# Pico W Incubator
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669
**Category:** Hardware
**Created:** [22 March 2024 16:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669 "2024-03-22T16:02:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@badflash](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/badflash)
#### Post date: [22 March 2024 16:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/1 "2024-03-22T16:02:07Z")
OK, I'm updating this post. I've built a egg incubator from a junk incubator with a bad temperature controller using a Pi Pico W and Node-Red.
The hardware is A Pi Pico W with a couple of soldered terminal blocks, a DS18X20 temperature probe and a homebrew solid state AC switch made from an AQH3223 solid state switch with a 100 ohm limiting resistor to protect the Pico. I've set it up with PWM at 8 hz and control the duty cycle to control the power to the heater.
The AQH3223 can handle 1.2 amps, so this is good for around 140 watts. The incubator needs 60 watts, so this is fine for low power applications. For higher power I have readily available 10A or higher solid state switches, but the AQH3223 is around a dollar, so it saves lots of money.
Here is the Pico W with soldered terminal blocks for secure connections:
Here is the AQH3223 with terminal blocks:
Here is the test setup:
and here is the dashboard.:
Mush thanks to @dynamicdave for help with getting MQTT to play nice!
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### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [22 March 2024 16:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/2 "2024-03-22T16:10:17Z")
Hi, just a quick tip - you can paste images directly into the forum (far preferable to uploading and posting a link) 😉
PS, is there a question?
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### Author:  [@jbudd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jbudd)
#### Post date: [22 March 2024 16:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/3 "2024-03-22T16:15:13Z")
eww, I wouldn't put my newborn baby in that incubator! 🤣
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### Author:  [@badflash](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/badflash)
#### Post date: [22 March 2024 16:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/4 "2024-03-22T16:33:52Z")
Don't hatch birds?
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### Author:  [@badflash](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/badflash)
#### Post date: [22 March 2024 16:41 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/5 "2024-03-22T16:41:42Z")
Thanks also to @Colin for explaining how to initialize the widgets on program startup.
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### Author:  [@dynamicdave](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dynamicdave)
#### Post date: [22 March 2024 19:38 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/6 "2024-03-22T19:38:49Z")
Although there are lots of database plotting programs (like Grafana, etc..) you might like to take a look at the FREE version of Clarify as that integrates quite well with Node-RED.
[https://clarifyapp.clarify.io/](https://clarifyapp.clarify.io/)
I use it for plotting readings from a node in my greenhouse and the node in my friend's shed in Boston, USA.
Here's the simple Node-RED flow to process the readings from MQTT to Clarify.
There are posts about Clarify on this Forum. Here's just one of them...
> [@Clarify - Time Series Visualization](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/clarify-time-series-visualization/57693):
>
> Hi, I'm Bernt-Johan, one of the founders at [Clarify.io](http://Clarify.io). I've been part of the Node-Red community for a while now, during which I've been developing the Clarify Node-Red Node. And with our release of a totally free plan, I feel it's time to tell you folks, more about what Clarify is and see how it can be useful for some of you. Clarify is a time-series visualization platform that helps users quickly turn data into information. We do this by storing and presenting [time-series data](https://www.clarify.io/learn/time-series-data) alongside comm…
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### Author:  [@badflash](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/badflash)
#### Post date: [22 March 2024 20:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/7 "2024-03-22T20:06:06Z")
I signed up, but it says for a 30 day free trial,
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### Author:  [@dynamicdave](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dynamicdave)
#### Post date: [23 March 2024 06:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/8 "2024-03-23T06:58:06Z")
@zenofmud, @Paul-Reed and myself have been with Clarify on their 30-day free trial for over two years.
I believe that as long as you don't exceed the 30 signals limit, the account remains FREE and active.
Clarify's definition of a signal is a single reading, so you could track up to 30 readings fom your sensors.
Please PM me if you need help in getting up the learning curve to setup Clarify.
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### Author:  [@badflash](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/badflash)
#### Post date: [23 March 2024 14:46 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/9 "2024-03-23T14:46:05Z")
You have been amazingly helpful. Other forums are all snark and no help.
Thanks for the offer @dynamicdave . I've been drinking from a firehose learning wise. This is a tool for down the road. Right now my next step is to get Mosquito set up so I don't need to depend on an outside broker and improve my soldering skills.
I'll be getting my first PCB back from China in a week or two having dipped my toe into KiCad. I have a few more controller projects I'll be working on for my mushroom growing and poultry things. I'll let this all soak in a bit.
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### Author:  [@dynamicdave](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dynamicdave)
#### Post date: [23 March 2024 15:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/10 "2024-03-23T15:10:21Z")
If you are running Node-RED on a Raspeberry Pi (like a RPi-5B, 4B or 3B) then you can install a local mosquitto broker on it. Here's one link I found on the InterWeb...
> **[Install Mosquitto Broker Raspberry Pi | Random Nerd Tutorials](https://randomnerdtutorials.com/how-to-install-mosquitto-broker-on-raspberry-pi/)**
>
> This tutorial shows how to install the Mosquitto Broker for MQTT communication on a Raspberry Pi board.
I use [EasyEDA](https://easyeda.com/) tools to design my PCBs and [JLCpcb](https://jlcpcb.com/) to manufacture them (at the moment the total price for manufacturing and delivering 5-off 100mm by 100mm pcbs to my door in the UK is £3.34 inc VAT - unbeliveable, so much fun for such a small outlay).
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### Author:  [@badflash](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/badflash)
#### Post date: [23 March 2024 15:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/11 "2024-03-23T15:25:14Z")
I'm running node red and mosquito o win 11 pc. I found a tiny cube pc for $160 and it works great so far.
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### Author:  [@dynamicdave](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dynamicdave)
#### Post date: [23 March 2024 15:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/12 "2024-03-23T15:33:56Z")
OK - that sounds like a plan.
You can install 'mosquitto' on a Windows platform - just do a search for 'install instructions'.
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### Author:  [@badflash](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/badflash)
#### Post date: [23 March 2024 16:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/13 "2024-03-23T16:11:51Z")
I have, I just haven't configured it yet. Baby steps.
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### Author:  [@dynamicdave](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dynamicdave)
#### Post date: [23 March 2024 16:39 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/14 "2024-03-23T16:39:41Z")
Ha, ha - no problem.
I took out a free subscription a few months ago to the Oracle Cloud where you can deploy one or more 'virtual machines' (VM). I have three VMs running Node-RED and mosquitto so I have my very own remote MQTT broker (as well as local brokers running on my RPi-4Bs at home).
I have a friend in Boston, USA who uses my remote broker to post the readings from his 'shed', basement (where his boiler is located) and a couple of rooms in his house. Great fun.
**I have a number of 'fun things' lined-up for you in the future.**
The first one is sending your reports to your mobile phone. Here's an example of the Node-RED flow to send our 'shed' and 'greenhouse' readings to our mobile phones using Telegram. I just tap in 'all' on my phone to activate the feed and 'none' to stop it. Pure magic. Although you'll probably say I'm a bit "sad".
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [22 May 2024 16:40 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/pico-w-incubator/86669/15 "2024-05-22T16:40:00Z")
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