You can and Should Build XKCD's "Sky Alarm" for Cool Space Things
summary
Claim: a working XKCD “Sky Alarm” runs on Circuit Python and an off‑the‑shelf board, queries a remote Noah forecast, and triggers lights and sound when aurora conditions hit. It uses a Metro ESP32S2 Express with built‑in NeoPixel and buzzer, parses KP values and trips on KP index ≥5, plays WAV files or LEDs, logs events to a local Flask server, and can add I²C sensors via STEMMA QT — no soldering required.
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chapters (9)
- 0:00Introduction
- 3:11Core components
- 5:20Microcontrollers basics
- 8:32Defining a space thing
- 12:02Fetching KP index
- 14:27LED animations and sound
- 17:19Time sync and servers
- 22:25Sensors with I2C
- 24:32Summary
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