IDeATe

Outcome

I built a device that sits outside an office door and lets people know when the person working in the office is free or busy. When a meeting on their calendar starts, the servo motor points to 'busy.' When the meeting is over, it points back to 'free.' I used IFTTT to connect my Google Calendar to initiate the function calls.

Move up Delete Move down

Process

This was the most straightforward SkillsDev yet; no issues.

Move up Delete Move down

Reflection

As someone who lives from their calendar, this was a natural application of IFTTT and the servo. I also despise being remote, so I enjoyed building something for an in-person workplace. I'd love to have a more refined version of this when I go back to work next year.

Move up Delete Move down

Show Advanced Options

Move up Delete Move down

int servoPin = A3;
Servo jamesServo;
int servoPos = 0;

void setup() {

  // attaches the servo on the A3 pin to the servo object
  jamesServo.attach( A3 );

   //Register our Particle to control the servo
   Particle.function("servo", servoControl);
   
   // Keep a cloud variable for the current position
  Particle.variable(  "servoPos" , &servoPos , INT );

}

int servoControl(String command)
{
    // Convert
   int newPos = command.toInt();
   // Make sure it is in the right range
   // And set the position
   servoPos = constrain( newPos, 0 , 180);

   // Set the servo
   jamesServo.write( servoPos );

   // done
   return 1;
}

Show Advanced Options