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Node-RED and Raspberry Pi Pico W Getting Started (Udemy.com)

Learn Node-RED, Raspberry Pi Pico W, and MicroPython, and add these state-of-the-art tools to your technology toolkit.

Created by: Dr. Peter Dalmaris

Last updated December 2024

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What you will learn

  • Node-RED in IoT and event-driven systems.
  • Setting up an Ubuntu virtual machine as a Node-RED host.
  • Node-RED using Docker.
  • Docker persistence volumes.
  • Raspberry Pi Pico and MicroPython.
  • Using MQTT to enable communications between Node-RED and Raspberry Pi Pico W.
  • Node-RED security options.
  • Understanding the Node-RED editor, nodes, flows, creating and deploying.
  • Node-RED dashboard and widgets.
  • MQTT installation, testing, authentication.
  • Use various hardware components with the Raspberry Pi Pico W: switches, buttons, joystick, LCD, RGB strip, servo and DC motors, RFID, IR, sensors.
  • Node-RED and advanced nodes like RBE, switch, catch. Flow groups, secure credentials, environment variables.
  • Node-RED with external services and APIs: RESTful APIs, OpenWeatherMap, Google Sheet.
  • Node-RED with mySQL.

How it compares

Against the other 295 rated Udemy courses in Arduino on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 77% of them
  • Reviews139#163 of 296 by number of reviews
  • Length15.2 hourslonger than 90% of them
  • Last updatedDecember 2024more recently than 62% of them

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Course Description

Update August 2025

I uploaded the Node-RED flow JSON files for the lectures of section 13 to the course Github repository.

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I've created this course to help you learn Node-RED and the Raspberry Pi Pico W. Whether you're an engineering educator, a student, an industrial automation professional, a research scientist, or an electronics hobbyist, these two technologies are essential.

Node-RED is an incredible open-source software development tool that allows you to create programs visually instead of writing them line by line.

The Raspberry Pi Pico W is a remarkable Wi-Fi microcontroller board for embedded projects. It offers high performance at a low cost.

This course teaches you how to set up a system that contains Node-RED and the Raspberry Pi Pico W .

You'll gain a solid understanding of Node-RED nodes, flows, and even MicroPython, enabling you to program the Pico W to interact with various peripherals. Additionally, this course covers essential topics such as MQTT, Ubuntu Linux virtual machines, Docker, and MySQL.

Designed specifically for beginners with a basic knowledge of electronics, this course will guide you step-by-step through everything you need to know.

Part 1: Node-RED for the absolute beginner

Part 1 is dedicated to Node-RED for the absolute beginner. In Part 1, you will learn about Node-RED and event-driven systems, how to install an instance using Docker, the basics of nodes and flows, the dashboard and MQTT.

Part 2: Add Raspberry Pi Pico W

In the lectures of Part 2, you will learn how to use the Pico W as a Node-RED peripheral. You will learn to use MQTT to enable communications between the Pico and the Node-RED instance. You will also learn how to connect different hardware components to the Pico to implement simple circuits and use Node-RED (and its Dashboard) to control these components or view the data they produce. In Part 2, you will encounter motion, distance and water level sensors, motors, displays, relays, and joysticks, to mention a few.

Part 3: additional Node-RED resources

These resources include lectures on essential Nodes, control structures, and ways to integrate your Node-RED flows with external services and APIs. You will create flows that allow Node-RED to communicate with services like OpenWeatherMap and Google Sheet to get, store, and retrieve data. You will also learn how to set up a local instance of the MySQL database for use by Node-RED for data storage and retrieval.

I highly recommend taking a few minutes to watch the "About this course" lecture for more detailed information.

I can't wait to have you join us on this exciting journey!

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Instructor Details

Dr. Peter Dalmaris

Peter Dalmaris is an educator, electrical engineer, electronics hobbyist, and Maker. Creator of online video courses on DIY electronics and author of three technical books, and has recently released his book Maker Education Revolution.  

As a Chief Tech Explorer since 2013 at Tech Explorations, the company he founded in Sydney, Australia, Peter’s mission is to explore technology and help educate the world. 

Tech Explorations offers educational courses and Bootcamps for electronics hobbyists, STEM students and STEM teachers.

A life-long learner, Peter’s core skill is in explaining difficult concepts through video and text. With over 15 years of tertiary teaching experience, Peter has developed a simple yet comprehensive style in teaching that students from all around the world appreciate. 

His passion for technology and in particular for the world of DIY open source hardware has been a dominant driver that has guided his personal development and his work through Tech Explorations.

Peter’s current online courses have helped over 150,000 people from around the world to be better Makers. 

For more information on Peter's work, please go to his web site, techexplorations dot com.

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Reviews

4.6

139 ratings on Udemy

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By Peter Andrew Osborne on 6/7/2026

Could not set up on my laptop despite spending vast amounts of time. But got it set up quickly on my Raspberry Pi (with a bit of help from Copilot). Really enjoying working through the course content which is straightforward and efficient. This is a very well curated course.

By Tracey Flanders on 1/21/2026

It lacks real world use cases for permanently using a Pico W in a real project. Example: How do you ensure that you don't need to run the program from and IDE attached to a computer. Needs work.

By Bruno Morra on 3/18/2025

I've found somewhat difficult the flow of operations needed to run node-red but this is due to the fact that I'm a beginner

By John Jamont on 12/21/2024

He provides pretty good explanations of what he is doing and why he does it. I think he has done a pretty good job of creating content that had the perspective of what a person new to the material needs to know instead of being merely factually accurate. Sometimes courses are presented that are factually accurate, but not beginner friendly and require alternate resources to fill in the gaps which becomes the onus of the learner. Thanks for having the perspective of the learner and not largely the presenter. Subject matter expert doesn't always equal good presenter. Good for you!

By Howard Chernick on 12/6/2024

I have taken over a dozen courses on UDEMY, most of them taught by Peter. I loved all the courses but his one has now become my all time favorite. The instructor does not miss a beat. He covers every thing that you need to know about Node-RED. You will not be bored with this course. The experiments are very enjoyable. I am only halfway done with this course and hope it never ends.

By David Downs on 6/1/2024

Very well structured, a pleasure to follow. Really good at explaining and building core concepts.

By Woody Wood on 4/3/2024

I've enjoyed taking this informative course so far. I expect I'll easily be able to implement my future projects much easier than I would had I just stuck to Micropython. My only issue here is that when you run into trouble you're totally on your own. I have spent many hours running down rabbit holes before stumbling on a solution and getting back on track with the course.

By Jpwhicker on 3/14/2024

I’m just very excited about a deeper understanding of node red as well as an understanding of what can be done with a microcontroller.

By Jesus antonio Cardona jaramillo on 2/2/2024

Wow. Thanks teacher Peter. It is an amazing course. I love your teaching style You are a an excellent teacher. Information of quality. Please update some node using ChatGPT.

By Michel Lapointe on 11/14/2023

Dr. Peter Dalmaris is one of the most passionate iot instructors out there. I have been following his courses for the last 10 years, and they just keep improving. The amount of work it takes to put a course like this together is mind boggling. Thank you Peter, for your extraordinary work and commitment to excellence.

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Overall Score : 92 / 100