From Nordic Semiconductor: Get started with the Nordic Thingy

Nordic's new development kit allows everyone from beginner entrepreneurs to experienced software developers to prototype an IoT project. Here are several ways you could get started today.

The Nordic Thingy:52 development kit enables entrepreneurs and developers to configure, test, and demonstrate IoT devices linked to mobile apps and Cloud resources.

You can use it as an input device such as a doorbell, light switch, or to sense movement, temperature or even carbon dioxide. As an output device, you can make the built-in LED flash, sound an alarm, or even play music.

> Read more: Develop IoT products with ease

Get started out of the box

Whatever your level of IoT experience, here are some simple projects you could get started with today. Some require the included web app, some need a simple interface created with If This Then That (IFTTT) while some will require some more advanced coding.

Monitor temperature: Use a Thingy to sense a change in temperature, and set up an alert via the web app to notify you by email, Slack or text message in the event of a sudden temperature increase, or view a graph of temperature over time on the smartphone app.

Monitor air quality: As with temperature monitoring, air quality of a specific room can be measured and reported on. This has a variety of use-cases from a baby’s bedroom to a busy office. The low price of the Nordic Thingy:52 means it competes with many single-purpose devices on the market.

Control lighting: Use the maker channel of IFTTT to make the Thingy function as a remote control for connected lights in a smart home. The button could work as a simple on/off switch, or you could configure the Thingy to switch the lights to a pre-set configuration based on the time of day and/or when movement is detected in a room.

For the more experienced

Although the Nordic Thingy works great out of the box, it’s also a really useful tool for experienced developers. If you have some experience with coding, the possibilities quickly become almost endless.

Before we launched the Thingy, we held an open hackathon at the Hackheim maker space in Trondheim, Norway.

> Read more: Pre-launch products with a hackathon

One participant, a Computer Engineering student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, identified the possibilities of pairing the device with a Raspberry Pi.

“When it’s launched, I might pick up a few to have around the house with a Raspberry Pi at the centre, and a Bluetooth connection so they are always online. I would use the devices as sensors, connect them to relays and use them to turn lights on and so on. It could be easier and more economical to do this than buying a finished product!”

Another Hackheim member is considering creating an alarm to detect if the ventilation on their laser cutter malfunctions. This is relatively straightforward with the built-in detection capabilities of the device.

From a project for your home to prototyping a product to your company’s management team, the possibilities of the Nordic Thingy are almost endless. We hope this article has given you some inspiration for your own projects.

Whatever you come up with, we’d love to take a look! Tag your creations on Twitter or Instagram with #nordicthingy or like our page and mention Nordic Semiconductor on Facebook.

We can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Source: http://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected/get-started-with-the-nordic-thingy

Contact Symmetry Electronics at 866-506-8829, email us or start a live chat and we'll be glad to help you with your projects!