Automatically Send Tweets from Your Raspberry Pi Using Thing

In this tutorial, we'll guide you through the process of automatically sending tweets from your Raspberry Pi using ThingSpeak. Whether you're looking to update your followers with your CPU temperature or any other data, this tutorial will help you set up your Raspberry Pi to tweet automatically.

What We Will Learn in This Section

• Setting up a ThingSpeak account and linking it with Twitter
• Preparing your Raspberry Pi for the project
• Writing a Python script to send tweets using ThingSpeak

Why Is This Lesson Important to You?

Automating tweets from your Raspberry Pi can be a fun and informative way to share data from your IoT projects. By learning how to integrate ThingSpeak with Twitter, you'll be able to share updates in real-time, making your projects more interactive and engaging.

Components Required

Here is a list of the hardware you'll need for this tutorial:

• Raspberry Pi
• Micro SD Card
• Ethernet Cable
• Power Supply

Raspberry Pi Cookbook

This Raspberry Pi Cookbook will help you gain more knowledge about Raspberry Pi software and hardware solutions.

Creating a ThingSpeak Account

ThingSpeak is an IoT platform that allows you to create channels for storing and retrieving data using web requests. It also includes the ThingTweet action, which simplifies tweeting from your Raspberry Pi.

• Visit ThingSpeak and sign up for an account.

Select the ThingTweet action and log in to your Twitter account to link it with ThingSpeak.

• Select the ThingTweet action and log in to your Twitter account to link it with ThingSpeak.
• Copy the API key provided on the ThingTweet page. You'll need this key for your Python script.

Preparing Your Raspberry Pi

First, update your Raspberry Pi with the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Next, install the necessary libraries for this project:

pip install urllib3
sudo apt-get install urllib2

Code: ThingSpeak Tweets with Raspberry Pi

Here's the Python script to send tweets using ThingSpeak:

import time, os, urllib, urllib2

MAX_TEMP = 37.0
MIN_T_BETWEEN_WARNINGS = 60  # Minutes
BASE_URL = 'https://api.thingspeak.com/apps/thingtweet/1/statuses/update/'
KEY = '68LZC4LBMXLMMYDY'

def send_notification(temp):
    status = 'Hello Raspberry Pi getting hot. CPU temp=' + temp
    data = urllib.urlencode({'api_key': KEY, 'status': status})
    response = urllib2.urlopen(url=BASE_URL, data=data)
    print(response.read())

def cpu_temp():
    dev = os.popen('/opt/vc/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp')
    cpu_temp = dev.read()[5:-3]
    return cpu_temp

while True:
    temp = cpu_temp()
    print("CPU Temp (C): " + str(temp))
    if temp > MAX_TEMP:
        print("CPU TOO HOT!")
        send_notification(temp)
        print("No more notifications for: " + str(MIN_T_BETWEEN_WARNINGS) + " mins")
        time.sleep(MIN_T_BETWEEN_WARNINGS * 60)
    time.sleep(1)

Running the Program

Before running the program, ensure you have the API key from ThingSpeak. Paste the key into the script on the line that starts with KEY=. Run the program with:

python thingtweet.py

Notice how the values are substituted into the tweet as shown below:

Notice how the values have been substituted into the Tweeter screenshot below

MicroPython Code for Sending Tweets Using ThingSpeak

import time
import urequests as requests
import machine

MAX_TEMP = 37.0
MIN_T_BETWEEN_WARNINGS = 60  # Minutes
BASE_URL = 'https://api.thingspeak.com/apps/thingtweet/1/statuses/update/'
KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'

def send_notification(temp):
    status = 'Hello Raspberry Pi getting hot. CPU temp=' + str(temp)
    data = {'api_key': KEY, 'status': status}
    response = requests.post(BASE_URL, json=data)
    print(response.text)

def cpu_temp():
    adc = machine.ADC(machine.Pin(34))  # ADC1 channel 6 (GPIO34)
    adc.width(machine.ADC.WIDTH_12BIT)
    adc.atten(machine.ADC.ATTN_11DB)
    raw_value = adc.read()
    voltage = raw_value / 4095.0 * 3.3  # Assuming 12-bit ADC and 3.3V reference
    temperature = (voltage - 0.5) * 100  # Assuming MCP9700 temperature sensor
    return temperature

while True:
    temp = cpu_temp()
    print("CPU Temp (C): " + str(temp))
    if temp > MAX_TEMP:
        print("CPU TOO HOT!")
        send_notification(temp)
        print("No more notifications for: " + str(MIN_T_BETWEEN_WARNINGS) + " mins")
        time.sleep(MIN_T_BETWEEN_WARNINGS * 60)
    time.sleep(1)

Key Changes:

Library Changes:

• Replaced urllib and urllib2 with urequests, a MicroPython-friendly HTTP library.
• Library Changes:
  Replaced urllib and urllib2 with urequests, a MicroPython-friendly HTTP library.

Temperature Reading:

• Adapted the temperature reading function to use MicroPython's ADC for analog-to-digital conversion. Adjustments may be necessary depending on your specific sensor and hardware configuration.
• Temperature Reading:
  Adapted the temperature reading function to use MicroPython's ADC for analog-to-digital conversion. Adjustments may be necessary depending on your specific sensor and hardware configuration.

Requests Handling:

• Simplified the HTTP request to use requests.post with a JSON payload for simplicity in MicroPython.
• Requests Handling:
  Simplified the HTTP request to use requests.post with a JSON payload for simplicity in MicroPython.

Notes:

• The cpu_temp() function is a placeholder and assumes you're using an ADC-compatible temperature sensor like the MCP9700. You may need to adjust this part of the code based on your actual temperature sensor and its specifications.
• Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual ThingSpeak API key.
• Ensure you have the urequests module installed on your MicroPython device. If not, you can upload it manually or use a package manager like upip if supported.

Final Notes

In this tutorial, we've covered how to send tweets using ThingSpeak with a Raspberry Pi to notify when the CPU temperature exceeds a certain threshold. This project is particularly useful for monitoring your Raspberry Pi's temperature and ensuring it does not overheat, which could prevent potential damage to your hardware.

Key Takeaways:

ThingSpeak and ThingTweet Integration:

• ThingSpeak provides an easy way to integrate IoT devices with web services like Twitter through its ThingTweet app.
• Using ThingTweet, you can send automated tweets without dealing with the complexity of Twitter's API directly.
• ThingSpeak and ThingTweet Integration:
  ThingSpeak provides an easy way to integrate IoT devices with web services like Twitter through its ThingTweet app.
  Using ThingTweet, you can send automated tweets without dealing with the complexity of Twitter's API directly.

Temperature Monitoring:

• Monitoring CPU temperature is crucial for maintaining the health and longevity of your Raspberry Pi.
• By using a temperature sensor or reading the onboard temperature, you can set up alerts for high temperatures.
• Temperature Monitoring:
  Monitoring CPU temperature is crucial for maintaining the health and longevity of your Raspberry Pi.
  By using a temperature sensor or reading the onboard temperature, you can set up alerts for high temperatures.

MicroPython Adaptation:

• This tutorial includes both Python and MicroPython code, making it versatile for different use cases.
• MicroPython is lightweight and efficient for microcontrollers, making it suitable for IoT projects.
• MicroPython Adaptation:
  This tutorial includes both Python and MicroPython code, making it versatile for different use cases.
  MicroPython is lightweight and efficient for microcontrollers, making it suitable for IoT projects.

Component Setup:

• Ensure you have the necessary hardware components like a Raspberry Pi, SD card, Ethernet cable, power supply, and any required sensors.
• Properly set up and update your Raspberry Pi to ensure compatibility with the libraries and services used in the project.
• Component Setup:
  Ensure you have the necessary hardware components like a Raspberry Pi, SD card, Ethernet cable, power supply, and any required sensors.
  Properly set up and update your Raspberry Pi to ensure compatibility with the libraries and services used in the project.

Libraries and Dependencies:

• In Python, libraries like urllib and urllib2 are used for HTTP requests.
• In MicroPython, the urequests library is used for HTTP requests, which is compatible with the microcontroller environment.
• Libraries and Dependencies:
  In Python, libraries like urllib and urllib2 are used for HTTP requests.
  In MicroPython, the urequests library is used for HTTP requests, which is compatible with the microcontroller environment.

Customization:

• You can customize the temperature threshold, the frequency of notifications, and the tweet content based on your needs.
• This project can be extended to monitor other parameters or to integrate with additional services.
• Customization:
  You can customize the temperature threshold, the frequency of notifications, and the tweet content based on your needs.
  This project can be extended to monitor other parameters or to integrate with additional services.

By following this tutorial, you should be able to set up a system that automatically sends tweets from your Raspberry Pi when certain conditions are met. This is a practical example of how IoT can be used for remote monitoring and alerting.

Additional Resources

• ThingSpeak Documentation: ThingSpeak
• MicroPython Documentation: MicroPython
• Raspberry Pi Setup: Raspberry Pi Setup
• Python Requests Library: Requests Documentation

This project can serve as a foundation for more advanced IoT applications, allowing you to explore and implement various monitoring and alerting systems. Happy coding!