Destiny Internet Ghost - Internet Notifier

The Internet has changed the way we live our lives. From communication, education, banking, entertainment and shopping, the Internet has had a profound impact on our world. Gone are the days when the pen was the most important tool in this world. times have changed and now the internet rules the world. It is very difficult to imagine our world without the Internet. In the year 2021 I created a "Internet Hardware WatchDog" using NodeMCU which reboots my home router whenever there is an issue with the Internet. This device sits next to my router and happily takes care of it whenever it has a hiccup. This year, I wanted to extend the watchdogs horizon by adding an "Internet Status Notifier" that displays the current status of the Internet using an RGB LED. When the Internet is up and running, the notifier displays a blue light and when the Internet is down it goes red. Video:  https://youtu.be/mWDEx0khpWM Note: If you do any work with "mains power" such as 120v or 240v AC power wiring, you should always use proper equipment and safety gears and determine whether you have adequate skill and experience or consult a Licensed Electrician. This project is not intended for use by children. 

Components Required

For this project we need:
    1 x RGB LED
    1 x 200 Ohm Resistor
    1 x WeMos-D1 Mini/NodeMCU
    1 x 220V to 5V Step Down Converter
    1 X 2M Long Power Chord
    1 x 220v Male Wall Plug, and
    1 x 3D Printer

Circuit Diagram

The circuit is very simple.
Connect the 5V pin and the GND pin of the D1-mini to the stepdown converter.
Then, connect the Common Anode of the RGB LED via a 220ohm resistor to the 3.3V pin of the D1-mini.
Then connect the Blue LEDs to D6, Red to D7 and Green to D8 pin of the board.
That's it as simple as that.

The Logic

When the device is turned on it starts pinging "www.google.com".
If it receives a successful ping, the Blue LED turns on and starts fading in and out.
If the ping drops, the blue LED turns off and the Red LED turns on and starts fading in and out until a successful ping is received.

After running the code on a breadboard for a few days, I figured out that the D1-mini board sometimes freezes and completely becomes unresponsive. To avoid this situation, I added a logic to "reboot" the board every hour.

3D Model

While browsing the Internet, I stumbled upon "Destiny Ghosts".
The Ghost is an AI companion in the game "Destiny". It is a floating intelligence that was created by the "Traveler" during his dying days to assist the Guardians to protect the Universe.

I immediately fell in love with the concept and the design of the Ghosts. I spent a few days creating my own 3D model of the Ghost. You can download the STL files from www.cults3D.com.

3D Printing

Ghosts are floating machine entities slightly larger than a human hand. They consist of a spherical core with a single glowing "eye" surrounded by a "shell". The default Ghost shell consists of eight roughly tetrahedral white segments with orange highlights, but there are huge diversities of shells available that Ghosts can adopt for cosmetic purposes.

In the game Ghosts are used for navigation, accessing computer systems, lighting dark areas, summoning your Sparrow, and much more.

3D Printing is a highly addictive hobby! There are so many things you can do using a 3D printer. From designing 3D Models to printing them using the 3D printer has now become my new hobby. I've been a "maker" since I was 10 years old, and have always constructed and made my own stuff. 3D printing for me is a blessing. I am totally lost in the 3D printing heaven. 3D printing has changed my electronics workshop life forever. Before when I used to order parts, I always used to wonder if the parts would fit into my project's resources... but after I got my 3D printer... it doesn't...