Cryptocurrency Tracker in E-Paper using WisBlock
If you are into cryptocurrency or decentralized applications, this WisBlock project is for you. This project shows the latest cryptocurrency value of three popular crypto coins. It tracks three cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin(BTC), Ethereum(ETH) and Helium(HNT). It uses coingecko API as a source of data and it shows US Dollar and Euro values. It also shows the percentage change on the value of the cryptocurrency in the last 24 hours.
In this project, you need a RAK11200 as the WisBlock Core which is capable to have WiFi connection. The RAK11200 is based on ESP32. It will connect to the internet via WiFi then will use the coingecko API to get the latest values.
To display the data, you need to use the WisBlock RAK14000 E-Ink (E-paper) Module. This display module is very low power making it ideal for IoT projects that are battery-powered or for projects that are running continuously for 24 hours. The RAK14000 also has three push button membrane switches that can be used to toggle through the specific cryptocurrency you want to see the current value of.
Aside from RAK11200 (WisBlock Core) and RAK14000 (WisBlock E-Ink/E-Paper), you also need a WisBlock Baseboard that has an IO slot. In this project, we will use a RAK5005-O.
These are the easy steps on how to build this project:
1. Get the hardware modules needed and connect the modules together.
RAK11200 WisBlock Core
RAK5005-O WisBlock Base
RAK14000 WisBlock Display
2. Install RAKwireless ESP32 BSP for RAK11200. The full instruction can be found in RAK11200 quick start guide.
3. Test your setup if all is working by running the sample code of RAK14000 for the RAK11200 WisBlock Core. By doing this test, you are sure that your hardware are all in tiptop shape. The complete guide for running the sample sketch is detailed in RAK14000 quick start guide. An important note before hitting the upload button when using RAK11200, is to make sure that you press the reset button firstwhile BOOT0 pin is shorted before doing any firmware upload. Your upload will fail if you don’t do this. The complete guide is in the quick start guide of RAK11200.
4. You can now run the Cryptocurrency Tracker sketch on your RAK11200. You can get the source code from WisBlock github repository. Make sure to update the SSDI and Password on your sketch to establish the WiFi connection.
If you successfully uploaded the Cryptocurrency Tracker sketch, you should see WisBlock Crypto Tracker at the start (some sort of a splash screen).
Then in less than a minute, it will show BTC value as the default coin selected.
The three buttons correspond to BTC, ETH and HNT. You can press the button to set what coin you want to see. The selected coin will update its value every minute. You can change the update interval as you like.
That’s all for this crypto related project! You can improve this project and add more functionalities like adding buzzer for alerts and extra integrations like email, etc. You can even add more crypto currencies and other currency aside from USD and EURO. And with more and more WisBlock modules being released, IoT application ideas are really endless!
