Weekend build: LCD SMS text message reader

This project was really fun and involved a nice combination of hardware, Twillio, express and johnny-five. The idea was to display any sms messages received by a Twillio number on a bluetooth connected lcd screen.

The Hardware:

• Microduino+ (arduino mega compaitible)
• 20x4 lcd screen
• HC-05 bluetooth module

Everything is connected using the following configuration:

johnny-five docs lcd

The Software:

• Twilio
• Heroku deployment of page me bro source on github, deployed app
• Node code running using johnny-five

There and back again; from SMS to JSON:

Twillio receives a text message and submits a POST with the message information in JSON format to the pagemebro web site that emits a socket message to all clients connected, the final piece is the node script that connects to the pageMeBro web site via sockets and receives the message.

Demo:

Code :

var io = require('socket.io-client'),
    socket = io.connect('http://pagemebro.herokuapp.com/'),
    five = require("johnny-five"),
    lcd,
    board = new five.Board({
        //here we specify the bluetooth port.
        port: "/dev/tty.Arduino2-DevB"
    });
var lcdPrint = function (lineOne, lineTwo) {
    lcd.clear()
        .cursor(0,0).print(lineOne)
        .cursor(1,0).print(lineTwo);
};
board.on("ready", function() {

  lcd = new five.LCD({
    pins: [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]
  });

  lcd.on("ready", function() {
    //display the date when the lcd screen is ready.
    var date = new Date();
    lcdPrint(date.toDateString(),
    	date.toLocaleTimeString());
  });
});
//subscribe to the socket and display the text.
socket.on('connect', function () {
    // socket connected
    socket.emit('deviceConnect', { device: 'pager' });

    //respond to the new message event.
    socket.on('message:new', function (data) {
        lcdPrint(data.from, data.Body);
    });
});

Too much just to receive a text message? yea but it was fun.