2 System Design

From a software point of view, the project includes firmware developed with MPLAB X IDE for the hardware device, a flow developed with Node-Red for the Dashboard and a thing created in AWS for MQTT communication. The Node-Red flow and AWS thing creation were presented in previous chapters.

The firmware application uses various tasks to ensure a robust approach and also offers the chance for developers to easily modify based on their project requirements.

The main features of this presented project are as follows:

  • The DALI 2 MikroE module enables communication through D4i protocol and can be used to control multiple gears simultaneously.
  • The Microwave module is used to detect movement, optimizing the usage of lighting systems.
  • The Ambient Light module's contribution to energy conservation is another way of optimizing the entire system, ensuring that lighting systems will be set to proper intensity.
  • LTE MikroE module enables remote control of the device through MQTT topics.
  • By default, the device control is through a USB console, and the lte_on command will disable console and enable the LTE module.
  • The device can be powered through USB or a Barrel Jack connector for external power sources.
  • From a software point of view, the device can be enabled to set a specific light intensity or react based on the movement and/or ambient light sensors.