Comments on: Electricity monitoring with Christmas lights and Arduino http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/ Laura's view from her world Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:54:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Mum http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/comment-page-1/#comment-33420 Mum Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:32:21 +0000 http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/?p=443#comment-33420 How do we get the green/blue lights flashing? How do we get the green/blue lights flashing?

]]> By: Kirrus http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/comment-page-1/#comment-33409 Kirrus Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:56:11 +0000 http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/?p=443#comment-33409 Ditto, that helps, thanks :) Ditto, that helps, thanks :)

]]> By: Philip Stubbs http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/comment-page-1/#comment-33406 Philip Stubbs Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:09:57 +0000 http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/?p=443#comment-33406 That was what I was after. Thanks very much. That was what I was after. Thanks very much.

]]> By: Laura http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/comment-page-1/#comment-33391 Laura Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:21:49 +0000 http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/?p=443#comment-33391 Getting the Arduino talking to LInux in order to program it? That's easy (on Ubuntu at least). The Arduino.cc has a page on what you need to install - think it's all in the Ubuntu repositories now. Not sure about other distros. The Arduino has USB serial connection to laptop which just works in my experience. Getting the Arduino talking to LInux in order to program it? That’s easy (on Ubuntu at least). The Arduino.cc has a page on what you need to install – think it’s all in the Ubuntu repositories now. Not sure about other distros.

The Arduino has USB serial connection to laptop which just works in my experience.

]]> By: Laura http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/comment-page-1/#comment-33390 Laura Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:19:47 +0000 http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/?p=443#comment-33390 Current Cost is linked by USB serial cable to a (Linux; though could be Windows) server in my house. On the server is an MQTT client, which publishes readings to an installation of IBM's <a href="http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/rsmb" rel="nofollow">Really Small Message Broker</a> (but could in future be the open source <a href="http://mosquitto.atchoo.org/" rel="nofollow">Mosquitto</a>) on an external server on the Internet somewhere (not hosted by me). Take a look at <a href="http://mqtt.org/software" rel="nofollow">MQTT.org</a> for more information about the MQTT brokers and clients. The MQTT client I use isn't freely available but there are others. Note that the Arduino MQTT client on that page is only for if you have an ethernet/wifi shield on your Arduino that can access the Internet directly. I don't use that because I connect my Arduino to my laptop and have an MQTT client on there too which can connect to the external server to subscribe to electricity readings. Which means I always have to have my laptop on when using the lights, of course. I'm not sure if all that makes sense but reply if not and I'll try to write a blog post explaining it more clearly. Current Cost is linked by USB serial cable to a (Linux; though could be Windows) server in my house. On the server is an MQTT client, which publishes readings to an installation of IBM’s Really Small Message Broker (but could in future be the open source Mosquitto) on an external server on the Internet somewhere (not hosted by me).

Take a look at MQTT.org for more information about the MQTT brokers and clients. The MQTT client I use isn’t freely available but there are others.

Note that the Arduino MQTT client on that page is only for if you have an ethernet/wifi shield on your Arduino that can access the Internet directly. I don’t use that because I connect my Arduino to my laptop and have an MQTT client on there too which can connect to the external server to subscribe to electricity readings. Which means I always have to have my laptop on when using the lights, of course.

I’m not sure if all that makes sense but reply if not and I’ll try to write a blog post explaining it more clearly.

]]> By: Philip Stubbs http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/comment-page-1/#comment-33385 Philip Stubbs Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:27:26 +0000 http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/?p=443#comment-33385 How easy is it to get the Arduino to talk to Linux? I have just acquired a huge bag of LED's, and fancy having a go at making one of these :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81DjwWqE6Iw&NR=1&feature=fvwp How easy is it to get the Arduino to talk to Linux? I have just acquired a huge bag of LED’s, and fancy having a go at making one of these :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81DjwWqE6Iw&NR=1&feature=fvwp

]]> By: Kirrus http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/2010/02/09/electricity-monitoring-with-christmas-lights-and-arduino/comment-page-1/#comment-33384 Kirrus Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:51:31 +0000 http://www.lauracowen.co.uk/blog/?p=443#comment-33384 What do you use to link the current cost meter to the internet? :) What do you use to link the current cost meter to the internet? :)

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