Raspberry Pi E-mail Push Button Device Using Gmail

Instructable for Raspberry Pi e-mail push button device

by Peter and Owen Czerny at Yukonstruct

Don’t have access to a commercial mobile e-mail communication device or laptop / desktop computer? Need an inexpensive way to e-mail a routine message to someone on a regular basis?

The goal of this project: To use a Raspberry Pi to send a preset message to a predetermined e-mail address via Gmail with the push of a button.

What we set out to learn through this project: 1. connecting a button to a Raspberry Pi, 2. learn some programming in Python, 3. connecting the Raspberry Pi to the Internet and communicating with an e-mail server.

Materials:

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B with access to a screen and keyboard (via USB cables)

breadboard

tactile button switch, see: https://www.adafruit.com/products/367

2 Male to Female jumper wires, see: https://www.adafruit.com/products/367

WiFi dongle

USB drive for storage

Also: know your existing Gmail address and password as well as the address you want to send your message to. Note: you need to allow your Gmail account to let less secure apps log on. See your settings under 'Connected apps&sites / Allow less secure apps (switch to 'ON')' at: https://myaccount.google.com/security?pli=1#connec...

Source for code: www.razzpisamples.oreilly.com/ch07.html

www.raspberrypi.org

Connect switch to a power pin and a GPIO pin - we used pin 1 (3.3 VDC power) and pin 16 (GPIO4)- see photo and example at http://razzpisampler.oreilly.com/ch07.html - see pin layout diagram at http://razzpisampler.oreilly.com/ch07.html

Boot up Raspberry Pi and login (default username: pi and password: raspberry)

Type ‘NANO /tmp/button_test.py’

Enter code (see first program in the attachment).

Note: ensure that you keep the tabs in the sample code as the Python language needs them to run the program.

Note: ensure you put in the code - in the spaces indicated - i) your message to send, ii) your Gmail address and password, and iii) the address where you want the e-mail message to be sent to.

Press 'control-o' to save [in tmp subdirectory, e.g. /tmp/button_test.py]

Press 'control-x' to exit text editor

To run program, type ‘sudo python /tmp/button_test.py’ - and press the button to send the preset message!

Press 'control-c' to exit program run mode.

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If nothing happens, check to make sure that the wires are connecting the right pins to the button. See the second program in the attachment in Step 2 for suggested code to test the button.

Note: Gmail will stop the Raspberry Pi from sending too many of the same message.

Ideas for improvements to evolve this Raspberry Pi device:

Include a time-out cycle in the program code to avoid sending repeated e-mails when button is pushed.

Combine preset text phrases into a message to send to a preset e-mail with the push of several buttons.

Create a case for a more handy device with labeled buttons.

Autorun the program after the Raspberry Pi boots or reboots.