Tutorial: Build a Light Up Umbrella Stand that Knows if it’s Going to Rain
Check out the latest tutorial from Erin St Blaine: Build an umbrella stand with a Raspberry Pi Pico W and NeoPixel LEDs. The Raspberry Pi connects to your wifi and checks a weather API for you, and lights up if it’s going to rain that day. Never forget your umbrella again.
Rainy days can get us down. Some mornings taunt us with gorgeous blue skies, promising spring breezes and sunshine all day, but then turn dark and stormy in the afternoon. Did you have time to check a weather app, and remember to bring your umbrella? You did not.
Let the spirits of the forest work for you. Build yourself a smart umbrella stand that knows the weather and lets you know with a beautiful glow if you are going to need your umbrella that day. My umbrella stand is themed after “My Neighbor Totoro” and gives me a smile every time I walk past it.
The Raspberry Pi Pico W connects to your wifi and performs a simple task: is it going to rain today? If the answer is yes, your umbrella stand lights up and glows, reminding you to grab your umbrella.
This is a fairly easy project that’s suitable for beginners. You’ll need basic soldering skills and a little ingenuity. The code is written in CircuitPython, which is easy to install and update on the Pico W.
You’ll also need a free account with Adafruit IO, Adafruit’s online cloud service. This is a great project for getting started with internet-connected makering.
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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.
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Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Open Hardware is In, New CircuitPython and Pi 5 16GB, and much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
