IoT LED Controller Project 💡

A multi-platform IoT project that controls LEDs via Blynk mobile app and syncs data to Adafruit IO cloud dashboard.

📋 Project Overview

This project consists of three Python scripts that work together:

1. blynk_control_RPI.py - Controls physical LEDs on Raspberry Pi
2. blynk_control_VH.py - Virtual hardware version for testing without Pi
3. adafruit_monitor.py - Syncs LED states to Adafruit IO cloud

🚀 Quick Start

1. Set Up Virtual Environment

# Create virtual environment (if not already created)
python3 -m venv bonus.venv

# Activate it
source bonus.venv/bin/activate

2. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure Your Credentials

# Copy the example config file
cp config.example.py config.py

# Edit config.py and add your credentials
nano config.py

You'll need:

• Blynk credentials: Get from https://blynk.cloud/dashboard
• Adafruit IO credentials: Get from https://io.adafruit.com/

4. Run the Project

On Raspberry Pi (with physical LEDs):

# Terminal 1 - Run the Blynk controller
python blynk_control_RPI.py

# Terminal 2 - Run the Adafruit monitor
python adafruit_monitor.py

For Testing (Virtual Hardware):

# Terminal 1 - Run the virtual hardware controller
python blynk_control_VH.py

# Terminal 2 - Run the Adafruit monitor
python adafruit_monitor.py

🔧 Hardware Setup (Raspberry Pi)

Connect 4 LEDs to your Raspberry Pi:

• LED 1 (Top): GPIO 17
• LED 2 (Right): GPIO 27
• LED 3 (Bottom): GPIO 22
• LED 4 (Left): GPIO 10

Don't forget current-limiting resistors! (220Ω - 330Ω recommended)

📱 Blynk App Setup

1. Create a new project in Blynk app
2. Add 4 switch widgets
3. Assign them to Virtual Pins: V0, V1, V2, V3
4. Copy your Auth Token to config.py

☁️ Adafruit IO Setup

1. Create 4 feeds in Adafruit IO:
   • led-top
   • led-right
   • led-bottom
   • led-left
2. Copy your Username and Key to config.py

📁 Project Structure

4ledsrpi/
├── blynk_control_RPI.py    # Raspberry Pi hardware controller
├── blynk_control_VH.py     # Virtual hardware controller
├── adafruit_monitor.py     # Adafruit IO sync service
├── config.py               # Your credentials (DO NOT COMMIT!)
├── config.example.py       # Template for credentials
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── .gitignore             # Git ignore file
├── led_state.json         # Generated at runtime
└── bonus.venv/            # Virtual environment

🔒 Security Notes

• NEVER commit config.py to GitHub (it's in .gitignore)
• Use config.example.py as a template for others
• Keep your API keys private!

🐛 Troubleshooting

"ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'config'"

• Make sure you created config.py from config.example.py

"RPi.GPIO not found" on laptop/desktop

• This is normal! Use blynk_control_VH.py instead

Adafruit IO rate limit errors

• The code has built-in protection, but if you see errors, increase MONITOR_INTERVAL in config

LEDs not turning on

• Check GPIO pin numbers in config.py
• Verify wiring and resistors
• Test with a simple GPIO test script

📝 License

Educational project for ECEN430 course.

👤 Author

Created by Marcelino Saad, NU - BS of Engineering