Build Voice Weather Forecast in 10min (No Coding Required)

Introduction

Building voice weather forecast systems traditionally requires complex programming: managing sensor data, weather API integration, extracting specific data from the API responses, text-to-speech synthesis, and audio output handling. What if you could just think "Tell me today's weather when I'm leaving home during morning hours" and arrange visual blocks to make it happen?

This tutorial shows how Grablo transforms complex weather system development into simple visual logic. We'll build a daily voice weather forecast system in 10 minutes using drag-and-drop blocks instead of code.

What You'll Build

A complete daily voice weather forecast system featuring:

1. Motion-triggered weather forecast during morning hours (6-8 AM)
2. Real-time weather data from WeatherAPI.com
3. Natural voice synthesis
4. Weekday-only operation
5. Visual dashboard displaying weather information
6. Audio output through Bluetooth speaker

Required Components

1. Raspberry Pi (or BeagleBone, Jetson Nano, PC with USB-GPIO such as FT232H)
2. PIR Motion Sensor (HC-SR501)
3. Bluetooth Speaker or regular speakers/headphones
4. Jumper wires

Wiring

1. PIR Sensor VCC → Raspberry Pi 5V
2. PIR Sensor GND → Raspberry Pi GND
3. PIR Sensor OUT → Raspberry Pi GPIO 23

1. Install software: Download and install Grablo software on your controller hardware
2. Set up hardware: Wire PIR sensor according to circuit diagram
3. Get this project: Project Link
4. Configure API: Replace the API key, location, and language in the "Get Weather" block URL with your own
5. Connect controller: In your project, go to "Connect Controller" and enter IP address
6. Hit RUN: Never forget your umbrella again!

💡 Want to build it yourself? Skip to Step 2 and follow the tutorial

1. Go to https://app.grablo.co
2. Click "Create Project"
3. Give your project a name

Create a new logic and control that continuously monitors for human motion

1. Condition (Always): Always running
2. Action (I/O Device Control): Read PIR sensor data from GPIO pin and store motion detection status in variable

Create a new control that tells you weather when motion is detected during morning hours on weekdays

1. Condition1 (Compare): Motion detected (rising edge)
2. Condition2 (Time Range): 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM
3. Condition3 (Schedule): Monday through Friday only
4. Action1 (HTTP Communication): HTTP request to WeatherAPI.com with your API key and location
5. Action2 (Custom Action): Parse JSON response and extract
6. Weather condition text
7. Minimum temperature
8. Maximum temperature
9. Rain probability percentage
10. Action3 (Text-To-Speech): Text-to-speech synthesis with natural weather briefing

Weather API Setup:

1. Sign up for free account at weatherapi.com
2. Get your API key
3. Format URL: https://api.weatherapi.com/v1/forecast.json?key=YOUR_API_KEY&q=YOUR_CITY&days=1&lang=YOUR_LANGUAGE

JSON Data Extraction:

Extract data using these paths from API response:

1. Condition Text: /forecast/forecastday/0/day/condition/text
2. Min Temp: /forecast/forecastday/0/day/mintemp_c
3. Max Temp: /forecast/forecastday/0/day/maxtemp_c
4. Rain Chance: /forecast/forecastday/0/day/daily_chance_of_rain

Create a new dashboard with 4 widgets displaying:

1. Current weather condition
2. Minimum temperature
3. Maximum temperature
4. Rain probability

This provides visual weather information alongside the audio announcements.

That's It - You're Done!

Congratulations! You've just built a complete daily voice weather forecast system using only 2 simple controls and zero lines of code. This is the power of visual programming with Grablo - what traditionally requires complex programming is now accomplished with intuitive drag-and-drop blocks.

Run Your Project:

1. Install software: Download and install Grablo software on your controller hardware
2. Set up hardware: Wire PIR sensor according to circuit diagram
3. Configure API: Replace the API key, location, and language in the "Get Weather" block URL with your own
4. Connect controller: In your project, go to "Connect Controller" and enter IP address
5. Hit RUN: Never forget your umbrella again!

Watch the complete build process in action! This 8-minute video demonstrates every step from sensor setup to API configuration and launching your daily voice weather forecast system.

Expand Your Project

Add more functionality with additional blocks:

1. Multi-language support: Change TTS language settings for international users
2. Extended weather info: Add UV index, humidity, and wind speed information
3. Weekend mode: Different forecast schedule for weekends
4. Visual alerts: Add LED indicators that change color based on weather conditions
5. Smart home integration: Trigger other devices based on weather (e.g., close smart blinds when rain detected)

Troubleshooting

1. No audio: Check Bluetooth speaker connection and audio output settings
2. False motion triggers: Adjust PIR sensor sensitivity or positioning
3. No weather data: Verify API request format, valid API key, internet connection
4. Wrong timing: Check system time zone settings on Raspberry Pi
5. GPIO errors: Confirm PIR sensor connections and voltage compatibility

1. Official Website: https://grablo.co
2. Get started: https://app.grablo.co
3. Documentation: https://doc.grablo.co
4. Support: support@grablo.co
5. WeatherAPI: https://www.weatherapi.com