Demo of IoT Control via MQTT on #RaspberryPi #piday
Kenneth Finnegan demos using a readymade MQTT app and “15 lines of Python” to turn off/on some LEDs, for future use in a tower light, or other type of multi-light indicator.
MQTT is essentially an Internet of Things protocol which is designed to pass single short messages between a set of devices publishing messages to a set of devices which are subscribed to that topic.
A fantastic example of where you might use MQTT is an Internet-connected light switch plus light bulbs. You would first define a topic for your room (i.e. home/livingroom/lights/ceiling) and then configure all the appropriate light bulbs to subscribe to that topic and listen for any messages published to it. You could then configure a light switch on the wall to publish “ON” when you flip it up, and “OFF” when you flip it down. Flip the switch up, it publishes the message to the MQTT broker, which forwards it to all the lightbulbs subscribed to the home/livingroom/lights/ceiling topic, which would all respond accordingly. BOOM! IoT paradise! What could possibly go wrong?!
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
