AirThings - gather data remotely

 During one of my excursions on flea markets, I did find a AirThings Wave Plus.

For 10$ I decided to buy it and try it out (the normal cost is around 230$).

Ubuntu Core - run it on Virtualbox

Ubuntu Core is an OS designed for embedded machines, operates in different way than a standard Linux distribution.
This article explains how to install Ubuntu Core over a Virtual Machine (VM) using VirtualBox over a MacBook Pro Intel based, for development/experimentation purpose.

Ubuntu Core is not a standard distribution and cannot be installed directly over Virtualbox.
It is necessary to use a standard/normal Ubuntu distribution to be used as installer.

AWS Cli

I often have to work with AWS on some projects and I discovered the AWS Cli tool, that allow to do lot of things on AWS from your machine terminal.

fHelper on Node-Red

If using Node-Red to handle fHelper an algorithm to handle the alarm is needed.


Here a brief description of the algorithm implemented in Node-Red.
The server is controlling a LED on the client to notify the plant need to be watered.

Set up a Huzzah32 IoT client - testing

Using an IoT approach for the fHelper can helps to evaluate the measurements done more easily, using the MQTT protocol.

We need a server capable to receive the measurements from the fHelper sensor (client) and eventually work on the received data.
And of course we need a client/sensor capable to send the humidity level to the server.

See the article about the MQTT/Node-Red server about the preparation of an IoT server on a Raspberry Pi.
This article is about how to quick set up an IoT client for fHelper in order to run some feasibility tests on the sensor and its response.
Basically the idea is to evaluate if the system is reliable enough for the purpose.

Set up a Raspberry IoT server

For some projects can be useful to have a place and mean where to collect and store data retrieved form some process.
IoT 101.


There are many IoT services out there, many free, but for some applications is better to have everything close.
Let set up a small and efficient IoT local server based on MQTT protocol running over a Raspberry Pi.

Technology changes

The market for embedded development is more and more complex and fast these days.
Every day there is some new platform popping up.
Is quite difficult to stay updated unless you have to do that for work.

MSP430 - Energia and Grove

I do have few Arduino around.
Like many people I bought some of them because ... well, I don't know, I guess at the time it was the news, to see what it is.
And I didn't like it much.