Wednesday, December 06, 2017

APEX on udoo x86 (TEST 1)

Not much to add from the previous post except that over the evening I finished the first test that merges all this into one example. The code is simple turn on a light when it shows that oracle says it should be on. try it for yourself : https://github.com/jaughenbaugh/precision-guesswork

Tuesday, December 05, 2017

APEX IoT recipe

So, This happened.

The History:
  Over a year ago (while with Insum) there was an announcement brought to us by Danny Boivin (@DannyBoivin), detailing a new kickstarter program for a maker board that promised a lot.  The main promise was an x86 based maker-board, similar to Arduino or RPi but better.  Well, they delivered.  This year Udoo released their x86 line of single board computers.  I say it is a line because there are options, and more options, but four main boards with a lot of extras. 
  What I saw in this and a reason to buy is a solution to an interesting problem (or at least a good opportunity).  How do we get Application Express, and an Oracle database to interact with an IoT project. It also expands the Arduino maker side of the board with additional pinouts from the x86 core.
  This is why I bought in.


Recipe for APEX IoT:


  • 1+ udoo x86 SBC ( I am using the Advanced Plus board for experimentation)
    • + is cool because apparently you can cluster these things for more fun
  • Connect your stuff (not all required but I am testing after all)
    • M.2 Wireless / BT4
    • M.2 SSD
    • SATA SSD
    • 32GB eMMC (integrated on 2 of the base boards)
    • 64GB micro SD
  • Choose your OS
    • Ubuntu 16 LTS and Windows 10 are recommended but not the only options by far
    • I'm using a hard drive for each but primarily Win 10 Pro
  • Install Software
    • Oracle Database 11g Express Edition 64bit
    • Oracle Application Express v5.1.3
    • Arduino IDE
      • The maker side of this board uses an Intel Curie processor (Arduino 101)
    • Python 2.x.x (64bit)
      • pyserial
      • cx_oracle
      • pyfirmata
    • Any other stuff you need (SQL Developer, Atom, etc)
  That's it for the environment the next thing is the theory of operations.  If you are already doing IoT with a regular Computer (with Apex) and an Arduino UNO then you are way ahead of me and please pipe up on what you've accomplished.

  Also if you are a newbie like me to using a lot of this stuff you can check out this book on getting started with Python for Arduino.
  For me the approach I have is two-fold.
  • Using a python script to reference Oracle data to make the Arduino do work 
    • This is my first set of test cases
  • Oracle Initiated function : Running Python from Scheduler
    • Maybe generating the python code prior to running it
    • This is the ultimate goal
  So there you have it, the first maker-board that has the ability to run Oracle and APEX in the same hardware. Even if it is just consolidating the hardware side of it, it works. 



  More to come as I have it to give. 
 
Cheers!


Wednesday, June 07, 2017

Rally Point



More than a decade ago I got hold of one of the earlier versions of Oracle Application Express (APEX / HTML-DB), and I was immediately hooked.  Over the years the one thing that APEX did not have was a component I’d seen in larger more expensive systems that had less flexibility than APEX ever will.  Workflow.  

So more than a few years ago I began an attempt to create such an engine for the Oracle database and for Oracle Application Express.  The key goals were to produce a solution that was full-featured, yet easy to use, powerful, yet inexpensive. (should I decide to market it)

Enter Relay Workflow.  You can see my posting for the First Look at https://goo.gl/8Sma5y . Obviously, there is still more to do but I feel it is close enough to start showing and talking about it. 

Why Relay Workflow?  First, at times, I am an electronics hobbyist and the relay is a perfect concept of a logic component.  Second, in my younger days I was a competitive runner and the relay race was one of my favorite since it took an individual sport and with the simple addition of a baton having to change hands elevated it to a team sport requiring a bit of skill.

Why did it take so long?  I’m human; I have a family, a full-time job, dogs, and other real-life things that take up time. I would not have had it any other way to be truthful.

But now it has a name, enough function and presence to become real for me, and I aim to make it real for others too.

Stay Tuned.