This repo contains a hands on guide showing how to control Neopixel powered holiday lights with Python running on a Raspberry Pi with Azure IoT Central and the Microsoft Power Platform.
- A Raspberry Pi, SD card and power supply. You can use any Pi that can connect to the internet, so any Pi 3/4 with WiFi, a Pi Zero W, or a Pi Zero with a USB ethernet connection. If you are using a Pi Zero you may want to solder headers on to make it easier to connect the Neopixels.
- Programmable LEDs - anything based on WS2812 or WS2812B such as Neopixels or other programmable LED strip such as this one
- A 5v power supply, either a USB 2 to terminal block cable or a DC 5v power supply
- Appropriate cables depending on the LED strip you have and power supply
To work through this guide, you will need an Azure subscription. There won't be any cost to creating this project, as you will be using a free tier of the IoT service.
If you are a student aged 18 and up and have an email address from an academic institution, you can sign up for the free Azure for Students offer at azure.microsoft.com/free/students without a credit card. At the time of writing this gives you $100 of credit to use over 12 months, as well as free tiers of a number of services for that 12 months. At the end of the 12 months, if you are still a student you can renew and get another $100 in credit and 12 months of free services.
You can also sign up for the GitHub Student Developer Pack for a wide range of student software and services, and for there sign up for an Azure for Students account.
If you are not a student, you can sign up at azure.microsoft.com/free. You'll need a credit card for verification purposes only, you'll not be billed unless you decide to upgrade your account to a paid offering. At the time of writing the free account will give you US$200 of free credit to spend on what you like in the first 30 days, 12 months of free services, plus a load of services that have tiers that are always free.
You will also need a Power Platform account. If you don't have one, you can sign up for a community plan. This will give you a free environment for learning and building your own apps.