Arduino is well known for the large variety of sensors / modules that can be connected. It is quite easy to hook up a temperature or humidity sensor to get instant feedback about the surrounding environmental conditions. However, sometimes you do not have a temperature sensor. Sometimes you have a sensor, but would like to know the temperature in other cities ! Or you would like to know what the temperature will be tomorrow?
Well now you can !!
All you need is a Temboo account, an internet connection and the following components:
Parts Required
Project Description
An Arduino UNO (and Ethernet Shield) queries Yahoo using a Temboo account, and retrieves weather information. The data is filtered and processed, and then passed on to another Arduino UNO to be displayed on a TFT LCD module. Two Arduino UNOs are used because the Ethernet library and the UTFT library are both memory hungry, and together consume more memory than one Arduino UNO can handle. Yes - I could have used a different board such as the Arduino MEGA, but where is the fun in that ?? This project will teach you many things:
- How to use an Ethernet Shield with a Temboo account to retrieve internet data
- How to use a TFT LCD module (ITDB02-1.8SP)
- How to reduce memory consumption when using the UTFT library
- How to power two Arduinos with a single USB cable
- How to transmit data from one Arduino to another (via jumper wires)
All of this and a whole lot more !!
Video
Have a look at the following video to see the project in action.

You will need to create a Temboo account to run this project:
Temboo Account Creation
Step 1:
Visit the Temboo website :
https://www.temboo.com/ Create an account by entering a valid email address. Then click on the Sign Up button.
Step 2:
Verify your email address by clicking on the link provided in the email sent by Temboo.
Step 3:
You will be directed to the account setup page: Create an Account Name, and Password for future access to your Temboo Account Check the terms of service and if you agree, then tick the box Press the Go! button
Step 4:
You will then encounter the "Welcome!" screen:
Step 5:
Navigate to the top right of the screen and select the
LIBRARY tab
Step 6:
On the left hand side you will see a list of choreos. Type Yahoo into the search box on the top left of the screen. Navigate to the
GetWeatherByAddress Choreo by clicking on... Yahoo _ Weather _ GetWeatherByAddress
Step 7:
Turn the IoT Mode to ON (in the top right of screen)
Step 8:
What's your platform / device? : Arduino
How is it connected? : Arduino Ethernet The following popup box will appear:
Step 9:
Name: EthernetShield - you can choose any name. Letters and numbers only. No spaces.
Shield Type: Arduino Ethernet
MAC Address : You can normally find the MAC address of the Ethernet shield on the underside. Enter the MAC address without the hyphens. Then click SAVE.
Step 10:
Move to the INPUT section. Enter the Address of the place you want the Temperature for.
Address = Perth, Western Australia Expand the Optional INPUT for extra functionality
Units = c - If you want the temperature in Celcius.
Step 11:
This will automatically generate some Arduino CODE and a HEADER FILE. Don't worry about the Arduino code for now... because I will provide that for you. However, you will need the automatically generated HEADER file. I will show you what to do with that soon. So don't lose it !'

Temboo Library Install
The Temboo library will need to be installed before you copy the Arduino code in the sections below. To install the Temboo library into your Arduino IDE, please follow the link to their instructions:
Installing the Temboo Arduino Library
UTFT Library Install
Download the UTFT library from this site:
http://www.henningkarlsen.com/electronics/library.php?id=51 Once downloaded and extracted. Go into the UTFT folder and look for the
memorysaver.h file. Open this file in a text editor, and "uncomment" all of the TFT modules that are not relevant to this project. I disabled all of the TFT modules except the last 3 (which made reference to ST7735) - see picture below. The TFT module we are using in this project is the ITDB02-1.8SP from ITEAD Studio. Save the memorysaver.h file, and then IMPORT the library into the Arduino IDE as per the normal library import procedure.
If you do not modify the memorysaver.h file, the Arduino SLAVE sketch will not compile.
Arduino Code (MASTER)
This project uses 2 Arduino UNOs. One will be the Master, and one will be the Slave. The following code is for the Arduino MASTER. Open up the Arduino IDE. (I am using Arduino IDE version 1.6) Paste the following code into the Arduino IDE code window.
PLEASE NOTE: You may need to change some of the lines to accomodate your INPUTS from step 10. Have a look around line 36 and 37.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 | /* =============================================================================== Project: Weather Reporter: Temboo, Ethernet, Arduino Title: ARDUINO MASTER: Get temperature from Yahoo using Temboo Author: Scott C Created: 27th February 2015 Arduino IDE: 1.6.0 Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html Description: The following sketch was designed for the Arduino MASTER device. It will retrieve temperature/weather information from Yahoo using your Temboo account (https://www.temboo.com/), which will then be sent to the Arduino Slave device to be displayed on a TFT LCD module. Libraries : Ethernet Library (that comes with Arduino IDE) Temboo Arduino Library - https://www.temboo.com/sdk/arduino Temboo Library installation instructions for Arduino: https://www.temboo.com/arduino/others/library-installation
You will also need to copy your Temboo Account information into a new tab and call it TembooAccount.h. Please follow the instructions on the ArduinoBasics blog for more information. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
#include <SPI.h> #include <Dhcp.h> #include <Dns.h> #include <Ethernet.h> #include <EthernetClient.h> #include <Temboo.h> #include "TembooAccount.h" // Contains Temboo account information - in a new tab. #include <Wire.h>
byte ethernetMACAddress[] = ETHERNET_SHIELD_MAC; //ETHERNET_SHIELD_MAC variable located in TembooAccount.h EthernetClient client;
String Address = "Perth, Western Australia"; // Find temperature for Perth, Western Australia String Units = "c"; // Display the temperature in degrees Celcius
String ForeCastDay[7]; //String Array to hold the day of the week String ForeCastTemp[7]; //String Array to hold the temperature for that day of week.
int counter1=0; //Counters used in FOR-LOOPS. int counter2=0;
boolean downloadTemp = true; // A boolean variable which controls when to query Yahoo for Temperature information.
void setup() { Wire.begin(); // join i2c bus : Used to communicate to the Arduino SLAVE device. // Ethernet shield must initialise properly to continue with sketch. if (Ethernet.begin(ethernetMACAddress) == 0) { while(true); } //Provide some time to get both Arduino's ready for Temperature Query. delay(2000); }
void loop() { if (downloadTemp) { downloadTemp=false; //Stop Arduino from Querying Temboo repeatedly getTemperature(); //Retrieve Temperature data from Yahoo transmitResults(); //Transmit the temperature results to the Slave Arduino } }
/* This function will Query Yahoo for Temperature information (using a Temboo account) */
void getTemperature(){ TembooChoreo GetWeatherByAddressChoreo(client);
// Invoke the Temboo client GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.begin();
// Set Temboo account credentials GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.setAccountName(TEMBOO_ACCOUNT); //TEMBOO_ACCOUNT variable can be found in TembooAccount.h file or tab GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.setAppKeyName(TEMBOO_APP_KEY_NAME); //TEMBOO_APP_KEY_NAME variable can be found in TembooAccount.h file or tab GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.setAppKey(TEMBOO_APP_KEY); //TEMBOO_APP_KEY variable can be found in TembooAccount.h file or tab
// Set Choreo inputs GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.addInput("Units", Units); // Set the Units to Celcius GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.addInput("Address", Address); // Set the Weather Location to Perth, Western Australia
// Identify the Choreo to run GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.setChoreo("/Library/Yahoo/Weather/GetWeatherByAddress");
// This output filter will extract the expected temperature for today GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.addOutputFilter("Temperature", "/rss/channel/item/yweather:condition/@temp", "Response"); // These output filters will extract the forecasted temperatures (we need to know the day and temperature for that day) GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.addOutputFilter("ForeCastDay", "/rss/channel/item/yweather:forecast/@day", "Response"); GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.addOutputFilter("ForeCastHigh", "/rss/channel/item/yweather:forecast/@high", "Response");
// Run the Choreo; GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.run();
//Reset our counters before proceeding counter1 = 0; counter2 = 0; while(GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.available()) { // This will get the first part of the output String name = GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.readStringUntil('\x1F'); name.trim(); // get rid of newlines
// This will get the second part of the output String data = GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.readStringUntil('\x1E'); data.trim(); // get rid of newlines
//Fill the String Arrays with the Temperature/Weather data if (name == "Temperature") { ForeCastDay[counter1] = "Today"; ForeCastTemp[counter2] = data; counter1++; counter2++; } if(name=="ForeCastDay"){ ForeCastDay[counter1] = data; counter1++; } if(name=="ForeCastHigh"){ ForeCastTemp[counter2] = data; counter2++; } } //Close the connection to Temboo website GetWeatherByAddressChoreo.close(); } /* This function is used to transmit the temperature data to the Slave Arduino */ void transmitResults(){ char tempData[10]; int tempStringLength = 0; //Modify the current temp to "Now" ForeCastDay[0] = "Now"; //Send * to Slave Arduino to prepare for Temperature Transmission Wire.beginTransmission(4); // Transmit to device #4 (Slave Arduino) Wire.write("*"); delay(500); Wire.endTransmission(); delay(500); //Send the temperatures on the Slave Arduino to be displayed on the TFT module. for (int j=0; j<20; j++){ for (int i=0; i<6; i++){ memset(tempData,0,sizeof(tempData)); //Clear the character array String tempString = String(ForeCastDay[i] + "," + ForeCastTemp[i] + "."); tempStringLength = tempString.length(); tempString.toCharArray(tempData, tempStringLength+1); Wire.beginTransmission(4); // Transmit to device #4 (Slave Arduino) Wire.write(tempData); delay(1000); Wire.endTransmission(); delay(4000); } } /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- // You can use this to send temperature results to the Serial Monitor. // However, you will need a Serial.begin(9600); statement in setup(). Serial.println("The Current Temperature is " + ForeCastTemp[5] + " C"); Serial.println(); Serial.println("The Expected Temperature for"); for (int i=0; i<5; i++){ Serial.println(ForeCastDay[i] + " : " + ForeCastTemp[i] + " C"); } ---------------------------------------------------------- */ } |
Select "New Tab" from the drop-down menu on the top right of the IDE.
Name the file: TembooAccount.h
Paste the contents of the HEADER file from the Temboo webpage (Step 11 above) into the TembooAccount.h tab. If you do not have the TembooAccount.h tab with the contents of this HEADER file next to your Arduino Master sketch, then it will NOT work.
Make sure to SAVE the Arduino Sketch and upload the code to the Arduino (MASTER)
Arduino Code (SLAVE)
This project uses 2 Arduino UNOs. One will be the Master, and one will be the Slave. The following code is for the Arduino SLAVE. Make sure to disconnect the Arduino MASTER from your computer, and keep it to one side. Connect the Arduino SLAVE to your computer, and upload the following code to it. Make sure to create a new sketch for this code (File _ New).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 | /* =============================================================================== Project: Weather Reporter: Temboo, Ethernet, Arduino Title: ARDUINO SLAVE: Display temperature on TFT LCD Module Author: Scott C Created: 27th February 2015 Arduino IDE: 1.6.0 Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html Description: The following sketch was designed for the Arduino SLAVE device. It will receive temperature information from the Arduino MASTER and then display this information on the ITDB02-1.8SP TFT LCD Module. Please read the important notes below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES: This sketch makes use of the UTFT.h library from : http://www.henningkarlsen.com/electronics/library.php?id=51 Please note: You will need to modify the memorysaver.h file in the UTFT folder with a text editor to disable any unused TFT modules. This will save memory, and allow you to run this sketch on an Arduino UNO. I disabled all TFT modules in that file except the last 3 (which made reference to ST7735). I used a ITDB02-1.8SP TFT LCD Module from ITEAD Studio. PinOut:
Arduino SLAVE ITDB02-1.8SP TFT 3.3V ---- VDD33 Digital9 (D9)---- CS Digital8 (D8)---- SCL Digital7 (D7)---- SDA Digital6 (D6)---- RS Digital5 (D5)---- RST GND ---- GND 5V ---- VIN
Usage: UTFT myGLCD(<model code>, SDA, SCL, CS, RST, RS); Example: UTFT myGLCD(ITDB18SP,7,8,9,5,6);
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This sketch also makes use of the Wire.h library. The Wire.h library comes with the Arduino IDE. This enables communication between Arduino Master and Arduino Slave. PinOut:
Arduino MASTER Arduino SLAVE Analog4(A4) ---- Analog4 (A4) Analog5(A5) ---- Analog5 (A5) GND ---- GND
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Arduino Slave is powered by the Arduino Master: PinOut:
Arduino MASTER Arduino SLAVE 5V ---- VIN
================================================================================== */
#include <UTFT.h> #include <Wire.h>
//Declare all of the fonts extern uint8_t SmallFont[]; extern uint8_t BigFont[]; extern uint8_t SevenSegNumFont[];
// Usage: UTFT myGLCD(<model code>, SDA, SCL, CS, RST, RS); UTFT myGLCD(ITDB18SP,7,8,9,5,6);
boolean tempDisplay = false; //Helps with processing the data from the Arduino MASTER boolean readTemp = false; //Helps to differentiate the day from the temperature values String dayOfWeek=""; //Variable used to hold the Day of the Week String tempReading=""; //Variable used to hold the Temperature for that day
String Units = "'C "; //Display Temperature in Celcius String Address = "Perth, WA"; //Address to show at top of Display
void setup(){ // Initialise the TFT LCD myGLCD.InitLCD(); initialiseLCD(); delay(5000); //Setup the Serial communication between the Arduino MASTER and SLAVE Wire.begin(4); // join i2c bus with address #4 Wire.onReceive(receiveEvent); // register event }
void loop(){ delay(50); }
/* This function initialises the TFT LCD, and draws the initial screen. */ void initialiseLCD(){ //Clear the screen myGLCD.clrScr(); //Draw the borders (top and bottom) myGLCD.setColor(25, 35, 4); myGLCD.fillRect(0, 0, 159, 13); myGLCD.fillRect(0, 114, 159, 127); myGLCD.drawLine(0,18,159,18); myGLCD.drawLine(0,109,159,109); //Header and Footer Writing myGLCD.setColor(255, 255, 255); myGLCD.setBackColor(25, 35, 4); myGLCD.setFont(SmallFont); myGLCD.print("arduinobasics", CENTER, 1); myGLCD.print("blogspot.com", CENTER, 114); }
/* This function executes whenever data is received from Arduino master It will ignore all data from the Master until it receives a '*' character. Once this character is received, it will call the receiveTemp() function in order to receive Temperature data from the Arduino Master. */ void receiveEvent(int howMany){ if(tempDisplay){ receiveTemp(); }else{ while(0 < Wire.available()){ char c = Wire.read(); // receive byte as a character if(c=='*'){ // Searching for a '*' character tempDisplay=true; // If '*' received, then call receiveTemp() function } } } }
/* This function is used to receive and process the Temperature data from the Arduino Master and pass it on to the displayTemp() funtion. */ void receiveTemp(){ tempReading=""; dayOfWeek = ""; while(0 < Wire.available()){ char c = Wire.read(); // receive byte as a character if(readTemp){ if(c=='.'){ // If a . is detected. It is the end of the line. readTemp=false; }else{ tempReading=tempReading+c; } }else{ if(c==','){ } else { dayOfWeek=dayOfWeek+c; } } if(c==','){ readTemp=true; } } displayTemp(); }
/* Display the Temperature readings on the TFT LCD screen. */ void displayTemp(){ //Clear the writing on top and bottom of screen myGLCD.setColor(25, 35, 4); myGLCD.fillRect(0, 0, 159, 13); myGLCD.fillRect(0, 114, 159, 127); //Small writing on top and bottom of screen myGLCD.setColor(255, 255, 255); myGLCD.setBackColor(25, 35, 4); myGLCD.setFont(SmallFont); myGLCD.print(Address, CENTER, 1); myGLCD.print(dayOfWeek, CENTER, 114); //Write the big temperature reading in middle of screen myGLCD.setBackColor(0, 0, 0); myGLCD.setFont(SevenSegNumFont); myGLCD.print(tempReading, CENTER, 40); //Write the Units next to the temperature reading myGLCD.setFont(BigFont); myGLCD.print(Units, RIGHT, 40); } |
Wiring it up
Once the code has been uploaded to both Arduinos (Master and Slave), I tend to label each Arduino so that I don't mix them up. You will notice an 'S' marked on the SLAVE in some of the photos/videos. Then it is time to piggy-back the shields onto the Arduinos and wire them up. Make sure you disconnect the USB cable from the Arduinos before you start doing this.
Step 1: Ethernet Shield
Place the Ethernet shield onto the Arduino MASTER. Connect an Ethernet cable (RJ45) to the Ethernet shield. The other end will connect to your internet router.
Step 2: Arduino SLAVE and TFT LCD module
You can either wire up the TFT LCD module on a breadboard, or you can use a ProtoShield with mini-breadboard. It doesn't really matter how you hook it up, but make sure you double check the connections and the TFT specifications before you power it up. I have powered the Arduino Slave by connecting it to the Arduino Master (see fritzing sketch below).
There is no reason why you couldn't just power the slave seperately. In fact this is probably the safer option. But I read that this power-sharing setup was ok, so I wanted to give it a go. I have no idea whether it would be suitable for a long term power project... so use it at your own risk. I tried using 4 x AA batteries to power this circuit, but found that the LCD screen would flicker. So then I tried a 9V battery, and noticed that the 5V voltage regulator was heating up more than I felt comfortable with. In the end, I settled with the USB option, and had no further issues. I am sure there are other possible options, and feel free to mention them in the comments below.
Use the following fritzing sketch and tables to help you wire this circuit up.
Fritzing sketch
Arduino MASTER to SLAVE connection table
Arduino SLAVE to ITDB02-1.8SP TFT LCD
ITDB02-1.8SP TFT LCD Module Pictures
Project Pictures

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