Using ESP-01 with Blynk

Getting started with the Blynk app is super easy! First off, just hop onto your Android Play Store or Apple App Store and look for ‘Blynk’ to get it installed.
Once it’s on your device, open it up – if you’re a newbie, you can sign up, or if you already have an account, just log in using your Facebook.
After that, you’ll see the option to create a ‘New Project’ right after logging in.
For this project, you’ll want to select ‘Arduino Uno’ from the ESP8266 section.
Don’t forget to give your project a cool name, like ‘Hello Blynk’, and choose ‘Wi-Fi’ for your connection method.
Finally, hit that create button, and make sure to keep an eye out for the token that’ll be sent to your email – you’ll need it later!.

Blynk is a cool platform that lets you add various widgets to a dashboard, making it super easy to control your IoT devices.
You can simply click on the blank space or hit the plus button to add different widgets, like buttons for configuration.
When you press a button, you can assign it to control a specific Arduino pin, with both digital and analog options.
For instance, you can use the digital setting to turn on the default LED on pin 13.
There are also different button types available: you can go with a push button that activates when you press it or a switch that toggles between on and off.
If you choose the switch, it’ll control pin 13, turning it on when pressed and off when pressed again..

Alright, let’s get your Arduino all set up with Blynk! Once you’ve configured the settings, just hit that Run button at the top right.
Next up, grab the Blynk Arduino Library by following the link for version 0.6.1 and extract the file you downloaded.
Don’t forget to copy the contents from the ‘libraries’ folder into the ‘libraries’ folder in your Arduino directory under documents.
Also, make sure to copy the ‘tools’ folder as it is.
Once you run Arduino again, you’ll see Blynk pop up in the file examples.
When you’re in Blynk, just select the ESP8266 Shield to tweak your code by copying and saving it.
Easy, right?.

To kick things off with your Blynk project, let’s clear out the comment section for a cleaner view.
First things first, you’re gonna want to grab that auth token that landed in your email after you set up the project—just copy and paste it in the right spot.
Then, you’ll need to put in the SSID, which is basically the name of your Wi-Fi network.
If you’re using an Arduino Mega, connect the ESP-01 with Serial1 for smooth sailing; but if you’re on an Arduino Uno, just comment that part out and stick with software serial instead.
Don’t forget to connect your TXD and RXD to pins 6 and 7, and set the baud rate to 9600 ; bumping it up to 115200 isn’t the way to go here..

First, you’ll want to upload the code to your Arduino that’s hooked up to the ESP-01.
After that, fire up the Serial Monitor to keep an eye on the Wi-Fi connection status until it shows ‘Ready’ with a ping—that’s when it’s connected to the Blynk server.
Now, the cool part is, the Arduino has a built-in LED on pin 13 that we can control right from the Blynk app by hitting the Run button.
Blynk really simplifies creating IoT applications, letting you manage and monitor your hardware projects straight from your phone, and you’re not limited by specific boards either.
Plus, it supports different connection methods like Wi-Fi and GSM, making it super versatile for visualizing and storing data.
With your Blynk project set up, you can easily toggle that LED on and off just by tapping the button in the app..

This video is a cool guide on putting together an Internet of Things project using Blynk and ESP-01.
First off, we’ve hooked up the ESP-01 to an Arduino, which lets us get a simple LED blinking action going.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg! You can actually connect and control all sorts of electronic components through Blynk, as shown in the video.
And just wait until the next part, where we’ll add even more components to the Arduino for some nifty control using Blynk..