Node-RED and Raspberry Pi Pico W Getting Started

Update August 2025I uploaded the Node-RED flow JSON files for the lectures of section 13 to the course Github repository.---I've created this course to help you learn Node-RED and the Raspberry Pi Pico W. Whether you're an engineering educator, a student, an industrial automation professional, a research scientist, or an electronics hobbyist, these two technologies are essential.Node-RED is an incredible open-source software development tool that allows you to create programs visually instead of writing them line by line.The Raspberry Pi Pico W is a remarkable Wi-Fi microcontroller board for embedded projects. It offers high performance at a low cost.This course teaches you how to set up a system that contains Node-RED and the Raspberry Pi Pico W .You'll gain a solid understanding of Node-RED nodes, flows, and even MicroPython, enabling you to program the Pico W to interact with various peripherals. Additionally, this course covers essential topics such as MQTT, Ubuntu Linux virtual machines, Docker, and MySQL.Designed specifically for beginners with a basic knowledge of electronics, this course will guide you step-by-step through everything you need to know.Part 1: Node-RED for the absolute beginnerPart 1 is dedicated to Node-RED for the absolute beginner. In Part 1, you will learn about Node-RED and event-driven systems, how to install an instance using Docker, the basics of nodes and flows, the dashboard and MQTT. Part 2: Add Raspberry Pi Pico WIn the lectures of Part 2, you will learn how to use the Pico W as a Node-RED peripheral. You will learn to use MQTT to enable communications between the Pico and the Node-RED instance. You