Node RED to Datacake

In this tutorial we will show you how you bring your devices into the Datacake Portal using Node-RED.

Node-RED is a popular tool that can be installed on smaller Linux Computers and help you create things without the need to write code.

Node-RED Nodes

Datacake does provide custom Node-RED extension:

Installing the Extension

  • Navigate into the "Manage Palette" setting on your Node-RED

  • Select "Install" and enter "Datacake" as the search term

  • If not yet installed press "Install" on the element in the List

  • The Datacake Nodes will now automatically installed

Configuring the Nodes

  • To start with Datcake Node-RED Nodes simply drag one of the Nodes onto an empty flow

  • Double-Click on the Node to open up Configuration:

Add Datacake Node Configuration

  • Each Datacake Node can access a Device

  • To access Devices the Node needs to communicate with a Workspace

  • You do this by providing an Access Key

  • Now click on the "Edit"-Icon next to "Add new Datacake-Configuration":

  • Now you have to enter an API Key which you need to create in your Workspace

  • This API Key needs all rights so that you can access all devices

  • Also it makes sense to give this API Key permission for all Devices in Workspace so that all current and future devices will be automatically added to the Node-RED Node.

Learn More about creating API Keys here:

pageAPI Users

  • The key should look like:

Add Key to Node-RED Node

  • Now you add the Key to your Node-RED configuration in your Node-RED

  • Shortly after entering you can select the Workspace

  • Select one Workspace and press "Add"

  • This will bring you back to the configuration of the Node and here you can now select the Device + Field from which you want to receive data:

Sending Data

  • If you want to Send Data from Node-RED into Datacake via Nodes simply drag the Output Node onto your flow and configure the Node like the input node:

Node-RED Function Code

Datacake does provide custom Node-RED Nodes that interact with Node-RED over the MQTT API. These are however more suitable for real-time use-cases as they report live measurement value changes.

If you are however looking for a way to record multiple measurements simultaneously you should go for using the REST-API instead.

This following example shows a script that can be embedded in a Node-RED function-Node which then needs to be hooked up to an HTTP-Request-Node.

When a message hits the function-Node, the script performs a write operation with the Datacake API and records measurement values send through the function into a given Datacake Device.

Script

// Set device_id to serial-number of Datacake API Device
var device_id = "be525e29-4398-4fc1-a928-dead7fdfe218";

// Set Token to your personal access token or individual token
var token = "put your token in here";

// This is the API Information for the HTTP Request Node
msg.url = "https://api.datacake.co/v1/devices/"+device_id+"/record/?batch=true"

// Create Header for Node-RED HTTP Node
msg.headers = {
    "Authorization": "Token "+token,
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
};

// Now we are going to create the Payload we forward to Datacake API
msg.payload = [
    {
        "field": "WATT",
        "value": msg.payload.watt
    },
    {
        "field": "AMPERE",
        "value": msg.payload.ampere
    },
    {
        "field": "VOLT",
        "value": msg.payload.volt
    }
];

// Return it - were all set!
return msg;

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