Tag archive for: ESP8266

How to use C# to read sensor data from Arduino or ESPx via serial connection

When you have an old Windows machine, you can convert it into an IOT gateway.

So how can we read sensor data with our windows machine? Since our windows machine probably do not have GPIO pins, we can read sensor data via an intermediary device.

For example, we can first attach an Arduino Uno or ESP32 development board as the intermediary device to our windows machine via USB. Given that connection, the intermediary device will read the sensor data and send those values via serial. On our Windows machine, we can then run a program to read those values from serial.

So how can we read sensor data from Arduino or ESPx via serial connection on our Windows machine? Since C# is a programming language for creating windows application, we can use C# to read those data from serial.

How to control a SG90 servo motor with the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board

When you are looking to operate remote-controlled or radio-controlled toy cars, robots and airplanes, you will need to use servo motors.

Since the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board is cost efficient for IOT solutions, it can be used for controlling servo motors.

So how can we control a servo motor with the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board?

This post discusses how we can control the SG90 servo motor, with the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board.

Enabling ESP8266 Development on Arduino IDE

Undeniably, the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board is cost efficient for IOT solutions. Available at a low price point and built-in WiFi, we can easily get sensor readings and make them available on the Internet.

In order to run our program on ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board, we will need to write our program into the flash memory of the development board. Since it is easy to write code and flash programs with Arduino IDE, it is a good tool to use with the ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA Development Board.

In case you are looking for a reference to enable ESP8266 development on Arduino IDE, this post shows how you can do so.