Bhavesh Kakwani

Configure your MicroPython project with JSON files

Learn how to get your microcontroller to remember your settings, so you can quickly get it back in working state even if it loses power or reboots!

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: MQTT on ESP32

What if you want to remote control a drone, or create a smart home lighting system, or collect sensor data from many devices? Enter MQTT: a robust and flexible IoT protocol that lets us do all that and more!

micropython

Sync time in MicroPython using NTP

What if we want to blink an LED to remind us on the day of a friend's birthday? Or what if we want a lamp to automatically turn on, like an alarm, every morning? Learn how to sync your ESP32 with network time!

micropython

MicroPython in Docker Containers

You know how to run MicroPython on hardware, but what if you don't have a microcontroller lying around? That's where Docker comes in!

micropython

MicroPython ESP32 pro-tip: Use WebREPL within Thonny

The repetitive process of editing your code in Thonny, switching over to the WebREPL window, re-selecting your edited code file, re-sending it to your ESP32, and going back to Thonny to fix any bugs can get cumbersome and slow. Luckily for us, there's a solution!

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: ESP32 Web Server using Microdot

One of the coolest upgrades to make to any hardware project is to connect it to the (world wide) web. It opens up immense possibilities, like a Cambrian explosion of project ideas that weren't possible before.

micropython

Hack an IKEA lamp with Neopixels in MicroPython

Learn how to upgrade an IKEA lamp into a colourful IoT light, with the power of ESP32, MicroPython and Neopixels!

micropython

An ESP32 walks into a bar - Jokes web API MicroPython tutorial

In this tutorial, we learn to use the network and urequests libraries in MicroPython to connect an ESP32 to the web and fetch programming jokes!

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: How to read a keypad passcode

Keypads are used to secure our money, our factories, and even our homes. It's due to them that we don't need to carry around dozens of keys anymore! But how do they work? And how do you secure your keypad's passcode so that a hacker can't steal it? Let's answer these questions - in MicroPython!

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: More Fun with Neopixels!

Part two in the epic saga of programming Neopixels with MicroPython. Jump in and learn how to create fantastic colour patterns - no hardware needed!

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: Fun with Neopixels!

In our very first MicroPython tutorial, we learned how to blink an LED but we could only turn it fully on or off - we didn't have the ability to change its brightness or colour. What if we did? You could create the most fantastic shows of light and colour - using Neopixels!

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: How to detect motion

We rely a lot on our eyesight to detect movement in our environment. But smart light-switches are able to detect your movement in a pitch dark hallway and turn on the lights for you. How do they do that? Today we'll learn how, and even build our own smart light using MicroPython!

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: How to measure temperature

Whether you want to check for a fever, monitor the conditions in a greenhouse or protect your satellite in the freezing cold of outer space, you need to measure the temperature of your system. But have you ever wondered how a digital thermometer actually works?

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: How to read a knob

Knobs are a universal way of controlling devices - you use them on stoves to control the temperature, on speakers to control the volume, and on Russian spacecraft to control...space stuff. But have you ever wondered how they work?

micropython

Secrets of MicroPython: How to blink an LED

What is the "hello world" of embedded software? Why, blinking an LED, of course! In this first tutorial, we'll get you acquainted with the fundamentals of MicroPython and more importantly, the online simulator we'll be using for all the tutorials. That's right, an online simulator!

sci-fi

The search for alien life may end inside us

Are we alone in the universe? What if there are no aliens out there? Worse yet, what if they’re right here, and we can’t even know it?

leadership

How to align a team towards better code quality

Two major issues that erode code quality in a company are * unnecessary code duplication, and * non-standard coding style. To tackle these, I held meetings with my team to identify common functionalities that everyone expects (and often repeatedly re-implements) in their software modules. From these meetings, I gathered all these common

sleep

Habits & life-hacks from the sleep community

What technologies/methods do you use to help you sleep at night? What do you wish was better? I reached out to people in sleep communities on facebook and reddit to find out.