Using Arduino with Node-RED to create a Simple Web Dashboard

This is an introductory video that attempts to demonstrate a very simple example of how to connect an Arduino UNO to Node-RED, using a serial connection via USB cable (i.e. exactly the same way you would normally upload a new sketch to your Arduino board).

The Arduino can write data, such as the readings of any sensors, to the serial connection using the Serial.print command. Instead of simply showing this data on the Arduino IDE Serial Monitor, this data can be received by the Node-RED server running on a PC which can then trigger a whole range of other hardware, evaluate complex logic, or display the current state of the device in a browser-based graphical dashboard. This makes it ideal for controlling and monitoring Arduino-based props in an escape room, for example.

Node-RED is free, open-source software that can be downloaded from https://nodered.org/

In this tutorial, I'll just create a very simple webpage containing one text node, whose value changes between 0 and 1 depending on whether a Reed switch attached to the Arduino detects a magnet or not. In future videos, I'll extend this example to more complex cases of sending multiple sensor values, how to send data from Node-RED to Arduino, and alternative connection methods such as MQTT. For an example of other ways in which Node-RED can be used in Escape Rooms, check out:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jm2uED1wlg
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPNFbN80pSg

Timings
---
00:00-01:29 Introduction and hardware explanation
01:30-05:45 Arduino Code
05:46-07:10 Demonstration output using Arduino IDE serial monitor
07:11-12:05 Creating the Node-RED flow
12:06-12:52 Wrapup

This video was made possible due to the generous support of my amazing patrons: https://www.patreon.com/playfultech

Видео Using Arduino with Node-RED to create a Simple Web Dashboard канала Playful Technology