Advice/help for my project please?

Projects General Guidance
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First off, if this is posted in the wrong section, please let me know and I will transfer it to the correct one.

Here is what I'm trying to do;
I am attempting to make what I can best describe as a multi function data display for my computer and if it is possible, to display the same data from at least one more computer as well. If that is not possible then I would be fine with the information that is displayed to be from only one of my computers.

I've already gathered the following components, x1 Nextion LCD touchscreen, x1 WeMos D1 mini, x2 0.92 inch LCDs, x1 On/Off button, x4 3mm red LEDs, x1 3mm green LED, x1 5mm red blinking LED.

(The green LED is simply for showing that the power is on, nothing more).

What I would like this to do is have each of the four 3mm red LEDs turn on seperately when a certain event is triggered, i.e. a specific program receives a notification or the temp or one of the speeds above a preset threshold, etc. and on the main LCD (the Nextion touchscreen), I would like to be able to dismiss these notifications that come up and view certain things about my computers such as temp, fan speed, cpu speed, network activity, etc. by having one screen for each of them. I would also like to be able to switch what is displayed in the two small LCD screens (temp, cpu speed, network speed, etc.) so that if I need to monitor a specific thing I can and then switch it back to the info that I had it at previously.

Please let me know if this is even possible to use an arduino nano/mega/yun or whichever to do this, and if it is possible, how to do it. I am a total noob at programming with arduino, so I would ask people to be patient with me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,
Fenix

2

Most all of the things in your wish list will require you to write program for your PC and transmit that data to your Arduino. Are you confident you can write such programs?

Paul

3

PhauxFenix:
if it is possible, to display the same data from at least one more computer as well.

Yes, it is completely possible. Your can connect Arduino to Internet via WiFi/Ethernet. And then publish data on a topic to a MQTT server. Multiple computers can connect to MQTT server and subscribe that topic to receive data.

MQTT server can be AWS IoT Core, or a software installed on a PC ( ex. Mosquito, HiveMQ ...)
You can also send from multiple computer to a single Arduino.

For connecting to Internet via WiFi, you can see some Arduino WiFi options

4

Paul_KD7HB:
Most all of the things in your wish list will require you to write program for your PC and transmit that data to your Arduino. Are you confident you can write such programs?

Paul

Hello Paul,
Thank you for your reply, but no, I am not confident that I can write the code. The only coding that I do know how to do is a very small amount of applescript and an even smaller amount of html. If it is allowed on here, I would however be willing to pay someone a commission to write the code for me though.

-Fenix

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IoT_hobbyist:
Yes, it is completely possible. Your can connect Arduino to Internet via WiFi/Ethernet. And then publish data on a topic to a MQTT server. Multiple computers can connect to MQTT server and subscribe that topic to receive data.

MQTT server can be AWS IoT Core, or a software installed on a PC ( ex. Mosquito, HiveMQ ...)
You can also send from multiple computer to a single Arduino.

For connecting to Internet via WiFi, you can see some Arduino WiFi options

Hello,
Thank you for your reply. I do know that it is possible to connect arduino to the internet, but I don't want to connect it directly to the internet if I can avoid it. All I want to do is monitor my own computers in my own home. In fact, I would prefer not to even connect this to a WAN home network if I don't have to. Connecting it directly to the computer(s) that I want to monitor via usb or ethernet would be my first choice.

-Fenix

6

Yes, this is all doable in the Arduino. I would use MQTT to communicate between computers over WiFi. You don't need to connect to the WAN, but just to the LAN, so you're pretty safe there. (I don't think I've ever heard of a home WAN.) Since this is a DIY forum, I would recommend that you start simple- without the Nextion. Get the PC to send data to the Wemos to light up some LEDs first, then start adding to the system.
You don't need blinking LEDs since you can blink them in the software.

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Something like this?

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hzrnbgy:
Something like this?

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Hello,

As for the layout of the devices on the "network" as it were for my project, yes, that is the basic idea except for one thing. The 2 LCDs are not located separately, they are attached to the same circuit as the Nextion display. There are also a few details missing from the diagram that you made, so I took the image you attached and modified it a bit and re-attached it. Also, here are the exact components that I have;

WeMos D1 Mini
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BK435ZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mini LCD

Nextion LCD
https://www.ebay.com/itm/152947277092

The rest are just parts I had leftover from other projects (i.e. the power switch, the LEDs, etc.)

Thank you again for all of the help,
Fenix

bbb-Edited.jpg
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SteveMann:
Yes, this is all doable in the Arduino. I would use MQTT to communicate between computers over WiFi. You don't need to connect to the WAN, but just to the LAN, so you're pretty safe there. (I don't think I've ever heard of a home WAN.) Since this is a DIY forum, I would recommend that you start simple- without the Nextion. Get the PC to send data to the Wemos to light up some LEDs first, then start adding to the system.
You don't need blinking LEDs since you can blink them in the software.

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. I mistyped when I said WAN, my bad, sorry about that. I don't know the first thing about writing code for Arduino, so I am willing (if it is allowed on this forum) to pay someone a commission to write the code for me. Also, I need the LCD as part of the setup, and since I hope to be able to get someone to do the coding for me, I figured that would not be much of a problem for an experienced coder. As for the computer end of it, I do know that I will have to have one or two programs running in the background at all times to transmit the required data to my display, I

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