectable Enhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precision New or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc. Enhanced tool for creating filled zones A customizable coordinate system facilitates data exchange with other CAD applications Realistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewer Huge community of contributors that make KiCad better every day Rich repositories of symbol, footprint, and 3D shape libraries
Programming the Finite State Machine with 8-Bit PICs in Assembly and C
Andrew Pratt provides a detailed introduction to programming PIC microcontrollers, as well as a thorough overview of the Finite State Machine (FSM) approach to programming. Most of the book uses assembly programming, but do not be deterred. The FSM gives a structure to a program, making it easy to plan, write, and modify. The last two chapters introduce programming in C, so you can make a direct comparison between the two techniques. The book references the relevant parts of the Microchip datasheet as familiarity with it is the best way to discover detailed information.
This book is aimed at Microsoft Windows and Linux users. To keep your costs to a minimum and to simplify the toolchain, specific applications are provided as a free download to enable you to use an FTDI serial lead as the programmer. The assembler used is the open-source "gpasm". All programming can be done in a text editor. There are detailed instructions on how to perform the necessary installations on Windows, Linux Debian, and derivatives such as Ubuntu and Fedora. For programming in C, Microchip's XC8 compiler is used from the command line. In addition to the programming applications, two serial read and serial write applications can be used for communicating with the PICs from a computer.
A voltmeter project including practical instructions on building a circuit board from scratch is included. All theory is covered beforehand, including how to do integer arithmetic in assembly.
Two PICs are covered: the PIC12F1822 and the PIC16F1823. Both can run at 32 MHz with an internal oscillator. You do not need to buy a factory-made development board and programmer. With relatively inexpensive parts including a serial lead, microcontroller, a few resistors, and LEDs, you can get started exploring embedded programming.
Links
Updated Programmer
Hands-on in more than 50 projects STM32 Nucleo family of processors are manufactured by STMicroelectronics. These are low-cost ARM microcontroller development boards. This book is about developing projects using the popular STM32CubeIDE software with the Nucleo-L476RG development board. In the early Chapters of the book the architecture of the Nucleo family is briefly described. The book covers many projects using most features of the Nucleo-L476RG development board where the full software listings for the STM32CubeIDE are given for each project together with extensive descriptions. The projects range from simple flashing LEDs to more complex projects using modules, devices, and libraries such as GPIO, ADC, DAC, I²C, SPI, LCD, DMA, analogue inputs, power management, X-CUBE-MEMS1 library, DEBUGGING, and others. In addition, several projects are given using the popular Nucleo Expansion Boards. These Expansion Boards plug on top of the Nucleo development boards and provide sensors, relays, accelerometers, gyroscopes, Wi-Fi, and many others. Using an expansion board together with the X-CUBE-MEMS1 library simplifies the task of project development considerably. All the projects in the book have been tested and are working. The following sub-headings are given for each project: Project Title, Description, Aim, Block Diagram, Circuit Diagram, and Program Listing for the STM32CubeIDE. In this book you will learn about STM32 microcontroller architecture; the Nucleo-L476RG development board in projects using the STM32CubeIDE integrated software development tool; external and internal interrupts and DMA; DEBUG, a program developed using the STM32CubeIDE; the MCU in Sleep, Stop, and in Standby modes; Nucleo Expansion Boards with the Nucleo development boards. What you need a PC with Internet connection and a USB port; STM32CubeIDE software (available at STMicroelectronics website free of charge) the project source files, available from the book’s webpage hosted by Elektor; Nucleo-L476RG development board; simple electronic devices such as LEDs, temperature sensor, I²C and SPI chips, and a few more; Nucleo Expansion Boards (optional).
50+ Android Apps with Raspberry Pi, ESP32 and Arduino This book is about developing apps for Android compatible mobile devices using the MIT App Inventor online development environment. MIT App Inventor projects can be in either standalone mode or use an external processor. In standalone mode, the developed application runs only on the mobile device (e.g. Android). In external processor-based applications, the mobile device communicates with an external microcontroller-based processor, such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP8266, ESP32, etc. In this book, many tested and fully working projects are given both in standalone mode and using an external processor. Full design steps, block programs, circuit diagrams, QR codes and full program listings are given for all projects. The projects developed in this book include: Using the text-to-speech component Intonating a received SMS message Sending SMS messages Making telephone calls using a contacts list Using the GPS and Pin-pointing our location on a map Speech recognition and speech translation to another language Controlling multiple relays by speech commands Projects for the Raspberry Pi, ESP32 and Arduino using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi MIT APP Inventor and Node-RED projects for the Raspberry Pi The book is unique in that it is currently the only book that teaches how to develop projects using Wi-Fi and Node-RED with MIT App Inventor. The book is aimed at students, hobbyists, and anyone interested in developing apps for mobile devices. All projects presented in this book have been developed using the MIT App Inventor visual programming language. There is no need to write any text-based programs. All projects are compatible with Android-based mobile devices. Full program listings for all projects as well as detailed program descriptions are given in the book. Users should be able to use the projects as they are presented, modifying them to suit their own needs.
A Fast-Lane Ride From Concept to ProjectThe core of the book explains the use of the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W running the Python programming language, always in simple terms and backed by many tested and working example projects. On part of the reader, familiarity with the Python programming language and some experience with one of the Raspberry Pi computers will prove helpful. Although previous electronics experience is not required, some knowledge of basic electronics is beneficial, especially when venturing out to modify the projects for your own applications.Over 30 tested and working hardware-based projects are given in the book, covering the use of Wi-Fi, communication with smartphones and with a Raspberry Pi Pico W computer. Additionally, there are Bluetooth projects including elementary communication with smartphones and with the popular Arduino Uno. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are key features of the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.Some of the topics covered in the book are:
Raspberry Pi OS installation on an SD card
Python program creation and execution on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Software-only examples of Python running on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Hardware-based projects including LCD and Sense HAT interfacing
UDP and TCP Wi-Fi based projects for smartphone communication
UDP-based project for Raspberry Pi Pico W communication
Flask-based webserver project
Cloud storage of captured temperature, humidity, and pressure data
TFT projects
Node-RED projects
Interfacing to Alexa
MQTT projects
Bluetooth-based projects for smartphone and Arduino Uno communications
Get Cracking with the Arduino Nano V3, Nano Every, and Nano 33 IoT The seven chapters in this book serve as the first step for novices and microcontroller enthusiasts wishing to make a head start in Arduino programming. The first chapter introduces the Arduino platform, ecosystem, and existing varieties of Arduino Nano boards. It also teaches how to install various tools needed to get started with Arduino Programming. The second chapter kicks off with electronic circuit building and programming around your Arduino. The third chapter explores various buses and analog inputs. In the fourth chapter, you get acquainted with the concept of pulse width modulation (PWM) and working with unipolar stepper motors. In the fifth chapter, you are sure to learn about creating beautiful graphics and basic but useful animation with the aid of an external display. The sixth chapter introduces the readers to the concept of I/O devices such as sensors and the piezo buzzer, exploring their methods of interfacing and programming with the Arduino Nano. The last chapter explores another member of Arduino Nano family, Arduino Nano 33 IoT with its highly interesting capabilities. This chapter employs and deepens many concepts learned from previous chapters to create interesting applications for the vast world of the Internet of Things. The entire book follows a step-by-step approach to explain concepts and the operation of things. Each concept is invariably followed by a to-the-point circuit diagram and code examples. Next come detailed explanations of the syntax and the logic used. By closely following the concepts, you will become comfortable with circuit building, Arduino programming, the workings of the code examples, and the circuit diagrams presented. The book also has plenty of references to external resources wherever needed. An archive file (.zip) comprising the software examples and Fritzing-style circuit diagrams discussed in the book may be downloaded free of charge below.
Programming and Projects for the Minima and WiFiBased on the low-cost 8-bit ATmega328P processor, the Arduino Uno R3 board is likely to score as the most popular Arduino family member so far, and this workhorse has been with us for many years. Recently, the new Arduino Uno R4 was released, based on a 48-MHz, 32-bit Cortex-M4 processor with a huge amount of SRAM and flash memory. Additionally, a higher-precision ADC and a new DAC are added to the design. The new board also supports the CAN Bus with an interface.Two versions of the board are available: Uno R4 Minima, and Uno R4 WiFi. This book is about using these new boards to develop many different and interesting projects with just a handful of parts and external modules, which are available as a kit from Elektor. All projects described in the book have been fully tested on the Uno R4 Minima or the Uno R4 WiFi board, as appropriate.The project topics include the reading, control, and driving of many components and modules in the kit as well as on the relevant Uno R4 board, including
LEDs
7-segment displays (using timer interrupts)
LCDs
Sensors
RFID Reader
4×4 Keypad
Real-time clock (RTC)
Joystick
8×8 LED matrix
Motors
DAC (Digital-to-analog converter)
LED matrix
WiFi connectivity
Serial UART
CAN bus
Infrared controller and receiver
Simulators
… all in creative and educational ways with the project operation and associated software explained in great detail.
Learn programming for Alexa devices, extend it to smart home devices and control the Raspberry PiThe book is split into two parts: the first part covers creating Alexa skills and the second part, designing Internet of Things and Smart Home devices using a Raspberry Pi.The first chapters describe the process of Alexa communication, opening an Amazon account and creating a skill for free. The operation of an Alexa skill and terminology such as utterances, intents, slots, and conversations are explained. Debugging your code, saving user data between sessions, S3 data storage and Dynamo DB database are discussed.In-skill purchasing, enabling users to buy items for your skill as well as certification and publication is outlined. Creating skills using AWS Lambda and ASK CLI is covered, along with the Visual Studio code editor and local debugging. Also covered is the process of designing skills for visual displays and interactive touch designs using Alexa Presentation Language.The second half of the book starts by creating a Raspberry Pi IoT 'thing' to control a robot from your Alexa device. This covers security issues and methods of sending and receiving MQTT messages between an Alexa device and the Raspberry Pi.Creating a smart home device is described including forming a security profile, linking with Amazon, and writing a Lambda function that gets triggered by an Alexa skill. Device discovery and on/off control is demonstrated.Next, readers discover how to control a smart home Raspberry Pi display from an Alexa skill using Simple Queue Service (SQS) messaging to switch the display on and off or change the color.A node-RED design is discussed from the basic user interface right up to configuring MQTT nodes. MQTT messages sent from a user are displayed on a Raspberry Pi.A chapter discusses sending a proactive notification such as a weather alert from a Raspberry Pi to an Alexa device. The book concludes by explaining how to create Raspberry Pi as a stand-alone Alexa device.
Multitasking and multiprocessing have become a very important topic in microcontroller-based systems, namely in complex commercial, domestic, and industrial automation applications. As the complexity of projects grows, more functionalities are demanded from the projects. Such projects require the use of multiple inter-related tasks running on the same system and sharing the available resources, such as the CPU, memory, and input-output ports. As a result of this, the importance of multitasking operations in microcontroller-based applications has grown steadily over the last few years. Many complex automation projects now make use of some form of a multitasking kernel.This book is project-based and its main aim is to teach the basic features of multitasking using the Python 3 programming language on Raspberry Pi. Many fully tested projects are provided in the book using the multitasking modules of Python. Each project is described fully and in detail. Complete program listings are given for each project. Readers should be able to use the projects as they are, or modify them to suit their own needs.The following Python multitasking modules have been described and used in the projects:
Fork
Thread
Threading
Subprocess
Multiprocessing
The book includes simple multitasking projects such as independently controlling multiple LEDs, to more complex multitasking projects such as on/off temperature control, traffic lights control, 2-digit, and 4-digit 7-segment LED event counter, reaction timer, stepper motor control, keypad based projects, car park controller, and many more. The fundamental multitasking concepts such as process synchronization, process communication, and memory sharing techniques have been described in projects concerning event flags, queues, semaphores, values, and so on.
An 8-in-1 test & measurement instrument for the electronics workbench
A well-equipped electronics lab is crammed with power supplies, measuring devices, test equipment and signal generators. Wouldn‘t it be better to have one compact device for almost all tasks? Based on the Arduino, a PC interface is to be developed that’s as versatile as possible for measurement and control. It simply hangs on a USB cable and – depending on the software – forms the measuring head of a digital voltmeter or PC oscilloscope, a signal generator, an adjustable voltage source, a frequency counter, an ohmmeter, a capacitance meter, a characteristic curve recorder, and much more.
The circuits and methods collected here are not only relevant for exactly these tasks in the "MSR" electronics lab, but many details can also be used within completely different contexts.
3rd Edition – Fully updated for Raspberry Pi 4The Raspberry Pi is a very cheap but complete computer system that allows all sorts of electronics parts and extensions to be connected. This book addresses one of the strongest aspects of the Raspberry Pi: the ability to combine hands-on electronics and programming.Combine hands-on electronics and programmingAfter a short introduction to the Raspberry Pi you proceed with installing the required software. The SD card that can be purchased in conjunction with this book contains everything to get started with the Raspberry Pi. At the side of the (optional) Windows PC, software is used which is free for downloading. The book continues with a concise introduction to the Linux operating system, after which you start programming in Bash, Python 3 and Javascript. Although the emphasis is on Python, the coverage is brief and to the point in all cases – just enabling you to grasp the essence of all projects and start adapting them to your requirements. All set, you can carry on with fun projects.The book is ideal for self-studyNo fewer than 45 exciting and compelling projects are discussed and elaborated in detail. From a flashing lights to driving an electromotor; from processing and generating analog signals to a lux meter and a temperature control. We also move to more complex projects like a motor speed controller, a web server with CGI, client-server applications and Xwindows programs.Each project has details of the way it got designed that wayThe process of reading, building, and programming not only provides insight into the Raspberry Pi, Python, and the electronic parts used, but also enables you to modify or extend the projects any way you like. Also, feel free to combine several projects into a larger design.
Third, extended and revised edition with AVR Playground and Elektor Uno R4 Arduino boards have become hugely successful. They are simple to use and inexpensive. This book will not only familiarize you with the world of Arduino but it will also teach you how to program microcontrollers in general. In this book theory is put into practice on an Arduino board using the Arduino programming environment. Some hardware is developed too: a multi-purpose shield to build some of the experiments from the first 10 chapters on; the AVR Playground, a real Arduino-based microcontroller development board for comfortable application development, and the Elektor Uno R4, an Arduino Uno R3 on steroids. The author, an Elektor Expert, provides the reader with the basic theoretical knowledge necessary to program any microcontroller: inputs and outputs (analog and digital), interrupts, communication busses (RS-232, SPI, I²C, 1-wire, SMBus, etc.), timers, and much more. The programs and sketches presented in the book show how to use various common electronic components: matrix keyboards, displays (LED, alphanumeric and graphic color LCD), motors, sensors (temperature, pressure, humidity, sound, light, and infrared), rotary encoders, piezo buzzers, pushbuttons, relays, etc. This book will be your first book about microcontrollers with a happy ending! This book is for you if you are a beginner in microcontrollers, an Arduino user (hobbyist, tinkerer, artist, etc.) wishing to deepen your knowledge,an Electronics Graduate under Undergraduate student or a teacher looking for ideas. Thanks to Arduino the implementation of the presented concepts is simple and fun. Some of the proposed projects are very original: Money Game Misophone (a musical fork) Car GPS Scrambler Weather Station DCF77 Decoder Illegal Time Transmitter Infrared Remote Manipulator Annoying Sound Generator Italian Horn Alarm Overheating Detector PID Controller Data Logger SVG File Oscilloscope 6-Channel Voltmeter All projects and code examples in this book have been tried and tested on an Arduino Uno board. They should also work with the Arduino Mega and every other compatible board that exposes the Arduino shield extension connectors.Please note:For this book, the author has designed a versatile printed circuit board that can be stacked on an Arduino board. The assembly can be used not only to try out many of the projects presented in this book but also allows for new exercises that in turn provide the opportunity to discover new techniques. Also available is a kit of parts including the PCB and all components. With this kit you can build most of the circuits described in the book and more.Datasheets Active Components Used (.PDF file): ATmega328 (Arduino Uno) ATmega2560 (Arduino Mega 2560) BC547 (bipolar transistor, chapters 7, 8, 9) BD139 (bipolar power transistor, chapter 10) BS170 (N-MOS transistor, chapter 8) DCF77 (receiver module, chapter 9) DS18B20 (temperature sensor, chapter 10) DS18S20 (temperature sensor, chapter 10) HP03S (pressure sensor, chapter 8) IRF630 (N-MOS power transistor, chapter 7) IRF9630 (P-MOS power transistor, chapter 7) LMC6464 (quad op-amp, chapter 7) MLX90614 (infrared sensor, chapter 10) SHT11 (humidity sensor, chapter 8) TS922 (dual op-amp, chapter 9) TSOP34836 (infrared receiver, chapter 9) TSOP1736 (infrared receiver, chapter 9) MPX4115 (analogue pressure sensor, chapter 11) MCCOG21605B6W-SPTLYI (I²C LCD, chapter 12) SST25VF016B (SPI EEPROM, chapter 13) About the author:Clemens Valens, born in the Netherlands, lives in France since 1997. Manager at Elektor Labs and Webmaster of ElektorLabs, in love with electronics, he develops microcontroller systems for fun, and sometimes for his employer too. Polyglot—he is fluent in C, C++, PASCAL, BASIC and several assembler dialects—Clemens spends most of his time on his computer while his wife, their two children and two cats try to attract his attention (only the cats succeed). Visit the author’s website: www.polyvalens.com.Authentic testimony of Hervé M., one of the first readers of the book:'I almost cried with joy when this book made me understand things in only three sentences that seemed previously completely impenetrable.'
A Hands-on Guide to Crafting Your Own Power Plant
The book you are about to read provides a step-by-step guide for building a renewable energy power plant at home. Our goal was to make the book as practical as possible. The material is intended for immediate application with a small amount of theory. Yet, the theory is important as a foundation that saves time and effort by disabusing the readers of potential misconceptions. Specifically, upon having a firm understanding of photovoltaic physics, you will not be inclined to fruitlessly search for 90% efficient solar panels!
We want our readers to be the “doers”. If the book gets covered in grime and some pages become torn while you are building your power plant – this is the best compliment to us. The book covers solar and wind energy. Also, a curious power source based on manure is discussed as well, giving the doers an opportunity to further develop the manure fuel cell.
It is important to note that there are many companies offering installation of complete solar solutions. Upon installing the panels, the system is not owned by the customer. Therefore, there is no freedom for experimentation and optimization. Also, none can beat the cost of a DIY solution as well as the ultimate satisfaction.
All that is written here is a result of us building a renewable energy solution in Southern California. As the book was completed, the energy began flowing!
Cool Projects for Test, Measurement, and Control
The Raspberry Pi has dominated the maker scene for many years. Freely accessible I/O pins have made it one of the most popular processor boards of all time. However, the classic Raspberry Pi has no analog inputs. Direct measurement of analog values is therefore not possible. Consequently, photodiodes, NTCs, Hall sensors, etc. cannot be read directly. In addition, the pins are connected directly to the exposed contacts, i.e. without a driver or protection circuit. This can quickly destroy the central controller and thus the entire Raspberry Pi.
These problems can be elegantly solved with the Pico. As a front-end, it can easily handle a wide range of measurement tasks. In addition, the Pico is much cheaper than a classic Raspberry Pi 4 or 5. If a faulty circuit leads to the destruction of the Pico, this is relatively easy to handle. This makes the combination of a classic Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and the Pico an ideal pair.
The book introduces the broad and highly topical field of modern controller technology using the combined force of a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and a Raspberry Pi Pico. In addition to a detailed introduction to the operation and functionality of the controller boards themselves, the book also focuses on data acquisition and processing with digital processors. Especially the combination of both systems offers a wide range of interesting possibilities.
Some practical projects from the contents:
USB between Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and Pico
I²C Communication and Pico as an I²C device
Voltmeter and Computer Thermometer
Pico W as a Web Server and WLAN Scanner
Frequency Meters and Generators
OLED Displays on Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and Pico
Energy Saving Monitor
Which Astronauts are in Orbit?
Mini Monitor for Current Bitcoin Exchange Rate
History and Future in the Internet of Things This book thoroughly reviews the history of the development of embedded Operating Systems, covers the technical characteristics, historic facts, as well as background business stories of mainstream embedded Operating Systems, and analyzes the technical evolution, market development, and new opportunities of embedded Operating Systems in the age of the Internet of Things. From the perspective of time, the book examines the evolution of critical technical aspects, including real-time and Power Management of embedded Operating Systems and Linux, Internet of Things security, communication, and cloud computing. The book looks into applications of embedded Operating Systems with important markets of mobile phones, communication equipment, automobile, and wearable devices, and also discusses business model and the issue of intellectual property of embedded Operating Systems. In addition, the book walks through the status quo, technical features, product evaluation and background of the Internet of Things Operating Systems in the second half of the book.
40+ Projects using Arduino, Raspberry Pi and ESP32 This book is about developing projects using the sensor-modules with Arduino Uno, Raspberry Pi and ESP32 microcontroller development systems. More than 40 different sensors types are used in various projects in the book. The book explains in simple terms and with tested and fully working example projects, how to use the sensors in your project. The projects provided in the book include the following: Changing LED brightness RGB LEDs Creating rainbow colours Magic wand Silent door alarm Dark sensor with relay Secret key Magic light cup Decoding commercial IR handsets Controlling TV channels with IT sensors Target shooting detector Shock time duration measurement Ultrasonic reverse parking Toggle lights by clapping hands Playing melody Measuring magnetic field strength Joystick musical instrument Line tracking Displaying temperature Temperature ON/OFF control Mobile phone-based Wi-Fi projects Mobile phone-based Bluetooth projects Sending data to the Cloud The projects have been organized with increasing levels of difficulty. Readers are encouraged to tackle the projects in the order given. A specially prepared sensor kit is available from Elektor. With the help of this hardware, it should be easy and fun to build the projects in this book.
Recently, the development of a tiny chip called the ESP8266 has made it possible to interface any type of microcontroller to a Wi-Fi AP. The ESP8266 is a low-cost tiny Wi-Fi chip having fully built-in TCP/IP stack and a 32-bit microcontroller unit. This chip, produced by Shanghai based Chinese manufacturer Espressif System, is IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi compatible with on-chip program and data memory, and general purpose input-output ports. Several manufacturers have incorporated the ESP8266 chip in their hardware products (e.g. ESP-xx, NodeMCU etc) and offer these products as a means of connecting a microcontroller system such as the Android, PIC microcontroller or others to a Wi-Fi. The ESP8266 is a low-power chip and costs only a few Dollars.ESP8266 and MicroPython – Coding Cool Stuff is an introduction to the ESP8266 chip and describes the features of this chip and shows how various firmware and programming languages such as the MicroPython can be uploaded to the chip. The main aim of the book is to teach the readers how to use the MicroPython programming language on ESP8266 based hardware, especially on the NodeMCU.Several interesting and useful projects are given in the book to show how to use the MicroPython in NodeMCU type ESP8266 hardware:
Project “What shall I wear today?”: You will be developing a weather information system using a NodeMCU development board together with a Text-to-Speech processor module.
Project “The Temperature and Humidity on the Cloud”: You will be developing a system that will get the ambient temperature and humidity using a sensor and then store this data on the cloud so that it can be accessed from anywhere.
Project “Remote Web Based Control”: You will be developing a system that will remotely control two LEDs connected to a NodeMCU development board using an HTTP Web Server application.
