Introduction
Welcome to the AppBlocks Tutorial -- a collection of projects that cover around 90% of the system's functionality. Go through these applications, and you will have a good idea of what can be done with AppBlocks.
Scheduler (Sunrise & Sunset)
Here is a cool demonstration of the Scheduler's capabilities: This project takes advantage of the special Sunrise and Sunset features offered by the Scheduler."Sunrise" and "Sunset" refer to the "official" sunrise and sunset times for the specified geographical coordinates. Obviously, these times change throughout the year.
4G (Cellular) Switchover
In the previous topic, we explored the Wi-Fi interface and how your device can be configured to automatically switch over to Wi-Fi if the Ethernet link is unavailable. In addition to Ethernet and Wi-Fi, TPS devices support 4G communications. This project uses the LTE Tibbit (#45) as a backup way to send data to the MQTT server when the Ethernet connection goes down.
BP Sensors to Console
Here is another Modbus project. This one polls two BP sensors -- BP#02 and BP#03 -- and prints the data into the debug console. These two sensors provide three data streams, and the application prints all three values at a time.
BP Sensors to Dashboard
This project iteration expands on the previous one and adds a dashboard with seven line charts representing the seven data streams the application receives from the two connected Bus Probes (BP Sensors).
BP Sensors to Log
This project version modifies the previous one in the following way: Instead of charting the sensor data on the screen, the application records the sensor data in a Log.
BP Sensors to MQTT
In this step, we modify the previous project to publish the sensor data to the MQTT server instead of saving it into the log.
BP Sensors to LCD Graph
AppBlocks has the facility to draw a chart on the TPS2L's LCD. This is enabled on the LCD Graphing page of the Features Tab. You can select the graph's scale, position on the screen, color, and other parameters:
Wi-Fi Switchover
Now let us modify the BP Sensors to MQTT project to explore a different subject -- the use of network interfaces other than Ethernet.
PWM Light Control - Ver. 1
Let's consider another popular indoor agriculture system -- the lighting controller. Artificial lighting is a necessary attribute of many indoor growing facilities. Carefully tuned LED panels blast the "sunshine" at just the right wavelengths to promote healthy plant growth while economizing energy consumption.