This release has the following changes:

• [Feature] Use node-hid for all operating systems
• [Security] Bump express from 3.1.1 to 4.17.1 in /examples/picker
• [Feature] Updated documentation

Please note that the udev rule for Linux systems has to be updated to support new API without root.

More details about setting up new library for your operating system can be found on Github:

https://github.com/arvydas/blinkstick-node

Happy blinking!

Manuel Alabor built and shared a Node.js module to show TeamCity build status with the help of BlinkStick! All source code and instructions can be found on his project’s Github page.

Go behind the scenes to see how BlinkStick Nanos are built! In this video I cover everything it takes to make the device: solder paste, component placement with pick and place machine, reflowing in a modified toaster oven, depanelization, programming, testing and packaging. That’s a lot to cover in under 14 minutes!

Script works by checking connectivity to Google DNS server’s IP address. This approach avoid errors when DNS is not available, but the Internet connection is still up and running. When connection can be established, BlinkStick will light up green. When connection is not available, BlinkStick will start pulsing red and will turn green back again when connection is reestablished. Script tries to connect to Google DNS server every second so the notification is almost instant.

I tried to make the script as compact as possible and also documented most of the code to make it easier to understand and change.

Example: Display Internet connectivity status

David Harris posted a great tutorial on how to set up Raspberry Pi, TI SensorTag 2 and BlinkStick to act as a smart light that responds to remote lighting conditions. Head over to hakster.io for a very in depth tutorial.

https://github.com/arvydas/blinkstick-node/wiki/Blink-indefinitely-and-stop-blinking-when-key-is-pressed

Alpine Linux seems to be getting quite popular for it’s extremely small size and great package availability. Installing BlinkStick with Node.JS or Python support is quite simple.

Node.JS

Install by running these two commands:

sudo apk add --update alpine-sdk nodejs linux-headers libusb-dev eudev-dev
npm install blinkstick

Test the installation by running the following example:

node node_modules/blinkstick/examples/blink/blink.js

Find out more about BlinkStick Node module.

Python

sudo apk add --update alpine-sdk libusb python py-pip
sudo pip install blinkstick

Run the command line tool which comes bundled with BlinkStick Python package to test the installation:

blinkstick red

Find out more about BlinkSick Python package.

New BlinkStick Client 2.0-RC9 has been released. Fixes and improvements in this release:

• Mac OSX support, tested on Mavericks and Yosemite.
• New icons for UI
• Latest version of GTK 2.12.30 supported

OS X release does not support the following notifications yet:

• Ambilight – ambilight effect by calculating average color of the screen
• Application – active application trigger
• Disk Space – notification about disk space used
• Keyboard – ability to use keyboard shortcut to trigger a pattern

The support for these notifications will be added in the future releases.

Download the new release:

• Windows BlinkStickClient-Setup-2.0-rc9-x86.exe
• OSX BlinkStickClient-2.0-rc9.pkg

OSX release requires Mono runtime which can be downloaded by following this link:

http://www.mono-project.com/download/

BlinkStick Forums is the best place to get support and ask questions.

New BlinkStick Client 2.0-RC8 has been released. Fixes and improvements in this release:

• Fix crash when BlinkStick is detected first time
• Optimize overall CPU usage
• Optimize ambilight notification to send data only when color changes
• Added _duration_ parameter for standalone BlinkStick.com server

The overall CPU usage has dropped significantly. Huge thanks goes to amazing community at BlinkStick Forums for reporting this issue.

Download the new release BlinkStickClient-Setup-2.0-rc8-x86.exe.

BlinkStick Forums is the best place to get support and ask questions.

Dmitri Popov has written and amazing article about BlinkStick and it is featured in the latest edition of Rasperry Pi Geek!

<..> Born as a single relatively simple LED device, BlinkStick has evolved into several distinct products. Each BlinkStick model has unique characteristics that make it suitable for specific projects and purposes. <..> All BlinkStick models have one thing in common, though: They feature bright multi-colored RGB LEDs that can be controlled individually. <..>

Dmitri has written an overview of BlinkStick devices, a tutorial about setting up BlinkStick on the Raspberry Pi and some great examples on how to utilize the super bright LEDs on the device. Raspberry Pi Geek is a fantastic magazine so head over and subscribe if you haven’t done so already!

Read more…