IoT Dashboard Research - Erinn#2

Research Aim

Following the project introduction, it was determined that we would be using Microsoft's Micro:bit as the microcontroller for our project. 

In order to make this project accessible for everyone including children, we needed to have an interactive, informative dashboard. Our project leader Jason informed us about Wappsto:bit,

"a fun and easy tool, powered by micro:bit, helping young programmers connect their projects to the internet!". 

However, Wappsto:bit is a relatively new platform with unreliable support. 

This led us to investigate different IoT dashboards similar to Wappsto:bit, that could communicate with our Micro:bit. 

Dashboards I researched are the following:
  • Blynk
  • TheThings.io
  • Microsoft Azure
  • ThingStream
  • Thinger.io
  • ThingsBoard.io
  • Kaaiot
  • AdaFruit
  • Dribble

I will explain some of these dashboards in detail below.

BLYNK.IO

I had minimal experience with Blynk.io from a different course module but knew of its main capabilities. Blynk seemed like a solid option, having analogue inputs and outputs, joystick control, and GPS, but, in order to connect the Micro:bit we needed WiFi. This led to us soldering an ESP8266 WiFi module to the Micro:bit, enabling MQTT connection through an extension on Micro:bit's software MakeCode. 


Unfortunately, after Blynk's latest update to Blynk 2.0, the wider community have been extremely unsatisfied with the inability for backwards compatibility. This could be an issue for us if a similar update happened in the future. I also ran into issues connecting the Micro:bit to Blynk via MQTT, and under time pressure I made the decision to move onto another platform.

Pros:

  • Informative dashboard
  • Joystick and GPS features

Cons:

  • Not backwards compatible 
  • MQTT connection issues

THINGSTREAM.IO

Once we realised we had the ability to connect via MQTT, finding a dashboard became much easier. On signup to Thingstream.io I received credentials for MQTT including hostname, client ID, username, and password. These credentials matched almost exactly to the MakeCode extension, however, the extension required a "path". I originally assumed the path would be the address of the website but nothing I tried seemed to work.

After spending days trying different combinations of credentials, I informed Jason of my issues at our team meeting. It was determined that the issue with the MQTT connection was not only for Thingstream but for all other dashboards. Jason decided to investigate it further himself and will report back with results soon.

Pros:

  • MQTT credentials.

Cons:

  • Dashboard not as informative/interactive as other options.
  • Unable to connect the device.

THETHINGS.IO

Thethings.io is another IoT Application Enablement Platform that I researched. It enables fast and scalable connection of things to the Internet with multiple protocols, encryptions, and payloads.

Pros:

  • Allows for MQTT connection
  • GPS/Maps widget

Cons:

  • Limited widgets 
  • Cost €25 a month (€300 annually)



What Now?

It was decided that we would have to create our own MakeCode extension that included remote control as many dashboards didn't allow for this. Having our own extension will allow kids to program their own code and download it directly to the USV. 

We are still awaiting a response from Jason in regard to the major MQTT connection issues.

As a group, we plan to decide on one interactive, informative dashboard at our next project meeting and hopefully move forward with design implementation. 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to: Tello drone to micro bit - Victor Alikberov, Blog#1

Image
1. Introduction. The purpose of this blog is to explain everything that is needed in order to connect tello drone to micro bit. It will cover wiring,  javascript code behind custom created tello extension and how to use this extension to connect and drive tello via microbit. 2. Wiring. Since tello drone creates its own wi-fi hotspot, additional wi-fi module is required in order to establish wireless connection between micro bit and tello. ESP8266 will be used to connect micro bit to tello wi-fi hotspot and also to establsih UDP communications between micro bit and drone. The pinout of the ESP8266 chip is shown below. ESP8266 chip pinout. Receiving port (Rx) is connected to transmitting port of the micro bit (pin 2) and transmitting port (Tx) of the ESP8266 is connected to receiving port of the micro bit (pin 1).  3.3 volts power supply should be provided both to micro bit and ESP8266 chip. Chip enable port is also connected to 3.3v power supply.  ESP8266 plus microbi...
Read more

First USV Test - Jack Pender, Blog #5

Image
Introduction: On the 18 th of March we held our first field test at Killurin Bridge in Wexford. We met there at 10 am, with a plan of finishing up at 2 pm, giving us plenty of time to test each aspect of the project we have been working on. It was great to see the USV on the water for the first time, and it helped to visualise it in the setting that its use is intended for. Testing: The main tests for this first field test were to trial the driving functionality; Manual Drive, Microbit Drive and Cloud Drive. Using the controller, the drive of the USV was successful and it was great to finally see its speed and mobility on the water. With the Manual Drive, controlled by Patryck, going according to plan, this allowed us to test the Microbit Drive, which would be controlled by Adam. Using two Microbits to control the direction and thruster power, Adam completed a successful drive of the USV. This was great to see as it meant that the control of the USV could be friendly to everyone...
Read more

OpenCV To RoboRealm - Jack Pender, Blog #7

Image
Introduction: Developing further on getting the camera feed from the Tello drone to a viewable format, it was decided to try and get the camera feed into RoboRealm. Once the camera feed is in RoboRealm, it can essentially be sent to anywhere from there, in our case Ubidots, but if this were to change we would now have a better starting point. RoboRealm: RoboRealm was created in 2006 to take advantage of lower cost generic computing, a widening range of lower cost imaging devices, an increasing need and usage of vision as a primary sensor device and the desire to come to a solution with an interactive user interface with minimal programming. This made it ideal for this project as it meant that for future iterations it would be quick and simple for someone else to get up and running with. Procedure: Using multiple of the built-in features of RoboRealm I created a programe that would start a screen capture in order to have RoboRealm capture the drone feed. Firstly, within an if ...
Read more