Node-RED and Raspberry Pi Pico: Implement your home or industrial automation ideas. Start with the basics and conquer sensors, motors, MQTT and the Cloud with flow programming. Kindle Edition

This eBook and video course is a learning guide and a reference.Use it to learn Node-RED, Raspberry Pi Pico W, and MicroPython, and add these state-of-the-art tools to your technology toolkit.This course will also introduce you to virtual machines, Docker, and MySQL supporting IoT projects based on Node-RED and the Raspberry Pi Pico W.Quick facts about this bookProject-based learning approach.This comprehensive guide assumes no prior knowledge of flow-based programming tools.Beginner-level knowledge of any microcontroller programming is required.Learn to use important infrastructure tools in your projects, such as virtual machines, Docker, MySQL and useful web APIs such as Google Sheets and OpenWeatherMap.Dozens of mini-projects supported by photographs, wiring schematics, and source code. Get these from the book GitHub repository.Step-by-step instructions on everything.All experiments are based on the Raspberry Pi Pico W. A WiFi network is required for all projects.Hardware (including the Raspberry Pi Pico W) is available as a kit from our hardware partner Sunfounder.About this bookThis book combines several elements into a platform that powers the development of modern Internet of Things applications. These elements are a flow-based server, a WiFi-enabled microcontroller, a high-level programming language, and a deployment technology.Combining these elements gives you the tools you need to create automation systems at any scale. This book will help you get started from home automation to industrial automation.But what are these elements, specifically? Here they are:Node-RED is an open-source flow-based development tool that makes it easy to wire together devices, APIs, and online services. Imagine being able to drag and drop blocks on a screen to create a flowchart that does something—like turning on your lights at sunset or sending you an email when a sensor detects movement. That's what Node-RED lets you do, all without requiring you to write extensive code.Raspberry Pi Pico W is a version of the Raspberry Pi Pico with added 802.11n Wi-Fi capability. It was launched on June 30, 2022, and is priced at US$6. The Raspberry Pi Pico W is designed for physical computing tasks similar to Arduino boards, rather than serving as a general-purpose computer.MicroPython is a lean and efficient implementation of Python 3. It's designed specifically for operation on microcontrollers and other constrained environments, but it doesn't cut corners when running Python code effectively.Docker is an open-source platform that automates application deployment, scaling, and management. It uses containerisation technology to encapsulate an application and its dependencies into a self-sufficient unit known as a Docker container. This container can run uniformly and consistently on any infrastructure supporting Docker, irrespective of the underlying operating system.Hardware requirementsTo complete this course, you will need a few hardware components, like a Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller, a computer to host a Node-RED instance, and various sensors and actuators.Please review the detailed parts list on the Tech Explorations website at this address: https://txplo.re/nr_rpipw_hardwareSoftware requirementsTo complete this course, you will need software like the Thonny MicroPython editor, Node-RED, the Mosquitto MQTT broker, Docker, and MySQL.All of this software is open source and has zero monetary cost.You will learn how to install and use them in the book. Read more