Home Automation with MicroPython, the ESP8266 and Google Home

In this IoT talk we will demo a home automation project by wiring up a switch to an ESP8266, write and load a MicroPython web service on the hardware, link it to Home Assistant.

This is a live hardware build and coding session. All hardware will be locally sourced, the instructions and code will be on GitHub.

https://github.com/dalehumby/DevFest2020

Transcript

1. Home Automation
   with MicroPython, the
   ESP8266 and Google Home
   Dale Humby
   CTO, Nomanini
   Google Cloud Developer Expert
   

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2. Smart Home
   

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3. Smart Home
   

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4. Level 1:
   Getting Started
   

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5. Get started: Switch a lamp on
   

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6. R120
   communica.co.za
   Get started: Switch a lamp on
   

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7. R120
   communica.co.za
   Get started: Switch a lamp on
   

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8. R120
   communica.co.za
   Get started: Switch a lamp on
   

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9. R120
   communica.co.za
   Get started: Switch a lamp on
   

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10. R120
    communica.co.za
    Get started: Switch a lamp on
    

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11. R120
    communica.co.za
    Get started: Switch a lamp on
    

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12. Get started: Switch a lamp on
    WiFi
    

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13. Get started: Switch a lamp on
    WiFi Internet
    

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14. Get started: Switch a lamp on
    WiFi Internet
    

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15. Level 2:
    Open Source
    

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17. tasmota.github.io/docs/Getting-Started/
    

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18. tasmota.github.io/docs/Getting-Started/
    R80
    communica.co.za/products/bmt-ftdi-
    usb-to-ser-converter
    

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19. tasmota.github.io/docs/Getting-Started/
    R80
    communica.co.za/products/bmt-ftdi-
    usb-to-ser-converter
    

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20. R1,400
    communica.co.za
    

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21. WiFi
    

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22. WiFi
    

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23. WiFi
    

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24. WiFi
    Internet
    

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25. Raspberry Pi 4
    vs
    Odroid C4
    

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27. Price ±R1,400
    1.5 - 2 GHz CPU
    4 GB RAM
    Gigabit Ethernet
    Low power < 5W
    40 PIN GPIO
    

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28. Price ±R1,400
    1.5 - 2 GHz CPU
    4 GB RAM
    Gigabit Ethernet
    Low power < 5W
    40 PIN GPIO
    Debian 10 / Raspberry OS
    Onboard WiFi + Bluetooth LE
    2x mini-HDMI
    2x USB2 + 2xUSB3
    5V USB type-C
    Needs heatsink!
    

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29. Price ±R1,400
    1.5 - 2 GHz CPU
    4 GB RAM
    Gigabit Ethernet
    Low power < 5W
    40 PIN GPIO
    Debian 10 / Raspberry OS
    Onboard WiFi + Bluetooth LE
    2x mini-HDMI
    2x USB2 + 2xUSB3
    5V USB type-C
    Needs heatsink!
    Ubunt 20.04 / Android 9
    1x full-size HDMI
    4x USB3
    Voltage range 5-17 V
    

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30. Home Automation
    Software Stack
    

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36. Home Assistant: Home automation
    Mosquitto MQTT broker: Pub/Sub protocol
    Prometheus: Time series database
    Grafana: Visualisation
    Node-Red: Flow-based software control
    Home Automation / IoT Stack
    

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39. Because micro-SD cards fail
    

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40. github.com/dalehumby/rpi-provision
    +
    Ready-made
    images on
    Docker Hub
    Because micro-SD cards fail
    

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54. github.com/dockersamples/docker-swarm-visualizer
    

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55. Level 3:
    Build your own
    hardware
    

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56. How much prepaid
    electricity do I have
    left?
    Where is all my
    electricity going?
    

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57. kWh remaining
    

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58. kWh remaining
    1,000 flashes per kWh
    

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59. kWh remaining
    1,000 flashes per kWh
    “API... what?”,
    said Plessey
    

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60. 1,000 flashes per kWh
    LDR sensor (R20) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-ambient-light-sensor
    D1 Mini (R85) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-esp8266ex-nodemcu-wifi-board
    Screen Scrapers for Hardware Hackers
    

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61. 1,000 flashes per kWh
    LDR sensor (R20) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-ambient-light-sensor
    D1 Mini (R85) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-esp8266ex-nodemcu-wifi-board
    Screen Scrapers for Hardware Hackers
    

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62. 1,000 flashes per kWh
    LDR sensor (R20) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-ambient-light-sensor
    D1 Mini (R85) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-esp8266ex-nodemcu-wifi-board
    Screen Scrapers for Hardware Hackers
    

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63. 1,000 flashes per kWh ESP8266
    D1 Mini
    LDR sensor (R20) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-ambient-light-sensor
    D1 Mini (R85) https://www.communica.co.za/products/bmt-esp8266ex-nodemcu-wifi-board
    Screen Scrapers for Hardware Hackers
    

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64. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESP8266
    https://www.espressif.com/
    ESP8266
    From Espressif Systems
    ... The Arduino killer
    

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65. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESP8266
    https://www.espressif.com/
    ESP8266
    From Espressif Systems
    ... The Arduino killer
    32-bit CPU
    80 MHz clock
    160 kB RAM + 4 MB Flash
    Integrated WiFi + TCP/IP stack
    16 GPIO pins / I2C / SPI / UART / ADC
    Cheap - used “everywhere”
    

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70. Let’s
    get coding
    

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72. Putting it all
    together
    

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73. github.com/dalehumby/powermeter
    

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74. github.com/dalehumby/powermeter
    

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75. github.com/dalehumby/powermeter
    

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76. github.com/dalehumby/powermeter
    

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77. Beyond
    

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79. Swarm mode: Natively managing a cluster of Docker Engines
    

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81. k3s.io
    Lightweight kubernetes
    

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82. k3s.io
    Lightweight kubernetes
    PXE / Network boot
    worker nodes
    

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83. k3s.io
    Lightweight kubernetes
    PXE / Network boot
    worker nodes
    

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84. TensorFlow Lite
    coral.ai/products/dev-bo
    ard-mini
    $99
    nvidia.com/en-us/auton
    omous-machines/jetson-
    store/
    $99
    dog
    

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86. home-assistant.io/integrations/google_assistant/
    

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87. home-assistant.io/integrations/google_assistant/
    

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88. Resources
    MicroPython docs.micropython.org/en/latest/esp8266/tutorial/intro.html
    Home Assistant home-assistant.io
    Mosquitto MQTT mosquitto.org
    Where to buy {hardware}
    Communica
    communica.co.za
    Build Actions on Google Assistant
    codelabs.developers.google.com/codelabs/actions-1
    Dale Humby
    github.com/dalehumby
    dale@nomanini.com
    dalehumby.com
    We’re hiring
    nomanini.com/careers
    

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