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Getting Started with Android Firmata and NodeMcu Board

Xujiaao edited this page May 31, 2018 · 18 revisions

Step 1: Setup Arduino IDE

Starting with 1.6.4, Arduino IDE allows installation of third-party platform packages using Boards Manager.

  • Install the current upstream Arduino IDE at the 1.8 level or later. The current version is at the Arduino website.

  • Start Arduino and open Preferences window.

  • Enter http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json into Additional Board Manager URLs field. You can add multiple URLs, separating them with commas.

  • Open Boards Manager from Tools > Board menu and install esp8266 platform (and don't forget to select your ESP8266 board from Tools > Board menu after installation).

See https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino for more information.

Step 2: Install Usb Driver (for Mac OSX users)

Download and install the SiLabs serial driver for the chip.

Plug in your NodeMcu board via USB, and make sure the serial port is available:

# Make sure the '/dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART' exists
$ ls -lah /dev/cu*
> ...
> crw-rw-rw-  1 root  wheel   38,  11  5 31 23:51 /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART

If it dose NOT work, change another cable may help... 😅

See https://github.com/nodemcu/nodemcu-devkit/wiki/Getting-Started-on-OSX for more information.

Step 3: Setup NodeMcu

  • Open the Arduino IDE, select: File > Examples > Firmata > StandardFirmataWiFi

  • Open Tools > Board, select: NodeMCU 1.0 (ESP-12E Module)

  • Open Tools > Port, select the corresponding port

  • Hold the flash button on the NodeMCU board and Click the "Upload" button.

If the upload was successful, the board is now prepared as an Access Point.

Step 4: Connect the NodeMcu Access Point

On your Android Device, open: Settings > WLAN, you will find an Access Point with a name like ESP_XXXX, connect it.

By default the network is open, and the IP Address is 192.168.4.1.

Step 5: Update your Android Application

Now you can change the Transport URI to tcp://192.168.4.1.

connectBoard("tcp://192.168.4.1".toTransport(), {
    ...
})
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