This post was crated only using ChatGPT (GPT-4). I’ve asked ChatGPT to write a blog post and described the content. Then it did all the rest. The question was the following:
I need a blog post that explains how to use chatgpt as an embedded engineer. I need examples of questions to ask chatgpt that produces code for an Arduino mini and a esp8266. The example project is in the blog post is how to connect a DHT11 sensor to Arduino mini and have a small web page with nice graphics to read the temperature. Provide all the code and the text for the post that explains how to use chatgtp to create everything and then connect the components, program the Arduino and test the project.. The rest of the post is from ChatGPT.
In this blog post, we will guide you through the process of building a temperature monitoring system using an Arduino Mini, ESP8266, and a DHT11 sensor. We will use ChatGPT, a powerful language model developed by OpenAI, to help us generate the code, understand the components, and assist us throughout the project.
Project Overview
The aim of this project is to connect a DHT11 sensor to an Arduino Mini and display the temperature data on a small web page with nice graphics. The Arduino Mini will handle reading data from the sensor, and the ESP8266 will host the web page and receive the temperature data via a serial connection.
Asking ChatGPT for Help
Throughout this project, we will use ChatGPT to help us with the following:
- Generate the code required for the Arduino Mini and ESP8266.
- Provide guidance on connecting the components.
- Offer debugging and troubleshooting advice.
To get started, let’s ask ChatGPT to provide the code for the Arduino Mini to read data from the DHT11 sensor:
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Please provide the code for an Arduino Mini to read temperature and humidity data from a DHT11 sensor connected to pin 2.
Here’s the code that ChatGPT generated for the Arduino Mini:
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#include <DHT.h>
#define DHTPIN 2
#define DHTTYPE DHT11
DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHTTYPE);
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
dht.begin();
}
void loop() {
float humidity = dht.readHumidity();
float temperature = dht.readTemperature();
if (isnan(humidity) || isnan(temperature)) {
Serial.println("Failed to read from DHT sensor!");
return;
}
Serial.print("Humidity: ");
Serial.print(humidity);
Serial.print("%\t");
Serial.print("Temperature: ");
Serial.print(temperature);
Serial.println("°C");
delay(2000);
}
Now let’s ask ChatGPT for the ESP8266 code that hosts a web page and receives data via serial connection:
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Please provide the code for an ESP8266 to host a web page displaying temperature and humidity data received via serial connection from an Arduino Mini.
Here’s the code that ChatGPT generated for the ESP8266:
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#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include <ESP8266WebServer.h>
const char* ssid = "your_SSID";
const char* password = "your_PASSWORD";
ESP8266WebServer server(80);
String temperature = "N/A";
String humidity = "N/A";
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
delay(500);
}
server.on("/", handleRoot);
server.begin();
}
void loop() {
if (Serial.available()) {
String data = Serial.readStringUntil('\n');
int separatorIndex = data.indexOf('\t');
humidity = data.substring(data.indexOf("Humidity: ") + 9, separatorIndex - 1);
temperature = data.substring(data.indexOf("Temperature: ") + 13);
server.handleClient();
}
}
void handleRoot() {
String html = "<html><head><title>Temperature & Humidity Monitor</title><meta http-equiv='refresh' content='5'></head><body><h1>Temperature & Humidity Monitor</h1><h2>Temperature: " + temperature + "°C</h2><h2>Humidity: " + humidity + "%</h2></body></html>";
server.send(200, "text/html", html);
}
Connecting the Components
With the code generated, let’s ask ChatGPT for help connecting the components:
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Please explain how to connect a DHT11 sensor, Arduino Mini, and ESP8266 for a temperature monitoring system.
ChatGPT provided the following instructions:
- Connect the DHT11 sensor to the Arduino Mini:
- Connect the
+pin of the DHT11 sensor to5Von the Arduino Mini. - Connect the
-pin of the DHT11 sensor toGNDon the Arduino Mini. - Connect the
outpin of the DHT11 sensor to digital pin2on the Arduino Mini.
- Connect the
- Connect the Arduino Mini to the ESP8266:
- Connect the
TXpin of the Arduino Mini to theRXpin of the ESP8266. - Connect the
RXpin of the Arduino Mini to theTXpin of the ESP8266. - Connect the
GNDpin of the Arduino Mini to theGNDpin of the ESP8266.
- Connect the
- Power the Arduino Mini and the ESP8266 using a suitable power source (either a USB cable or an external power supply).
Programming the Arduino Mini and Testing the Project
- Open the Arduino IDE and make sure you have the required libraries installed (
DHT sensor libraryfor Arduino andESP8266WiFifor ESP8266). - Load the generated Arduino Mini code into the Arduino IDE and select the correct board (Arduino Mini) and COM port.
- Upload the code to the Arduino Mini.
- Load the generated ESP8266 code into the Arduino IDE, replacing “your_SSID” and “your_PASSWORD” with your Wi-Fi network’s SSID and password.
- Select the correct board (Generic ESP8266 Module or similar) and COM port.
- Upload the code to the ESP8266.
To test the project, open a web browser and navigate to the IP address assigned to your ESP8266 by your Wi-Fi router. You should see a web page displaying the current temperature and humidity data.
That’s it! You’ve successfully built a temperature monitoring system using an Arduino Mini, ESP8266, and DHT11 sensor with the help of ChatGPT. You can now use ChatGPT for more embedded engineering projects or to troubleshoot issues that may arise during your experiments.