Particle Development with AI-Assisted Coding

[gpatt1]

I've been experimenting with a custom GPT model tailored specifically for coding challenges related to Particle devices. This AI tool helps by providing detailed, context-aware solutions and suggestions, making coding faster and more intuitive.

Though this model is still evolving and doesn't yet cover the entire Particle documentation or community insights, its potential is undeniable. It streamlines troubleshooting and development, especially for those intricate, Particle-specific issues.

Has anyone else tried incorporating AI into their development toolkit? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

ChatGPT - Particle

[Colleen]

Wow! This is so cool! I have used AI a bit on my own for side projects (ie training a model to identify laughter) but haven't done much with GPT. How do you make sure there's a consistent stream of quality training data?

[gpatt1]

This GPT uses a mix of ChatGPT-4 and specific Particle documentation. This combination helps the model give more accurate, direct advice on Particle-specific issues, like pin setups and commands. It’s not perfect, but has helped improve our ability to address unique Particle challenges.

I am sure with more documentation, and community forum data it could be even better.

This would be great for beginners to learn and for expediting development.
Example of how it works:

Prompt:

I want it to particle publish to topic 'weather' once every hour by using particle boron404x and dht22.

Output:

To set up your Particle Boron404x to publish to the 'weather' topic once every hour using a DHT22 sensor, you'll need to follow these steps:

1. Connect the DHT22 sensor to the Particle Boron404x:

   • Connect the VCC pin of the DHT22 to the 3V3 pin on the Boron.
   • Connect the GND pin of the DHT22 to a GND pin on the Boron.
   • Connect the DATA pin of the DHT22 to a digital pin (e.g., D2) on the Boron.

2. Set up the software on the Particle Boron404x:

   • Include the necessary libraries (Adafruit_DHT for the DHT22 sensor).
   • Initialize the DHT sensor in your code.
   • Set up a timer to trigger every hour.

3. Implement the code to publish data:
   Here's an example code snippet that accomplishes this setup:

   #include "Adafruit_DHT.h"
   
   #define DHTPIN D2      // Pin connected to the DHT22 sensor
   #define DHTTYPE DHT22  // DHT 22 sensor
   DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHTTYPE);
   
   void setup() {
     dht.begin();
     Particle.variable("temperature", &temp, DOUBLE);
     Particle.variable("humidity", &humid, DOUBLE);
     Particle.publish("startup", "DHT22 sensor started", PRIVATE);
   
     // Setup timer to trigger every hour
     Timer timer(3600000, publishWeather); // 3600000 milliseconds = 1 hour
     timer.start();
   }
   
   void publishWeather() {
     float h = dht.getHumidity();
     float t = dht.getTempCelcius();
   
     // Check if any reads failed and exit early (to try again).
     if (isnan(h) || isnan(t)) {
       Particle.publish("error", "Failed to read from DHT sensor", PRIVATE);
       return;
     }
   
     char data[64];
     snprintf(data, sizeof(data), "{\"temperature\": %.2f, \"humidity\": %.2f}", t, h);
     Particle.publish("weather", data, PRIVATE);
   }
   
   void loop() {
     // Empty loop as all the work is done in the publishWeather function
   }
   

This script initializes the DHT22 sensor, sets up a timer to publish temperature and humidity readings to the 'weather' topic every hour, and handles failed sensor readings gracefully. Ensure that you replace getHumidity() and getTempCelcius() with the actual functions provided by the Adafruit DHT library or any equivalent you are using. Also, modify the privacy of the Particle.publish() method based on your application needs (public or private).

[gusgonnet]

That's a very powerful example.
Thanks!