Using a computer or an app on a tablet is a good way to control all the things in your Smart Home, but sometimes it is overkill. So what if we had a small touchscreen device that would let you control just a few things that you need quick access to?
The Adafruit PyPortal is perfect for this kind of work with its built-in 3.2″ TFT Touchscreen, ESP32 WiFi controller, plenty of storage, and a SAMD51 M4 processor chip at its core. So we will be using the PyPortal to build out a user interface that will talk to our Smart Home system using MQTT.
When finished, the PyPortal will read the temperature, light level, detect motion, and use virtual buttons to send data via MQTT to Home Assistant, so it can be used in Automations. Along with the sensors, we will be able to display data from Home Assistant on the PyPortal screen for quick updates.
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.
