After the CTC and lots of both tinkering and playing with materials, I got a Geeetech Prusa I3X assembling kit.
That story deserves a post of its own, but now that all is working in the office, I decided to officially declare open my personal 3D printing lab...!
Remodeling the workbench to accommodate both devices, plus re-installing the LED lighting to the workbench frame in order to light up the entire area payed off, however the small micro-controller solution I was running with the ESP8266-01 needed to grow to three relays, so I decided to upgrade to an ESP8266-12.
At this point, the web app solution I had was also quite outdated (using MEAN.js) and upgrading it was beginning to become quite the endeavor.
That was when I found out about this project on Github:
Crouton MQTT IOT Dashboard
It looked awesome and the MQTT messaging architecture seemed very well thought out, so I decided to give it a try.
However, that meant re-rewriting the ESP lua code I already had and update the solution to Crouton's way of doing things.
Below is the sample code I came up with in order to use the ESP with Crouton (based off of Crouton's included example code). Although it was working properly, I would still have to work out some extra validations, such as reconnecting to WiFi and/or the MQTT broker:
init.lua
print('init.lua ver 1.2')
wifi.setmode(wifi.STATION)
print('set mode=STATION (mode='..wifi.getmode()..')')
print('MAC: ',wifi.sta.getmac())
print('chip: ',node.chipid())
print('heap: ',node.heap())
--include json encoder/decoder
json = require "cjson"
-- wifi config start
wifi.sta.config("ssid","password")
-- wifi config end
print('Starting up in 5 seconds!')
function startup()
print('Starting up...')
dofile('main.lua')
end
tmr.alarm(0,5000,0,startup)
main.lua
-- pin stuff
print("setting up pins")
ledlightingPin = 1
toggleSwitchCTCPin = 3
toggleSwitchPrusaPin = 5
gpio.mode(ledlightingPin, gpio.OUTPUT)
gpio.write(ledlightingPin, gpio.HIGH)
gpio.mode(toggleSwitchCTCPin, gpio.OUTPUT)
gpio.write(toggleSwitchCTCPin, gpio.HIGH)
gpio.mode(toggleSwitchPrusaPin, gpio.OUTPUT)
gpio.write(toggleSwitchPrusaPin, gpio.HIGH)
-- Configuration to connect to the MQTT broker.
BROKER = "m11.cloudmqtt.com" -- Ip/hostname of MQTT broker
BRPORT = 22002 -- MQTT broker port
SECURE = 1 -- 1 YES / 0 NO
BRUSER = "esp8266-12-" .. node.chipid() -- If MQTT authenitcation is used then define the user
BRPWD = node.chipid() -- The above user password
CLIENTID = "esp8266-12-" .. node.chipid() -- The MQTT ID. Change to something you like
print("Device name printed below:")
print(CLIENTID)
--deviceJson
deviceInfo = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["values"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["values"]["value"] = true
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["labels"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["labels"]["true"] = "ON"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["labels"]["false"] = "OFF"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["card-type"] = "crouton-simple-toggle"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["title"] = "Iluminação"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["values"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["values"]["value"] = true
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["labels"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["labels"]["true"] = "ON"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["labels"]["false"] = "OFF"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["card-type"] = "crouton-simple-toggle"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["title"] = "CTC-3D"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["values"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["values"]["value"] = true
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["labels"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["labels"]["true"] = "ON"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["labels"]["false"] = "OFF"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["card-type"] = "crouton-simple-toggle"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["title"] = "Prusa I3 X"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamCTC"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamCTC"]["values"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamCTC"]["values"]["youtubeID"] = "GZnb3jQ2YZo"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamCTC"]["card-type"] = "crouton-video-youtube"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamCTC"]["title"] = "CTC-3D"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamPrusa"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamPrusa"]["values"] = {}
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamPrusa"]["values"]["youtubeID"] = "GZnb3jQ2YZo"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamPrusa"]["card-type"] = "crouton-video-youtube"
deviceInfo["endPoints"]["youTubeStreamPrusa"]["title"] = "Prusa I3 X"
deviceJson = {}
deviceJson["deviceInfo"] = deviceInfo
-- MQTT topics to subscribe
topics = {
"/inbox/"..CLIENTID.."/deviceInfo",
"/inbox/"..CLIENTID.."/ledlighting",
"/inbox/"..CLIENTID.."/toggleSwitchCTC",
"/inbox/"..CLIENTID.."/toggleSwitchPrusa",
"/inbox/"..CLIENTID.."/youTubeStreamCTC",
"/inbox/"..CLIENTID.."/youTubeStreamPrusa"
} -- Add/remove topics to the array
-- Control variables.
pub_sem = 0 -- MQTT Publish semaphore. Stops the publishing when the previous hasn't ended
current_topic = 1 -- variable for one currently being subscribed to
topicsub_delay = 50 -- microseconds between subscription attempts, worked for me (local network) down to 5...YMMV
-- connect to the broker
print "Connecting to MQTT broker. Please wait..."
m = mqtt.Client( CLIENTID, 60, BRUSER, BRPWD)
m:connect( BROKER , BRPORT, SECURE, function(conn) end)
m:on("connect", function(con)
print ("connected")
publish_data("/outbox/"..CLIENTID.."/deviceInfo", json.encode(deviceJson))
mqtt_sub()
end)
--subscribe to the list of topics
function mqtt_sub()
if table.getn(topics) >= current_topic then
m:subscribe(topics[current_topic] , 0, function(conn,topic,message)
print("Subscribed a topic ...")
end)
current_topic = current_topic + 1 -- Goto next topic
--set the timer to rerun the loop as long there is topics to subscribe
tmr.alarm(5, topicsub_delay, 0, mqtt_sub )
end
end
-- Sample publish functions:
function publish_data(topic, data)
if pub_sem == 0 then -- Is the semaphore set=
pub_sem = 1 -- Nop. Let's block it
m:publish(topic,data,0,0, function(conn)
-- Callback function. We've sent the data
-- print("Sending: " .. data .." to " .. topic)
pub_sem = 0 -- Unblock the semaphore
end)
end
end
function explode(d,p) -- (separator,string)
local t, ll
t={}
ll=0
if(#p == 1) then return {p} end
while true do
l=string.find(p,d,ll,true) -- find the next d in the string
if l~=nil then -- if "not not" found then..
table.insert(t, string.sub(p,ll,l-1)) -- Save it in our array.
ll=l+1 -- save just after where we found it for searching next time.
else
table.insert(t, string.sub(p,ll)) -- Save what's left in our array.
break -- Break at end, as it should be, according to the lua manual.
end
end
return t
end
-- Recieving data
m:on("message", function(conn, topic, msg)
topicTable = explode("/",topic)
box = topicTable[2]
name = topicTable[3]
address = topicTable[4]
if box == "inbox" then
if address == "ledlighting" then
toggleLEDlighting(msg)
end
if address == "toggleSwitchCTC" then
toggleSwitchCTC(msg)
end
if address == "toggleSwitchPrusa" then
toggleSwitchPrusa(msg)
end
end
if box == "inbox" and address == "deviceInfo" then
deviceJson["deviceInfo"]["endPoints"]["ledlighting"]["values"]["value"] = (gpio.read(ledlightingPin) ~= 0) and true or false
deviceJson["deviceInfo"]["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchCTC"]["values"]["value"] = (gpio.read(toggleSwitchCTCPin) ~= 0) and true or false
deviceJson["deviceInfo"]["endPoints"]["toggleSwitchPrusa"]["values"]["value"] = (gpio.read(toggleSwitchPrusaPin) ~= 0) and true or false
publish_data("/outbox/"..CLIENTID.."/deviceInfo", json.encode(deviceJson))
end
end )
m:lwt("/outbox/"..CLIENTID.."/lwt", "anythinghere", 0, 0)
m:on("offline", function(con) print ("offline") end)
-------- Should split file but we will later.. above code for mqtt .. below is the esp function
function toggleLEDlighting (msg)
msgObj = json.decode(msg)
if msgObj["value"] then
gpio.write(ledlightingPin, gpio.HIGH)
else
gpio.write(ledlightingPin, gpio.LOW)
end
publish_data("/outbox/"..CLIENTID.."/ledlighting", msg)
end
function toggleSwitchCTC (msg)
msgObj = json.decode(msg)
if msgObj["value"] then
gpio.write(toggleSwitchCTCPin, gpio.HIGH)
else
gpio.write(toggleSwitchCTCPin, gpio.LOW)
end
publish_data("/outbox/"..CLIENTID.."/toggleSwitchCTC", msg)
end
function toggleSwitchPrusa (msg)
msgObj = json.decode(msg)
if msgObj["value"] then
gpio.write(toggleSwitchPrusaPin, gpio.HIGH)
else
gpio.write(toggleSwitchPrusaPin, gpio.LOW)
end
publish_data("/outbox/"..CLIENTID.."/toggleSwitchPrusa", msg)
end
Some additional considerations:
- working with CloudMQTT, using a free account
- CloudMQTT supports secure web sockets as well as secure MQTT connection over SSL (which I decided to try out)
- working with NodeMCU and Lua on the ESP:
- used https://nodemcu-build.com/ to build my custom firmware;
- nodemcu-dev-11-modules-2016-10-09-19-15-15-integer;
- included modules: adc, cjson, file, gpio, mqtt, net, node, pwm, tmr, uart, wifi
- contributing for the Crouton Dashboard project to include secure web sockets support
The Crouton Dashboard project is still going, however it turned out pretty well in replacing my outdated, custom web app solution.
So at this point, the ESP8266 module (-12 variant) running NodeMCU plus the use of the Crouton Dashboard were a working solution, only requiring a basic circuit to include 3 relays in order to turn on/off both printers and the LED lighting - plus a 3d printed case.
Using a free CloudMQTT account, I set up the following users and ACLs:
crouton-client:
/inbox/esp8266-12-<chipid>/# read - false / write - true
/outbox/esp8266-12-<chipid>/# read - true / write - false
esp8266-12-<chipid>:
/inbox/esp8266-12-<chipid>/# read - true / write - false
/outbox/esp8266-12-<chipid>/# read - false / write - true
And then used CloudMQTT's own web socket client to view the messages being exchanged across topics.
All of this lead to a definitive, working solution which remained stable for several weeks non-stop, allowing me to remotely turn on/off any of the 3D printers, as well as the lighting.
The video streaming was still to be published to youtube live, so by then I would just be accessing it through the Octoprint instances.
... and that was when I remembered about the Oak Project by Digistump.
(to be continued)
