Create your smart Christmas holidays using IOT

The warmest and the most soulful holiday of the year is coming. We have already begun to immerse in its mood and are looking forward to these cozy days. In order to enhance the holiday effect, we suggest you familiarize with a selection of smart holiday projects. Sparkle your inspiration with these holiday projects you can easily build, and create festive ambiance at your homes.

Decorate your smart Christmas tree better than Santa.

Modify your old 4-color Christmas lights with some hardware, standard code and 9 buttons in the Blynk app. Virtual pins from 1 to 4 will turn the light on and off whenever you want.

Things used in this project:

• NodeMcu Lolin х1
  
• 4-channel relay module х1
  
• 5V DC power supply х1
  

Software apps and online services are Arduino IDE and Blynk.

For example, your Christmas lights have 5 wires (one of them common and the rest is colors).

The common wire can be connected to one plug pin and the other plug pin connected to common pins of all relays in the module like it showed the image. Color wires are also connected to all relays of the module.

You should use 5V DC power supply which connected to the plug. The control pins of the relay module you can connect to esp in this way:

• IN1- D1(GPIO5)
  
• IN2- D2(GPIO4)
  
• IN3- D3(GPIO0)
  
• IN4- D4(GPIO2)
  

In the Blynk app is placed 9 buttons. First row of buttons is in switch mode and they operate with digital pins of esp(GPIO5, GPIO4, GPIO0, GPIO2). The second row of buttons is in push mode and they operate with virtual pins(V1, V2, V3, V4). If you connected color wires to NO(normally opened) pins of relays you should change buttons output to off-1, on-0. The automatic button is in switch mode and it operates with Virtual pin 5. If you switch it on, lights will flash automatically.

How to do it and step by step instructions on the link

Your own light show in a backyard.

Meet the perfect solution for the New Year party. The whole idea described in few words - a system control box that runs the light show in two modes: normal sequence and musical.

Things used in this project:

• Raspberry Pi (Model B)
  
• 8GB SD/MicroSD card (Depends which model Pi          you are using)
  
• Wifi Dongle (Not Needed if you using Raspberry           Pi 3)
  
• 8 Channels Solid State Relay (Model)
  
• Extension Cord 4 outlets
  
• 8 Electrical Socket Outlets
  
• 3 core Electrical Power Cable
  
• 10 Female-Female Jumper Wires
  
• Panel Box
  
• Car 3.5mm FM Transmitter (Model)
  
• USB Outlet Power Adaptor
  
• Wire connectors
  

You can learn how to create it here.

Make the brightest IoT star in the world

This bright yellow star shines playfully and seems to have a hypnotic effect. All you need is to find decorations to work with, connect them to the hardware and add some ready-made magic.

Things used in this project

• Arduino MKR1000 x 1
  
• 3 mm LED: Yellow x 16
  
• Resistor 221 ohm x 4
  
• Jumper wires (generic) x 8
  
• Female header 8 position 2 row (2*4) x 1
  
• Polystyrene Star x 1
  

Hand tools and fabrication machines

• Soldering iron (generic)
  
• Hot glue gun (generic)
  

Software apps and online services are Arduino IDE and Blynk. How to craft your light star read on the link 

Bring your holiday homemade fireplace to life

This electric fireplace is so realistic that even imitates the sound of burning fire. Now it's pretty simple to add it to your living room. But check the electrical requirements beforehand since it may consume some serious power depending on the heating it provides.

Things used in this project

• pc speakers х1
  
• Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+ х1
  
• Raspberry Pi Zero Wireless х1
  
• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B х1
  

Software apps and online services are Arduino IDE and Blynk. Step by step instruction is here

We wish you Internet of Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Make your 2019 smart and keep doing great projects!