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This article is nothing but my own learning log. For detailed information, one may follow the complete articles cited in the reference section particularly the one from[2]. This article follows the guidelines from[2] and explains the way of programming NODEMCU – ESP8266 Wifi Development Board Version.1.0 with Arduino IDE for IoT-related Projects and Experiments. We thank the authors of [2] for providing such a good tutorial on this. The images of the NODEMCU – ESP8266 Wifi Development Board were taken from [2].
NODEMCU – ESP8266 Wifi Development Board
NodeMCU is a IoT Module based on ESP8266 wifi Module. NodeMCU uses Lua Scripting language and is an open-source Internet of Things (IoT) platform. This module has CH340g USB to TTL IC.
As shown in the following diagram from [2], this development board has a built-in WiFi module that makes this board special.
Brief Features and Specification of Node-MCU IoT Module[1] :-
- It is based on ESP8266, integrates GPIO, PWM, IIC, 1-Wire and ADC all in one board.
- Powers your development in the fastest way combinating with NodeMCU Firmware
- USB-TTL included plug&play
- 10 GPIO, every GPIO can be PWM, I2C, 1-wire
- Features of Node-MCU IoT Module:-
- Open-source IoT Platform
- Easily Programmable
- Low cost & Simple to Implement
- WI-FI enabled
ESP8266 NodeMCU Pinout[2]
The ESP8266 NodeMCU has total 30 pins that interface it to the outside world. The connections are described at[2] as follows:
Installing Arduino IDE and necessary components
Step 1: Installing Arduino IDE
First, from[3], install the latest version of Arduino IDE on your computer with respect to the operating system that you are using.
Step 2: Installing necessary components in Arduino IDE
Start the Arduino IDE and you may open the example “Blink”
Step 3: Set Additional Board Manager URL
From the menu File -> Preferences, set the set the Additional Board Manager URL as
“http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json”
Step 4: Installing the Components needed for ESP8266
From the menu Tools -> Boards -> Board Manager, select ESP8266 by ESP8266 Community and install it.
Step 5: Select the NodeMCU board as follows:
Select the NodeMCU 1.0 from the Menu Tools -> Board -> ESP8266 Boards -> NodeMCU 1.0 as follows
Step 6: Set the Serial Port
Now connect the board to the computer using a suitable micro USB connector cable.
From the menu Tools -> Port, select the appropriate serial port in which the board is connected now.
Step 7: Program the Board
The following is the example program provided along with the Arduino IDE:
/*
Blink
Turns an LED on for one second, then off for one second, repeatedly.
Most Arduinos have an on-board LED you can control. On the UNO, MEGA and ZERO
it is attached to digital pin 13, on MKR1000 on pin 6. LED_BUILTIN is set to
the correct LED pin independent of which board is used.
If you want to know what pin the on-board LED is connected to on your Arduino
model, check the Technical Specs of your board at:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Products
modified 8 May 2014
by Scott Fitzgerald
modified 2 Sep 2016
by Arturo Guadalupi
modified 8 Sep 2016
by Colby Newman
This example code is in the public domain.
http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Blink
*/
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
Now you may try programming the board by selecting a simple example sketch such as “Blink”. On successful compiling and uploading, you will end up with a screen like this :
On successful upload of the “Blink” example sketch, now the board will start to blink as shown in the following gif image taken from [2]
Conclusion
NODEMCU – ESP8266 Wifi Development Board is a good board to start with our IoT-related projects and experiments. We may see the way of programming and using the on board WiFi in our another article. It is possible to implement the LoRaWAN project using a suitable, real IoT Board
It is possible to do serious research work by making these IoT devices to communicate with a running ns-3 simulation (with some emulated ns-3 nodes). This makes it possible to do sensor network-related research simulations with a lot of emulated and real nodes. In that case, researchers are advised to read the following article :
Sending ICMP Traffic From an ns-3-FdNetDevice Node to a Real Host Over a Real Channel
