LoRa RA-02 Receiver using NodeMCU + Display on app

Hey guys ! This time I have got an interesting combination of LoRa + NodeMCU + Blynk. We'll use NodeMCU to receive the message through LoRa and use Blynk to display the received message on our app

• NodeMCU is one of the simplest and easy to use board with in-built WiFi, which can be programmed from Arduino IDE with some additions.
• Blynk is a platform with apps which can be easily interfaced with IoT devices using simple libraries.
• LoRa is a Long Range technology which has long transmission ranges and consumes less power.

The combination of these three technologies can be used to develop make excellent projects.

LoRa RA-02 Module is available in two forms - SMD Form and Breakout Board Form. I would recommend ( and use ) the breakout board type as it is easy to use and breadboard friendly. Before starting the project, we have to solder the header pins on the LoRa Breakout board. Be careful not to overheat the board.

Project Flow :

• LoRa module reads the received message packet and transfers the packet to NodeMCU using SPI protocol.
• NodeMCU reads the packet and sends it to the LCD Display of app on Virtual Pin V1 through WiFi.

Note : I have already demonstrated the interfacing of Arduino and LoRa, which can be used to make a transmitter, which can be found here.

How to program NodeMCU using Arduino IDE :

1. Go to Files -> Preferences and paste the given link in Additional Boards Manager and select OK.

http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json

2. Go to Tools -> Board and select Board Manager.

3. Search for esp8266 by esp8266 community and install the latest version.

4. Go to Tools -> Boards, navigate and select NodeMCU 0.9. Now, your Arduino IDE is ready to program on NodeMCU.

Importing Libraries :

We will use two new libraries. So we need to import it from its source. This can be done from the Arduino IDE.

1. Go to Sketch -> Include Library -> Manage Libaraies

2. Search for LoRa by Sandeep Mistry, select latest version and install.

3. Similarly, search for Blynk, select latest version and install.

Pin Connections :

Creating the Blynk App

1. Download the Blynk app and finish the registration process.

2. Go to New Project, enter any name, select the device as ESP8266 and click on Create. An email will be sent having the Authorization ID. Paste that in your Arduino code line 12 by replacing the text in double quotes.

3. Click on the + icon on top right side and select LCD. In the LCD settings, select Advanced Mode and select input pin as V1.

4. Click on the Right Triangle on the top right side to deploy your app.

If your programmed NodeMCU is connected to WiFi, the first message which you will see is "Waiting".

Note : Replace the WiFi username in Line 13 with your WiFi SSID and WiFi Password in line 14 with your WiFi password.

Implementation :

Sample Run

This is how the app will display the received message. The initial message will be "Waiting".

Just for cross verification, these are the messages sent by the transmitter, which is the temperature sensor using Arduino, which I have built in my previous project.