I’ve been monitoring the python comments lately because I’m thinking about
learning it to do things like this.
Long story, but I’m the type that has to have an actual problem to learn something
new <grin>
Thought I would share some of the things that are being done with python and
automation in case ya’ll haven’t run across it.
I have a interest in this stuff because of what I hope to accomplish on the
following link.
http://keepamericaatwork.com/?cat=62
If it doesn’t come through because of the pic’s, etc., send me a email and I’ll
send you the link
Virgil
Keep America At Work
N5IVV
From: Keep America At Work [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 6:41 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [New post] Interning at Kijani
new_kaaw posted: "My summer at Kijani Grows has been very satisfying, as well as
entertaining, so far. I’ve gotten to apply information learned in the classroom to real
world problems, which is exactly what I was hoping to do. Eric put me to work quickly. My
first as"
New post on Keep America At Work
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<http://keepamericaatwork.com/?author=1>
<http://keepamericaatwork.com/?p=214841> Interning at Kijani
by <http://keepamericaatwork.com/?author=1> new_kaaw
My summer at Kijani Grows has been very satisfying, as well as entertaining, so
far. I’ve gotten to apply information learned in the classroom to real world
problems, which is exactly what I was hoping to do.
Eric put me to work quickly. My first assignment was to create a script that
connects to his bluetooth device, read the report it sends every 10 seconds,
and save the report in a file. We decided to use Python because it has
bluetooth libraries available and because of my familiarity with the language.
I downloaded a Python coding environment along with the required libraries
using Ubuntu and got started.
The bluetooth device my program connected to is the small board with green LEDs
visible at the bottom of the following picture.
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BT+RelaysOn.jpeg>
BT+RelaysOn
The device is designed to monitor small aquaponic gardens like the one shown
below. By taking input from sensors, and controlling environmental factors,
like the lights or pump, with relays, the amount of work required to maintain a
garden is reduced substantially.
<http://keepamericaatwork.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/36df0c6a67_gardenFullView.jpeg>
gardenFullView
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/gardenBedView-e1374104388368.jpeg>
gardenBedView
Eric set this garden up recently. The garden bed has lettuce sprouts poking up.
Once I had a program receiving the board’s information via bluetooth link, Eric
instructed me to create a visualization of it, choosing HTML as the
presentation format. He had me set up an Apache server on my Ubuntu operating
system, so I could view the website locally as I built it. I made a second
Python script that reads the file created by my first script, created HTML code
corresponding to the data, and stored it in a file being hosted by the apache
server. In addition to displaying the data from the garden controller, Eric
wanted me to make the website an interactive remote for the controller. I added
buttons to HTML code and modified my original script to send commands to the
garden controller when they are pushed. Then, I added the visualization; using
HTML tables I created a small image of a garden and a tank.
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Version1.png>
Version1
After seeing my first attempt, Eric asked that I add the flow back pipe (the
pipe that allows water to flow from the garden bed back to the fish tank), as
well as a fish feeder and a reservoir. I drew up a new set of tables and set
about coding them into the page.
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Version2.png>
Version2
Due to numerous visual and functional issues, I aborted my second version. On
my 3rd attempt I decided to make code that creates the tables dynamically based
upon a set of constants that can be modified (bed height/width, tank
height/width, pipe height/width, etc.). In addition I implemented a coloring
scheme that allowed for easy manipulation. This was particularly useful because
it allowed the visualization to change its colors in response to different data
from the garden controller (e.g. a pipe that has water flowing through it is
blue).
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Version3.png>
Version3
Once the visualization was good enough, it was time to do away with the raw
display, as most users would not use it. I took whatever data wasn’t shown in
the visualization and displayed it in the area the report used to reside.
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LatestVersion.png>
LatestVersion
Below are pictures with modified dimension and color constants respectively, to
demonstrate the ease of modification.
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LatestVersionDimensionshift.png>
LatestVersionDimensionshift
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LatestVersionColorshift.png>
LatestVersionColorshift
Once the visualization was complete, Eric moved me on to something different,
having me work on his code for the garden controller. He asked me to add
support for commands in the form of a JSON string, and to add cyclic timer
functionality. That is, instead of merely telling the garden controller to turn
something on or off, I will tell it “turn the pump on for 5 minutes, off for 10
minutes, repeat”, and it will make the cycle autonomously. Using my own arduino
kit as a development environment, I added the functionality. The command
parsing proved difficult, as an ATMega328p (the microprocessor being used) has
only 2 KB of SRAM, I had to use character arrays and pointers instead of String
objects that are memory expensive. This particular problem was the most fun and
difficult programming challenge I’ve encountered so far at Kijani. Eventually,
I got the functionality Eric was looking for. The controller takes in commands
in the form of a JSON string, the commands contain information about a
particular control’s cycle. The controller maintains this information in
non-volatile memory, so cycles will not be forgotten when power is lost. This
cyclic capability can be used to turn lights on and off, as shown in the photos
below.
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BT+RelaysOff.jpeg>
BT+RelaysOff <http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BT+RelaysOn.jpeg>
BT+RelaysOn
Once the garden controller could enact cycles and receive commands to modify
them, I added a cycle status section to its report, and returned to my second
Python script. I added another area to the visualization web page that displays
the cycle information from the board. In the same area, a user can create or
modify cycles, and send them to the board.
<http://www.kijanigrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/UpdatedVersion.png>
UpdatedVersion
The next step in the project is to make the visualization accessible to anyone
using a garden with one of the bluetooth microcontrollers (it is currently
hosted on my computer for development, it isn’t available on the web). This may
involve setting up a master web server that will host web pages for many
gardens in the area nearby, or an Android application that connects to the
bluetooth directly and uses a completely different visualization.
The project is for Eric’s Guns to Gardens program currently being set up at
Castlemont High School in East Oakland. There, he is clearing out an old JROTC
shooting range and filling it with smart aquaponics gardens. Eric will be
teaching classes there, Castlemont students will have the opportunity to learn
how to grow food with the gardens, as well as how to build and maintain them. I
have been to Castlemont with Eric on two occasions, and I’m excited about the
program.
It has been a good summer so far, a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Eric is
fun to work with, and is a good teacher, if you ask the right questions.
Hopefully, I can learn some more before Fall arrives and I go back to school.
<http://keepamericaatwork.com/?author=1> new_kaaw | July 18, 2013 at 4:49 am |
URL: <http://wp.me/p3NGb5-TTb> http://wp.me/p3NGb5-TTb
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