Abusing the Internet of Things

(Rick Simeone) #1

The USB power module powers the cloudBit projects. It can be powered using a USB
cable or a wall adapter (Figure 7-2), both of which are included in the kit.


FIGURE 7-2. The USB power adapter and cable


The long LED (light emitting diode) module can be used to provide lighting. It is called
long because the light is tethered by a cable, which allows you to place it in different places
within the body of the prototype hardware or another object. The servo module is a controlla-
ble motor that swings back and forth or continuously in a specific direction (clockwise or anti-
clockwise). The sound trigger module listens to noise levels in the environment and can be
programmed to activate other modules when the noise rises above a defined threshold. The
button module (Figure 7-3), as the name suggests, is a simple button that, when pressed, acti-
vates other modules.
The cloudBit module (Figure 7-4) is clearly the star of the show. It is basically a small
computer that is powered by the Linux operating system. It includes WiFi functionality that
can be easily configured to connect to the free littleBits cloud infrastructure that we will learn
about in the following sections.
Once connected, the cloudBit module sends data to the littleBits cloud, which can be used
by remote applications to control modules connected to the cloudBit.


INTRODUCING THE CLOUDBIT STARTER KIT 191
Free download pdf