Using Sensors
Broadcast your sensor's readings in one line of code

In this tutorial you will see how quick and simple is to broadcast and view your sensors' readings by using the ChipChop heartbeats.
To follow this tutorial you will need at least some basic experience using Arduino with VS Code and PlatformIO. If you want to use this example with Arduino IDE watch first the ChipChop Library tutorial and then read the instructions included with the download below.
For this project you will need to build a very basic circuit (microcontroller and some simple sensor). I've used the DHT11 in this tutorial as it's simple, cheap and easy to setup. If you don't know how, there are many examples on the web so have a look around first. ChipChop is built to handle a gazzilion things for you but you still have to have some basic knowledge in building simple electronic circuits.
Things that you will need:
To follow this tutorial you will need at least some basic experience using Arduino with VS Code and PlatformIO. If you want to use this example with Arduino IDE watch first the ChipChop Library tutorial and then read the instructions included with the download below.
For this project you will need to build a very basic circuit (microcontroller and some simple sensor). I've used the DHT11 in this tutorial as it's simple, cheap and easy to setup. If you don't know how, there are many examples on the web so have a look around first. ChipChop is built to handle a gazzilion things for you but you still have to have some basic knowledge in building simple electronic circuits.
Things that you will need:
- ESP8266 or ESP32 microcontroller
- Breadboard, DHT11 temperature & humidity sensor (or similar) and few wires
- Free ChipChop Developer Account
- VS Code & PlatformIO or Arduino IDE
This tutorial has code available for download, you can find the link below the video. The zip file contains the project in PlatformIO format but also has instructions how to use with Arduino IDE . If you get stuck, post a question in the forum and I am sure that some kind soul will get you unstuck ☺
Download Code
Questions & Answers
Q: The examples are all for ESP8266/ESP32. I only have and Arduino board, what can I do?
A: ESP chips have a built-in WiFi stack, they are cheap, well supported through Arduino framework and used in millions of household devices so they are a good choice for exploring IoT and that's why they are used in the code examples. If your Arduino boards doesn't support WiFi you may need an expansion board or a Wifi Shield and some of them are actually based on the ESP chipset so again the examples are well suited.
The ChipChop library should in theory work with anything that can be programmed with Arduino and can use the Arduino Websocket2 library. If your board is supported through Websockets2 than you shouldn't have to modify almost anything in the examples but of course if you get stuck just ask for help in the forum.
A: ESP chips have a built-in WiFi stack, they are cheap, well supported through Arduino framework and used in millions of household devices so they are a good choice for exploring IoT and that's why they are used in the code examples. If your Arduino boards doesn't support WiFi you may need an expansion board or a Wifi Shield and some of them are actually based on the ESP chipset so again the examples are well suited.
The ChipChop library should in theory work with anything that can be programmed with Arduino and can use the Arduino Websocket2 library. If your board is supported through Websockets2 than you shouldn't have to modify almost anything in the examples but of course if you get stuck just ask for help in the forum.
Q: I've built something cool, can I have it published on ChipChop?
A: Yes, you can. Anything that is cool, creative, clever, innovative, funny and that could inspire others is welcome.
The article/instructable has to be freshly written and not just a direct copy/paste of some old project published somewhere else.
You are allowed to have a few affiliate links and you can use a YouTube video from your own channel but no other form of advertising is allowed.
If your article is accepted and published you will get some free ChipChop perks ;-)
Contact Gizmo through the forum for detailed instructions.
A: Yes, you can. Anything that is cool, creative, clever, innovative, funny and that could inspire others is welcome.
The article/instructable has to be freshly written and not just a direct copy/paste of some old project published somewhere else.
You are allowed to have a few affiliate links and you can use a YouTube video from your own channel but no other form of advertising is allowed.
If your article is accepted and published you will get some free ChipChop perks ;-)
Contact Gizmo through the forum for detailed instructions.