Introduction to Node MCU

 NodeMCU is an open-source IoT platform. It includes firmware that runs on the ESP8266 Wi-Fi system on a chip(SoC) from Espressif Systems and hardware which is based on the ESP-12 module. The term "NodeMCU" by default refers to the firmware rather than the development kits. The firmware uses the Lua scripting language. It is based on the eLua project and built on the Espressif Non-OS SDK for ESP8266.

In simple words, NodeMCU is a WiFi-enabled microcontroller. It has a micro USB connector so it could be connected to any computer using data cable. The only thing that you must remember that it is a 3.3V logic level device. It means you will get a 3.3V digital high signal and giving more than 3.3V signal is not safe for the controller, however, the input voltage can vary from 5 to 12V.

NodeMCU Pinout contains 9 Digital pins, 1 Analog Pins, 1 Reset Pins & 4 Power Pins. Although some pins are very difficult to use sometimes. 

Let's have a look at the pinout.

 

• D0 - D8 are Digital Pins
• A0 is the only analog pin

The Micro USB port makes it very easy to connect with PC. Node MCU can be programmed using Arduino IDE but when we program it with Arduino IDE the original Lua firmware gets overwritten or in other words lost.

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In our next blog, we will discuss the programming process of the NodeMCU.