Windows IoT

Getting Started with Windows IoT

Welcome to the exciting world of Windows IoT! This guide will walk you through the essential steps to set up your development environment and start building intelligent devices powered by Windows.

Hardware Requirements

To begin your Windows IoT journey, you'll need the following hardware:

• Supported IoT Device: Currently, Raspberry Pi 2, Raspberry Pi 3, and Raspberry Pi 3B+ are officially supported.
• MicroSD Card: A high-quality MicroSD card (8GB or larger, Class 10 recommended) for installing the Windows IoT Core image.
• Power Supply: A reliable power supply for your Raspberry Pi.
• Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor: For initial setup and debugging.
• Ethernet Cable or Wi-Fi Adapter: For network connectivity.

Software Requirements

Ensure you have the following software installed on your development machine:

• Windows 10: A PC running Windows 10 (version 10240 or later).
• Visual Studio: Visual Studio 2015 or later with the "Universal Windows Platform development" workload installed. Visual Studio 2022 is recommended for the latest features and support.
• IoT Dashboard (Optional but Recommended): A companion app to easily deploy images and manage devices.
• SD Card Formatter: A tool to format your MicroSD card (e.g., SD Card Formatter from the SD Association).

Setting Up Your Device

Follow these steps to prepare your Raspberry Pi for Windows IoT Core:

1. Download the Windows IoT Core Image: Obtain the latest Windows IoT Core image for Raspberry Pi from the official Microsoft documentation.
2. Flash the Image to MicroSD Card:
   • Format your MicroSD card using the SD Card Formatter tool.
   • Use a tool like Etcher or the IoT Dashboard to write the downloaded image to the MicroSD card.
3. Insert MicroSD Card: Carefully insert the flashed MicroSD card into your Raspberry Pi.
4. Connect Peripherals: Connect your keyboard, mouse, and monitor to the Raspberry Pi.
5. Power On: Connect the power supply to your Raspberry Pi. It will boot up and begin the initial setup process.

Your First IoT Application

Let's create a simple "Hello World" application to confirm your setup:

1. Launch Visual Studio: Open Visual Studio on your development PC.
2. Create a New Project: Select "Create a new project".
3. Choose Project Template: Search for "Universal Windows" and select the "Blank App, Universal Windows" template.
4. Configure Project:
   • Name your project (e.g., "MyFirstIoTApp").
   • Set the Location.
   • Click "Create".
5. Configure Deployment:

   In the Visual Studio toolbar, change the target from "Local Machine" to "Remote Machine".

   If this is your first time connecting, you'll need to discover your device. You can use the IoT Dashboard or manually enter your device's IP address (which you can find by connecting a screen to your Pi and navigating its settings). Ensure your development PC and Raspberry Pi are on the same network.

   Set the Authentication Mode to "Universal (Password-less)" if you've just set up the device, or "Universal (Username/Password)" if you've configured remote login.

6. Write Code:

   Open MainPage.xaml and replace the content with the following XAML to create a simple text display:

   <Page
       x:Class="MyFirstIoTApp.MainPage"
       xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
       xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
       xmlns:local="using:MyFirstIoTApp"
       xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
       xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
       mc:Ignorable="d"
       Background="{ThemeResource ApplicationPageBackgroundThemeBrush}">
   
       <Grid Height="360" Width="640">
           <TextBlock Text="Hello, Windows IoT!"
                      HorizontalAlignment="Center"
                      VerticalAlignment="Center"
                      FontSize="36"/>
       </Grid>
   </Page>

7. Deploy: Press F5 or click the "Start" button in Visual Studio to build and deploy your application to the Raspberry Pi.

Next Steps

Congratulations! You've successfully set up your Windows IoT environment and deployed your first application.

• Explore the GPIO pins to control hardware.
• Learn about different communication protocols like I2C and SPI.
• Discover how to build more complex applications using C#, C++, or JavaScript.
• Refer to the full documentation for advanced topics.