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Python Programming for Arduino

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Python Programming for Arduino

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Python Programming for Arduino
Feb, 2015 | 400 pages
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Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Python Programming for Arduino
Python Programming for Arduino
Credits
Credits
About the Author
About the Author
About the Reviewers
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
Getting Started with Python and Arduino
Getting Started with Python and Arduino
Introduction to Python
Installing Python and Setuptools
The fundamentals of Python programming
Python operators and built-in types
Introduction to Arduino
Getting started with the Arduino IDE
Introduction to Arduino programming
Summary
2
Working with the Firmata Protocol and the pySerial Library
Working with the Firmata Protocol and the pySerial Library
Connecting the Arduino board
Introducing the Firmata protocol
Getting started with pySerial
Bridging pySerial and Firmata
Summary
3
The First Project – Motion-triggered LEDs
The First Project – Motion-triggered LEDs
Motion-triggered LEDs – the project description
The project goal
Method 1 – using a standalone Arduino sketch
Method 2 – using Python and Firmata
Summary
4
Diving into Python-Arduino Prototyping
Diving into Python-Arduino Prototyping
Prototyping
Working with pyFirmata methods
Prototyping templates using Firmata
Prototyping with the I2C protocol
Summary
5
Working with the Python GUI
Working with the Python GUI
Learning Tkinter for GUI design
Your first Python GUI program
The Button() widget – interfacing GUI with Arduino and LEDs
The Entry() widget – providing manual user inputs
The Scale() widget – adjusting the brightness of an LED
The Grid geometry manager
The Checkbutton() widget – selecting LEDs
The Label() widget – monitoring I/O pins
Remaking your first Python-Arduino project with a GUI
Summary
6
Storing and Plotting Arduino Data
Storing and Plotting Arduino Data
Working with files in Python
Using CSV files to store data
Storing Arduino data in a CSV file
Getting started with matplotlib
Plotting random numbers using matplotlib
Plotting data from a CSV file
Plotting real-time Arduino data
Integrating plots in the Tkinter window
Summary
7
The Midterm Project – a Portable DIY Thermostat
The Midterm Project – a Portable DIY Thermostat
Thermostat – the project description
Stage 1 – prototyping the thermostat
Stage 2 – using a Raspberry Pi for the deployable thermostat
Summary
8
Introduction to Arduino Networking
Introduction to Arduino Networking
Arduino and the computer networking
Developing web applications using Python
RESTful web applications with Arduino and Python
MQTT – A lightweight messaging protocol
Getting started with MQTT on Arduino and Python
Summary
9
Arduino and the Internet of Things
Arduino and the Internet of Things
Getting started with the IoT
The IoT cloud platforms
Developing cloud applications using Python and Xively
Your own cloud platform for the IoT
Summary
10
The Final Project – a Remote Home Monitoring System
The Final Project – a Remote Home Monitoring System
The design methodology for IoT projects
Project overview
Stage 1 – a monitoring station using Arduino
Stage 2 – a control center using Python and the Raspberry Pi
Stage 3 – a web application using Xively, Python, and Amazon cloud service
Testing and troubleshooting
Extending your remote home monitoring system
Summary
11
Tweet-a-PowerStrip
Tweet-a-PowerStrip
Project overview
Stage 1 – a smart power strip with Arduino and relays
Stage 2 – the Python code to process tweets
Testing and troubleshooting
Extending the project with additional features
Summary
Index
Index

Bridging pySerial and Firmata

In the Firmata section, we already learned how useful it is to use the Firmata protocol instead of constantly modifying the Arduino sketch and uploading it for simple programs. pySerial is a simple library that provides a bridge between Arduino and Python via a serial port, but it lacks any support for the Firmata protocol. As mentioned earlier, the biggest benefit of Python can be described in one sentence, "There is a library for that." So, there exists a Python library called pyFirmata that is built on pySerial to support the Firmata protocol. There are a few other Python libraries that also support Firmata, but we will only be focusing on pyFirmata in this chapter. We will be extensively using this library for various upcoming projects as well:

  1. Let's start by installing pyFirmata just like any other Python package by using Setuptools:

    $ sudo pin install pyfirmata

    In the previous section, while testing pySerial, we uploaded the DigitalSerialRead sketch to...

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