Rat Pack - the internet of things's basic building block

Abstract

Frank, Sammy & Dean were a great team known as the "Rat Pack". What's true for these fellows is also true for Sinatra, Ruby and Arduino: put them together for instant Internet Of Things awesomeness!

For an example of what you can build with the Rat Pack, check the Arduino blog post on the subject.

How to

Run the rat pack server locally

$ foreman start will let you run a local server instance on localhost:5000

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

You can test drive if the server reacts without using the actual remote control with these commands:

$ curl -X PUT -d "{\"activated\": 1}" localhost:5000/status.json $ curl -X PUT -d "{\"activated\": 0}" localhost:5000/status.json

Build the rat pack remote control

See fritzing/ratpack_xbee_wifly.fzz for the needed components and the wiring of your remote control.

If you aren't using Fritzing already you can download it here.

Find the arduino software in arduino/ratpack_xbee_wifly. All you have to do is adjust the Config.h file with your wify credentials and the rat pack server's host data:

// Wifi parameters
char passphrase[]  = "YOUR PASSPHRASE";
char ssid[]        = "YOUR SSID";
// ratpack server
char* HOST         = "YOUR SINATRA SERVER";

Run your rat pack server on heroku

Create a new heroku app to deploy the whole thing to. Jot down the server's url (something.herokuapp.com) and use it in the arduino/Config.h file mentioned above.

Enjoy your rat pack remote control

If you keep the button on your breadboard pushed it won't take long until you see the reaction in your browser. Also mind the LED is actually tracking the server's response, so it's online too. VoilC!, you just entered the Internet Of Things (tm)!