Goal of this guide is to build Integrated Developement Environment (IDE) for work and development of nodeMCU solutions on operating system Windows 10.

• Upload NodeMCU firmware
• SP8266 Flasher Tool
• Upload LUA skripts to ESP8266
• ESPlorer Tool
• Install MongoDB Serveru
• Install Node.js
• Install Python
• Install Node-Red
• Install Mosquitto MQTT Broker
• Testing MQTT protocol with MQTTLens

In guide Linux Firmware Build Environment we went through steps how to compile nodeMCU firmware. Now we need upload firmware into ESP8266. For this purpose are available virious scripts and programs on the internet. Here we describe tool for Windows written in DelphiNodeMCU-Flasher.

Before we start uploading firmware enable FLASH mode. Flash mode can enable by pushing FLASH button on nodeMCU or before reboot set GPIO0 pin to value LOW. Important warnings

Project's page on GitHub: NodeMCU Flasher

Download from GitHub NodeMCU Flasher.

Opinion: Personally I'm using on Windows 10 for work with GIT software GIT scm.

It is good to remeber where you downloaded ESP8266Flasher binaries from GitHub.

%PATHNODEMCUFLASHER%\Win64\Release\ESP8266Flasher.exe

Verify in Device Manager serial port number for communication with nodeMCUO.

%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\devmgmt.msc

• Connect to serial port

• Change setting for communication with ESP8266 Flasher

• Upload monolitic firmware flash.bin with ESP8266Flasher.exe to adress 0x00000

• Upload compiled bootloader bin/0x00000.bin to adress 0x00000 and firmware bin/0x10000.bin to adress 0x10000

• Confirm previous steps to upload firmware to ESP8266

• Wait for success

Tools for uploading LUA scripts areavaile in big variety and tools are documented for example here.

ESPlorer is IDE for ESP8266, primary supporting LUA, MicroPython and sevel AT commands for ESP8266. ESPlorer requirers installed package JAVA Standard Edition verion 7 and higher.

Project's page on GitHub: ESPlorer

Download ESPlorer here.

Supported platforms platformy:

• Windows(x86, x86-64)
• Linux(x86, x86-64, ARM soft & hard float)
• Solaris(x86, x86-64)
• Mac OS X(x86, x86-64, PPC, PPC64)

Output from ESPlorer console

> =node.heap()
45264
> 

For Datastorage engin with communication with Node.js was choosen MondoDB. MongoDB is a free and open-source cross-platform document-oriented database program. Classified as a NoSQL database program, MongoDB uses JSON-like documents with schemas. MongoDB is developed by MongoDB Inc. and is free and open-source, published under a combination of the GNU Affero General Public License and the Apache License.

Original install guide is here.

• First download isntallation package mongodb-win32-x86_64-2008plus-ssl-3.2.10-signed.msi
• Install mongodb-win32-x86_64-2008plus-ssl-3.2.10-signed.msi package
• Add install MongoDB path to system variable PATH

PS C:\> $env:path += ";" + "C:\Program Files\mongodb\Server\3.2\bin"
PS C:\> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $env:path, "Machine")

• Create folders for databases

PS C:\> New-Item -ItemType "directory" -Path c:\data -Force
PS C:\> New-Item -ItemType "directory" -Path c:\data\db -Force

• Create folders for logs

PS C:\> New-Item -ItemType "directory" -Path "c:\data\log" -Force

• Create log file

PS C:\> New-Item -ItemType "file" -Path "c:\data\log\mongo.log" -Force

• Create MongoDB configuration file

PS C:\> New-Item -ItemType "file" -Path "C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\3.2\bin\mongod.cfg" -Force
PS C:\> $MONGODBCONF = "systemLog:`n    destination: file`n    path: c:\data\log\mongo.log`nstorage:`n    dbPath: c:\data\db"
PS C:\> $MONGODBCONF | Out-File -FilePath "C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\3.2\bin\mongod.cfg" -Append
PS C:\> more "C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\3.2\bin\mongod.cfg"
systemLog:
    destination: file
    path: C:\Data\log\mongod.log
storage:
    dbPath: C:\Data\db

• Create MongoDB service

PS C:\> Invoke-Expression "& `"C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\3.2\bin\mongod.exe`" --config `"C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\3.2\bin\mongod.cfg`" --install"

For semi-automated I wrote in PowerShellu 5 MongDB Installation PowerShell Script

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment for developing a diverse variety of server tools and applications. Although Node.js is not a JavaScript framework,[4] many of its basic modules are written in JavaScript, and developers can write new modules in JavaScript. The runtime environment interprets JavaScript using Google's V8 JavaScript engine.

Project documenation of Node.js API

Warning: If you use node.js version v7.1.0, it is recommended to reinstall node.js to version v7.0.0. Node.js v7.1.0 has know error on Windows platform, error causes node.js to crash when you use for node.js consoles Powershell or CMD.

• Download 64-bit verion of Node.js (32-bit is for hipsters) node-v7.0.0-x64.msi
• Install node-v7.0.0-x64.msi package, deafault install path is C:\Program Files\nodejs
• If you didn't select option Add PATH, then add node.js install path to system variable PATH
• Now that the PATH variable is set correctly, you will still encounter errors. Manually go into the AppData directory and you will find that there is no npm directory inside Roaming. Manually create this directory.

PS C:\> $NPMPATH = $Env:USERPROFILE + "\AppData\Roaming\npm"
PS C:\> New-Item -ItemType "directory" -Path $NPMPATH
PS C:\> $Env:PATH += ";" + $NPMPATH + ";C:\Program Files\nodejs"
PS C:\> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $Env:PATH, "Machine")

Next steps are to install Python in version 2.7, because node.js package node-gyf is dependent on Python2.7 and haven't started to support Pyhthon v3.x.x yet.

• Download 64-bit verion of Python v2.7
• Install python-2.7.12.amd64.msi package
• Select default installation options and add Python install path to system variables PATH and PYTHON

PS C:\> $Env:PATH += ";C:\Program Files\Python27"
PS C:\> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $Env:PATH, "Machine")
PS C:\> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PYTHON", "C:\Program Files\Python27", "Machine")

• Setup Node.js for installed Python version

  PS C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\nodejs\"
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.

C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm config set python "C:\Program Files\Python27\python.exe"
C:\Program Files\nodejs>exit
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> 

To aviod dependency conflicts first step is to install Microsoft compilator windows-build-tools for Node.js packages. And sedcond step is now ito nstall rest of Node-Red dependency packages.

PS C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\nodejs\"
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.

C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g --production windows-build-tools
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g node-gyp
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g bindings
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g bcrypt
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g bson
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g bufferutil
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g kerberos
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g mqtt
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g mongodb
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g nan
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g node-sass
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g options
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g phantomjs
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g pm2
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g pm2-windows-startup
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g sqlite3
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g ultron
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g utf-8-validate
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g ws
C:\Program Files\nodejs>exit
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> 

Configuration of package pm2-windows-startup

PS C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\nodejs\"
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.

C:\Program Files\nodejs>pm2-startup install
C:\Program Files\nodejs>pm2 save
C:\Program Files\nodejs>exit
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs>

Install Node-Red

PS C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\nodejs\"
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.

C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g node-red
C:\Program Files\nodejs>npm install -g node-red-dashboard
C:\Program Files\nodejs>exit
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs>

Start Node-Red

PS C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\nodejs\"
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.

C:\Program Files\nodejs>node "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-red\red.js"
C:\Program Files\nodejs>exit
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs>

Configure Node-Red for automatic start

PS C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\nodejs\"
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.

C:\Program Files\nodejs>pm2 start "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-red\red.js"
C:\Program Files\nodejs>pm2 save
C:\Program Files\nodejs>exit
PS C:\Program Files\nodejs>

Nyní můžeme spustit Node-RED editor na http://localhost:1880

For role MQTT Brokera in IDE was chosen software Mosquitto.

• First download installation files for OpenSSL, Mosquitto and library pThreads
• Install OpenSSL package Win32OpenSSL_Light-1_0_2j.exe
• Install Mosquitto package mosquitto-1.4.10-install-win32.exe
• Copy library pthreadVC2.dll to Mosquitto install folder.

PS C:\> dir "C:\Program Files (x86)\mosquitto\pthreadVC2.dll"


    Directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\mosquitto


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        27.5.2012      1:00          55808 pthreadVC2.dll

• Copy OpenSSL libraries libeay32.dll and ssleay32.dll to Mosquitto install folder

PS C:\> dir "C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenSSL-Win32-102j\*eay32.dll"


    Directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenSSL-Win32-102j


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        26.9.2016     10:00        1265664 libeay32.dll
-a----        26.9.2016     10:00         274432 ssleay32.dll

PS C:\> copy "C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenSSL-Win32-102j\*eay32.dll" "C:\Program Files (x86)\mosquitto\"
PS C:\> dir "C:\Program Files (x86)\mosquitto\*eay32.dll"


    Directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\mosquitto


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        26.9.2016     10:00        1265664 libeay32.dll
-a----        26.9.2016     10:00         274432 ssleay32.dll

• If you need change Mosquitto configuration

PS C:\> notepad "C:\Program Files (x86)\mosquitto\mosquitto.conf"

• Start Mosquitto service

PS C:\> Set-Service Mosquitto -Status Running
PS C:\> Get-Service Mosquitto

Status   Name               DisplayName
------   ----               -----------
Running  mosquitto          Mosquitto Broker

For testing of MTTQ Broker and data on MQTT protocal is used Chrome extensinon MQTTLens