It's true: you can use your Raspberry Pi to monitor and control real-world industrial devices.
Reliable Opto 22 G4 digital I/O and SNAP digital I/O now work with your Pi.
One of the simplest ways to program your Pi may be Node-RED, designed by IBM Emerging Technologies.
Topics: Discrete control, optonews, I/O, Node-RED, G4 I/O, OptoNews 2016-12-14, Raspberry Pi, Digital I/O for Raspberry Pi
UPDATE: This post has been updated to reflect changes in the most recent Raspbian Jessie Lite image (no longer includes Node-RED or node.js) and to use the new Digital I/O for Raspberry Pi Starter Kit for I/O hardware (new code, photos, and video).
The Raspberry Pi® is an unquestionably powerful computer for just $35. And it really is just that: a computer. That means the Pi is capable of many tasks and perfect for many automation applications.
Couple the Pi to industrial, solid-state digital inputs and outputs, and you can build compelling and cost-effective solutions for commercial and industrial applications, too.
One of the easiest and fun ways to quickly build software applications is with Node-RED, the free, open-source software tool designed by IBM Emerging Technologies and used for wiring together hardware devices, APIs, and online services in new and interesting ways.
However, Node-RED is only included in the full PIXEL GUI version of the Raspbian Jessie Operating System, available from raspberrypi.org. Their latest 2017-07-05-raspbian-jessie-lite.img build for headless operation (no monitor, keyboard, or mouse required) is no longer bundled with either Node-RED or the required software tools node.js and npm.
The purpose of this post is to guide you through creating a headless Raspberry Pi computer with the latest versions of Node-RED, node.js, and npm, building a Node-RED application, and controlling and sensing GPIO connected to industrial digital I/O, quickly and simply. (For a sneak peek at the result of this build, see the video near the end of this post.)
Image: New Opto 22 Digital I/O for Raspberry Pi Starter Kit with Raspberry Pi 3 Computer
Topics: Node-RED, GPIO, G4 I/O, Raspberry Pi, Digital I/O for Raspberry Pi
Are you wiring together devices and software using Node-RED? If you're even thinking about it, we've got a new Node-RED OptoForum for you.
We announced in the last OptoNews that Node-RED is now a built-in feature in the GROOV-AR1 groov Box!
Topics: groov, Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Node-RED, OptoNews 2016-11-09
Just released! A major new tool for your Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) project: the groov Box with Node-RED built in.
What is Node-RED?
It's an open-source, cross-platform tool for wiring together hardware devices, databases, cloud services, and APIs (application program interfaces) with simple logic flows.
Topics: groov, Internet of Things, Updates, IoT, optonews, PACs, mobile, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2016-10-26, Node-RED
Node-RED is now included in the GROOV-AR1 groov Box!
But what exactly is Node-RED, and why is that useful to you?
Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2016-10-26, Node-RED