Python on a Raspberry Pi Pico (Update)

 Here is an update to my Raspberry Pi Pico project. I setup the Python code to connect the Pico to Wi-Fi then grab date and time from an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server. I have it displaying the date and time on the first row. On the second row, it is displaying the temperature and humidity from a sensor connected to the Pico. I put it all together in a modular bracket I drew and 3D printed for my network rack. I used Thonny to write and Python with assistance from ChatGPT as I'm still learning how to write Python. The code to this project is below the images.

Hardware for this project is.

Raspberry Pi Pico 2W.

The screen model is the I2C LCD 1602.
The temperature and humidity sensor is the DHT-11 module.

You'll need to download the drivers for the screen.

https://github.com/dhylands/python_lcd

Here is the Pyhton code this project.

from machine import Pin

from time import sleep_ms

import dht

import network

import secrets

import socket

import time

import struct

import I2C_LCD_driver

sensor = dht.DHT11(Pin(15))

lcd = I2C_LCD_driver.lcd()

from machine import Pin

NTP_DELTA = 2208988800

host = "pool.ntp.org"

led = Pin("LED", Pin.OUT)

def set_time():

    NTP_QUERY = bytearray(48)

    NTP_QUERY[0] = 0x1B

    addr = socket.getaddrinfo(host, 123)[0][-1]

    s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)

    try:

        s.settimeout(1)

        res = s.sendto(NTP_QUERY, addr)

        msg = s.recv(48)

    finally:

        s.close()

    val = struct.unpack("!I", msg[40:44])[0]

    t = val - NTP_DELTA

    UTC_OFFSET = -5   # <-- your timezone here

    t = t + int(UTC_OFFSET * 3600)

    tm = time.gmtime(t)

    machine.RTC().datetime((tm[0], tm[1], tm[2], tm[6] + 1, tm[3], tm[4], tm[5], 0))

# ---- WiFi Setup ----

wlan = network.WLAN(network.STA_IF)

wlan.active(True)

wlan.connect(secrets.secrets['ssid'], secrets.secrets['password'])

max_wait = 10

while max_wait > 0:

    if wlan.status() < 0 or wlan.status() >= 3:

        break

    max_wait -= 1

    print('waiting for connection...')

    time.sleep(1)

if wlan.status() != 3:

    raise RuntimeError('network connection failed')

else:

    print('connected')

    status = wlan.ifconfig()

    print( 'ip = ' + status[0] )

led.on()

set_time()

print(time.localtime())

led.off()

def display_time():

    while True:

        tm = time.localtime()

        year   = tm[0]

        month  = tm[1]

        day    = tm[2]

        hour   = tm[3]

        minute = tm[4]

        # Convert to 12-hour format without leading zero

        if hour == 0 or hour == 12:

            display_hour = 12

        else:

            display_hour = hour % 12

        # Format date as MM/DD/YY

        date_str = "{:02d}/{:02d}/{:02d}".format(month, day, year % 100)

        # Format time as H:MM (no leading zero on hour)

        time_str = "{}:{:02d}".format(display_hour, minute)

        # Combine date and time with single space

        row1 = "{}   {}".format(date_str, time_str)[:16]

        # Display on first row

        lcd.lcd_display_string(row1, 1)

        

        # Reading Temp and Humidity

        sensor.measure()

        tempF = round(((sensor.temperature() * 1.8) + 32), 0)

        humid = sensor.humidity()

        

        # Display on second row

        line = "TMP:{:.0f}F HUM:{:.0f}%".format(tempF, humid)

        lcd.lcd_display_string(line, 2)

        sleep_ms(2500)

        

        time.sleep(1)

display_time()

 I also created a Python file that stores my WiFi credentials called secrets.py. You can see the reference in the code below.

# Save this as settings.toml in the root directory
CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID="Your_WiFi_Name"
CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD="Your_Password"

Python on a Raspberry Pi Pico

As I'm learning Python and Micropython to ultimately write code for Dynamo for AutoCAD and Civil 3D, I'm playing with some basics. Writing Micropython for a Raspberry Pi Pico to read temperature and humidity then display the readings on a 16x2 LCD screen. My plan is to mount the setup in my network home lab to see the temperature inside the cabinet. I will 3D model and 3D print a mounting bracket for screen and Pico. Cool things to come.

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