This document provides an introduction to getting started with the Particle Photon microcontroller. It describes Particle, the company that produces the Photon, and the Photon hardware and software features. It then outlines workshops for creating a Particle account, connecting and claiming a Photon device, flashing an onboard LED using the Particle Web IDE, and connecting an external LED. The goal is to provide hands-on tutorials to help new users get acquainted with the Particle Photon.

1. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Getting started with the
Particle Photon
PETE GALLAGHER
PJGCREATIONS.CO.UK
24/01/2019

2. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
About Me
Pete Gallagher
@pete_codes / @PJGCreations
www.PJGCreations.co.uk
Pete@PJGCreations.co.uk
IT Consultant
Decades of Desktop, Web & Embedded Software experience
Gadget Addict
Father of two inquisitive girls

3. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
What we’re going to be doing…
 Who are Particle?
 What devices do they produce?
 The Particle Photon
 Photon Hardware
 Particle Software
 The Web IDE
 The Photon Maker Kit
 Workshop
 Q&A

4. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Who are Particle?

5. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Who are Particle?
 Founded in 2011 by Zachary Crockett and
Zach Supalla
 Originally called Spark Inc.. Changed to
Particle in 2015
 Based in Minneapolis with offices in San
Francisco, California and Shenzhen
 Roughly 80 employees.
 Revenue over $20M
 Attempting to consolidate the fragmented
IoT market.

6. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Devices

7. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Devices
Photon
Arduino Based Wifi Enabled Module
Electron
Arduino Based 2G/3G Enabled Module

8. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Devices
Argon
WIFI Mesh Gateway
Boron
LTE Mesh Gateway
Xenon
Mesh Endpoint & Repeater
Mesh Network:

9. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Devices
P1 Series
WIFI
E Series
Cellular
A / B / X Series
WIFI / Cellular + MESH
Mass Production:

10. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
The Particle Photon

11. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Manufacturer: Particle
Processor:
STM32F205RGY6 ARM Cortex M3 @ 120Mhz
+ 1MB Flash, 128KB RAM
Connectivity:
Broadcom BCM43362 Wi-Fi chip –
802.11 b/g/n, USB
I/O: 18 GPIO Pins – SPI, I2C, Digital, Analogue
Sensors etc: Onboard RGB LED
Cost: £20
Particle Hardware

12. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
Micro USB
For 3v3 power and also PC Access via
the CLI

13. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
P0 Module
Contains the Microcontroller, WIFI
module, memory etc

14. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
Setup Button
Press and hold to enter Wifi Setup Mode

15. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
Reset Button
Used to enter Safe and Firmware Update
Modes

16. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
Status LED
Signals the current Status of the Photon
LED Status Docs:
http://bit.ly/photonledstatus

17. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
On-board LED
Used for Hello World and your own app
signalling.

18. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
GPIO
Power, UART, Digital I/O, Analog I/O etc

19. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
Digital I/O
8 Digital I/O pins
(D7 connected to on-board LED)

20. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
Analogue I/O
8 Analogue I/O pins

21. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
UART
Onboard UART Tx and Rx.
Also extra Digital I/O

22. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
RTC Power Supply
3v3 Backup Power for the on-board Real
Time Clock Module and SRAM.

23. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Hardware
WIFI Aerial
Connector for external WIFI Aerial

24. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Software

25. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Web IDE:
Particle Software

26. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Particle Workbench for VS Code
Particle Software

27. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Desktop IDE
Particle Software

28. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Desktop CLI
Particle Software

29. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Android App
Particle Software

30. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Web IDE

31. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
1) The Particle Web IDE
Web IDE

32. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
2) The Particle Web IDE – Code Editor
Web IDE

33. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
3) The Particle Web IDE – File Explorer
Web IDE

34. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
4) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox
Web IDE

35. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
5) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Save
Web IDE
Save
Saves the Code to the
Particle Cloud.

36. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
6) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Verify
Web IDE
Verify
Checks the Code for
Compilation Errors.

37. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
7) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Flash
Web IDE
Flash
Flashes the code to
the device.

38. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
8) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Code
Web IDE
Code
Shows the Code
Editor.

39. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
9) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Libraries
Web IDE
Libraries
Browse extra Code
Libraries.

40. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
10) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Help
Web IDE
Help
Quick Reference Help
(Mainly LED Status).

41. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
11) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Docs
Web IDE
Docs*
Opens the Device
Documentation.

42. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
12) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Devices
Web IDE
Devices
Lists all claimed
Particle Devices.

43. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
13) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Console
Web IDE
Console*
Shows Device Events
and Debug Messages.

44. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
14) The Particle Web IDE – Toolbox Commands - Settings
Web IDE
Settings
Account and Cache
Options.

45. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit

46. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Box

47. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Particle Photon + Breadboard

48. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Micro USB Cable

49. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Jumper Wires

50. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Rainbow Ribbon Cable

51. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
ProtoBoard

52. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Pin Headers

53. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
OLED Screen

54. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
WIFI Antenna

55. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Capacitors

56. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Resistors

57. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
LEDs and Diodes

58. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Switches, Buttons, Relay, Sounder, PIR

59. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Servo

60. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Battery Holder

61. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Photon Maker Kit
Sticker!

62. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
http://bit.ly/photonmakerkittutorials
Photon Maker Kit
More Information…

63. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Workshop

64. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Make Something!

65. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Workshop – Part 1
Create a Particle Account

66. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
1) Register for an account at https://build.particle.io/build
Workshop - Part 1
Create Account

67. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
2) Register for an account at https://build.particle.io/build
Workshop – Part 1
Create Account

68. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
3) The Particle Web IDE
Workshop – Part 1
Create Account

69. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

70. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
1) Claim your Photon – Goto https://setup.particle.io/
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

71. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
2) Claim your Photon – Setup Photon:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

72. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
3) Claim your Photon – Download Photon Setup HTML File:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

73. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
4) Claim your Photon – Open Photon Setup HTML File:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

74. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
5) Claim Your Photon - Press and Hold the Setup Button
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

75. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
6) Claim your Photon – Connect Computer to Photon:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

76. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
7) Claim your Photon – Connect Photon to Internet:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

77. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
8) Claim your Photon – Check Photon is Connected:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

78. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
9) Claim your Photon – Name Your Photon:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

79. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
10) Claim your Photon – Photon is Setup:
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

80. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
11) Return to the Particle Web IDE – build.particle.io
Workshop – Part 2
Connect and Claim your Photon

81. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

82. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
1) Click the Devices Toolbar Button:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

83. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
2) Click the Star next to your new device to select it for flashing:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

84. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
3) Press the Right Arrow next to your device to show Details:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

85. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
4) From the “System firmware target”, choose 0.7.0:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

86. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
5) Press the Code Button to return to the Code View:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

87. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
6) Select the First Example App “Blink an LED”:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

88. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
7) Click the “USE THIS EXAMPLE” button to create a new file:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

89. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
8) A new file is created ready to Edit or Flash:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

90. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
9) Press the Flash Button:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

91. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
10) Verify that the Photon is programmed and the LED is flashing:
Workshop – Part 3
Flash an LED

92. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Workshop – Part 4
Connect another LED

93. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
1) Connect a 220 Ohm Resister and a LED to the Photon:
Workshop – Part 4
Flash an LED

94. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
2) Connecting up the LED to the Photon:
Workshop – Part 4
Flash an LED

95. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

96. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
1) Select the Second Example App “Web-Connected LED”:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

97. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
2) Press the “USE THIS EXAMPLE” button to create a new File:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

98. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
3) A new file is created ready to Edit or Flash:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

99. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
4) Press the Flash Button:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

100. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
5) Press the Console Button to open the Console:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

101. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
6) Press the My Devices Button to open the Device List:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

102. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
7) Select your Photon from the List to view its properties:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

103. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
8) In the Functions box, check that the new “led” function exists:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

104. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
9) Enter “on” in the “Argument” box and press the “Call” Button:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

105. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
10) The LED should illuminate and the function returns “led = 1”:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

106. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
11) Enter “off” in the “Argument” box and press the “Call” Button:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

107. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
12) The LED should go off and the function returns “led = 0”:
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED

108. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
13) More Information…
Workshop – Part 5
A Web Connected LED
http://bit.ly/particlefunctions

109. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Questions

110. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Confused… Just Ask!

111. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
 Particle Docs:
https://docs.particle.io
 Photon Docs:
https://bit.ly/photondocs
Links

112. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
 Twitter
@PJGCreations
 Email:
pete@pjgcreations.co.uk
 Notts IoT:
https://www.nottsiot.co.uk
 Today’s Slides:
http://bit.ly/PhotonGetStartedJan19
Contact Me

113. Getting started with the Particle Photon – © Pete Gallagher – PJG Creations - 2019
Thanks!