Using Templates

Last updated March 20, 2026

What Are Project Templates?

Project templates are pre-built Configurator setups for common IoT automation scenarios. When you start a project from a template, the Configurator automatically adds the relevant sensor and actuator parts, wires the flow connections between them, and sets up the appropriate control strategy — so you are not starting with a blank canvas.

Templates are starting points, not finished products. Every template still requires you to fill in the hardware-specific details that only you know: which GPIO pin a sensor is wired to, the I2C address you assigned to a module, the IP address of a smart plug on your network, and the setpoints that make sense for your environment. Think of a template the same way you would think of a recipe: the ingredients and method are laid out, but you still have to gather your own materials and adjust seasoning to taste.

New templates: The Grow Room / Grow Tent template now includes a Cron Scheduler part pre-wired as a light schedule to the relay HAT. A Beer Brewing System template covering 4-stage automation (boil, mash, chill, ferment) is coming soon with LOO-309. For timer parts used in templates, see Timers & Scheduling.

What templates configure for you

  • Rooms with descriptive names matching the use case
  • Parts pre-added from the library (sensors, actuators, controllers)
  • Flow connections wired between sensors and their controllers, and controllers and their actuators
  • A sensible control strategy pre-selected (PID, hysteresis, or timer-based)
  • Default setpoints as a reasonable starting point

What you still need to provide

  • GPIO pin numbers for sensors and relay channels
  • I2C addresses for I2C sensors and HATs
  • IP addresses for Wi-Fi smart plugs or protocol bridges
  • Setpoints tuned to your actual environment
  • Alarm thresholds appropriate for your use case

How to Use a Template

  1. Open the Configurator from the main dashboard navigation.
  2. Click "New Project" on the Configurator home screen.
  3. Select "Start from Template" when prompted to choose how to begin.
  4. Browse the template gallery. Templates are grouped by industry category. Click any template card to see a details panel showing its description, included parts, estimated hardware cost, and difficulty level.
  5. Click "Use Template" to create a new draft project from that template.
  6. Select your target device from the device picker.
  7. The Configurator opens with all parts and connections already in place. Work through each part to fill in the required settings — GPIO pins, I2C addresses, and setpoints.
  8. Deploy when the flow validates without errors.

LoopString includes 25+ templates organized across four industry categories.

Agriculture and Growing

These templates cover plant and animal cultivation environments where precise climate control is the primary concern.

Greenhouse Climate Controller Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $30 A simple greenhouse automation setup using a DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor and a Kasa smart plug for heating or cooling. The PID controller regulates temperature with no HAT required — just a sensor wired to GPIO and a plug connected over Wi-Fi. A good first project for anyone new to the Configurator. Parts: DHT22 (GPIO), Kasa HS103 smart plug, PID heat/cool controller.

Greenhouse Climate Controller (Advanced) Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $150 Expands the basic greenhouse template with multi-zone control, solar-responsive shade management, and soil moisture-driven irrigation. Separate rooms for the main greenhouse and irrigation zones. The relay HAT controls vents, shade motors, heaters, fans, and solenoid irrigation valves. Parts: DHT22, TSL2591 light sensor, soil moisture sensor, relay HAT, solenoid valve, PID controllers for temperature and humidity, hysteresis controller for irrigation.

Grow Room / Grow Tent Controller Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $120 Full grow room automation covering CO2 monitoring, PAR light measurement, soil moisture sensing, and dual PID loops for temperature and humidity. The exhaust fan speed is regulated by the temperature PID. A relay HAT handles the humidifier, dehumidifier, grow lights, and water pump. Includes a Cron Scheduler pre-wired to the relay HAT for automated grow light photoperiod scheduling. Parts: DHT22, SCD40 CO2 sensor, TSL2591 light sensor, soil moisture sensor, 4-pin PWM fan, relay HAT, two PID controllers, cron scheduler.

Mushroom Fruiting Chamber Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $80 Humidity and temperature control for mushroom cultivation. A hysteresis controller cycles an ultrasonic fogger to keep the chamber between 85 and 95 percent relative humidity. A separate PID holds substrate temperature. CO2 is monitored via SCD40 to manage fresh air exchange. Parts: SHT31 humidity sensor, DS18B20 temperature probe, SCD40 CO2 sensor, relay HAT, PID controller, hysteresis controller.

Hydroponics / Nutrient Dosing Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $550 Precision pH and EC management for hydroponic systems using Atlas Scientific EZO sensors and four peristaltic dosing pumps (pH up, pH down, nutrient A, nutrient B). A PID controller maintains pH setpoint. A hysteresis controller maintains EC target. A float switch monitors reservoir level. Parts: EZO-pH sensor, EZO-EC sensor, EZO-RTD water temperature, float switch, four dosing pump relays, PID controller, hysteresis controller. Rooms: Reservoir and Grow Bed.

Aquaponics / Aquarium Controller Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $400 Water quality monitoring and pH regulation for fish tank and grow bed systems. Atlas Scientific EZO sensors handle pH, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature readings. A dosing pump maintains pH. The relay HAT controls the aerator, circulation pump, heater, and a timed feeder servo. Parts: EZO-pH, EZO-DO, EZO-RTD, float switch, relay HAT, dosing pump, two PID controllers. Rooms: Fish Tank and Grow Bed.

Reptile Terrarium / Vivarium Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $90 Dual-zone temperature control for reptile enclosures with separate monitoring for basking and cool zones. VEML6075 tracks UVB output from the lamp. A misting system is controlled by a hysteresis humidity controller. The relay HAT drives the heat lamp, ceramic heater, mister, and UVB light. Parts: Two DS18B20 probes, SHT31 humidity sensor, VEML6075 UVB sensor, relay HAT, PID controller, hysteresis controller.

Chicken Coop / Egg Incubator Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $75 Dual-purpose controller for coop automation and precision egg incubation. A light sensor triggers the coop door motor at dawn and dusk. A separate incubator room runs a DS18B20 at 37.5 degrees Celsius via PID. The relay HAT drives the door motor, heater, vent fan, and egg turner. Parts: VEML7700 ambient light sensor, DHT22, DS18B20, relay HAT, PID controller, hysteresis controller. Rooms: Chicken Coop and Incubator.

Food and Beverage

These templates target temperature-sensitive food production, fermentation, and controlled storage environments.

Temperature-Controlled Oven / Incubator Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $120 High-accuracy temperature control using a Sequent Microsystems RTD HAT for probe-grade measurement and an 8-channel relay HAT for switching the heating element. The PID defaults to 37 degrees Celsius — suitable as-is for a lab incubator or egg hatchery, adjustable upward for bakery proofing ovens. Parts: Sequent RTD HAT, Sequent 8-relay HAT, PID heat/cool controller.

BBQ Smoker / Pitmaster Controller Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $65 K-type thermocouple-based pit control via MAX31855 SPI interface. A PID controller drives a PWM blower fan to regulate combustion airflow and hold pit temperature. A servo-controlled damper provides fine-grained air intake adjustment. A second thermocouple probe on the meat triggers an alert at the target internal temperature. Parts: MAX31855 thermocouple interface (two instances), 4-pin PWM fan, SG90 servo, PID controller.

Brewery / Fermentation Controller Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $70 Precision fermentation temperature control with dual DS18B20 probes monitoring beer and ambient fridge temperature. A BMP280 pressure sensor can track airlock pressure activity as a fermentation activity proxy. The optional Tilt hydrometer provides real-time specific gravity via Bluetooth. The relay HAT switches fridge compressor and heater pad. Parts: Two DS18B20 probes, BMP280, Tilt hydrometer, relay HAT, PID controller.

Cheese Cave / Wine Cellar Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $60 Tight temperature and humidity control for aging environments. The SHT31 sensor handles both measurements. A PID holds temperature at 10 to 15 degrees Celsius via fridge relay. A hysteresis controller maintains 70 to 95 percent humidity via ultrasonic humidifier. Parts: SHT31 temperature and humidity sensor, relay HAT, PID controller, hysteresis controller.

Sourdough / Fermentation Proofer Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $35 Precision proofing environment for sourdough and bread dough. DHT22 monitors temperature and humidity. An HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor tracks dough rise by measuring distance from the container top to the dough surface. A PID holds temperature via a heat mat relay. Parts: DHT22, HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor, relay HAT, PID controller.

Automated Filling / Dispensing Station Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $110 Precise volume dispensing using a pulse-counting flow meter and solenoid valve. The SM-IOPlus HAT counts pulses; the relay HAT drives the solenoid. When a dispense cycle is triggered, the system opens the valve and counts pulses until the target volume is reached, then closes the valve. Suited to coffee shops dosing syrup, breweries making water additions, and janitorial concentrate stations. Parts: Flow meter (pulse), relay HAT, SM-IOPlus HAT.

Manufacturing

These templates address light industrial automation, machine monitoring, and quality control applications.

Automated Sorting Conveyor Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $180 Color-based product sorting on a conveyor line. A TCS34725 color sensor classifies items. An IR break-beam gate detects item presence and gates the classification logic to prevent false divert signals when no item is present. The relay HAT actuates a diverter gate to route items to the correct bin. Suited to packaging lines handling 10 to 50 items per minute. Parts: IR break-beam sensor, TCS34725 color sensor, SM-IOPlus HAT, relay HAT.

Predictive Maintenance Vibration Monitor Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $120 Continuous tri-axis vibration monitoring using an ADXL345 accelerometer mounted to a machine chassis. When the computed vibration RMS exceeds a configured baseline, the system triggers an alert and can optionally activate a relay for an orderly machine shutdown before damage escalates. Suited to CNC mills, lathes, and compressors. Parts: ADXL345 accelerometer, SM-BAS HAT.

Lights-Out CNC Feeder Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $200 Unattended bar stock feeding for overnight CNC machining runs. An inductive proximity sensor detects when the feed zone is clear. The SM-IOPlus HAT reads the sensor; the relay HAT sequences conveyor and feed actuator relays with configurable dwell timers to match machine cycle times, enabling small-batch production runs without an operator present. Parts: Inductive proximity sensor (NPN), SM-IOPlus HAT, relay HAT.

Pick-and-Place Robotic Arm Difficulty: Advanced | Estimated cost: around $120 Multi-axis robotic arm control via A4988 stepper drivers commanded from the LoopString dashboard. Each axis receives step, direction, and enable signals from Raspberry Pi GPIO. The SM-IOPlus HAT provides isolated digital inputs for limit switches used in homing. Adequate for 20 to 200 picks per hour in custom-shop volumes at low axis speeds. Note: Pi GPIO timing jitter limits reliable step rates to around 2 to 5 kHz. For faster or coordinated multi-axis moves, a Raspberry Pi Pico co-controller running Klipper is recommended alongside the Pi. Parts: A4988 stepper drivers, limit switches, SM-IOPlus HAT.

Quality Inspection Gate Difficulty: Advanced | Estimated cost: around $180 Camera-based visual pass/fail inspection for conveyor lines. An IR break-beam sensor triggers image capture. A computer vision classification model (TFLite via the node-red-contrib-tensorflow community node) labels each item pass or fail. A relay HAT activates a reject diverter solenoid on failures. Handles 20 to 100 items per minute on a Pi 4. Note: The CV community node is not pre-installed; install it via the Node-RED palette manager before deploying. Parts: IR break-beam sensor, relay HAT, Pi camera.

3D Printer Enclosure Controller Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $55 Heated enclosure management for ABS and ASA 3D printing. A DHT22 monitors chamber temperature and humidity. A BME680 tracks VOC levels for fume detection. A PID holds chamber temperature at 40 to 50 degrees Celsius via heater relay. A servo-controlled vent flap opens for HEPA filtration when VOC levels are elevated. Parts: DHT22, BME680 VOC sensor, relay HAT, SG90 servo, PID controller.

Facilities

These templates address building and infrastructure monitoring, energy management, and equipment protection.

Inventory Level Monitoring Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $55 Passive bin-level tracking using HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensors mounted above storage bins. When the measured distance exceeds the configured threshold — indicating an empty or near-empty bin — the system fires a reorder alert. No manual counting required. Suited to retail stock rooms, warehouse bulk containers, and any facility needing passive inventory tracking. Parts: HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors (two instances), SM-IOPlus HAT. Rooms: Storage Bin 1 and Storage Bin 2.

Energy Monitoring Shutoff Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $120 Current monitoring with automatic idle shutoff. A CT clamp sensor monitors real-time current draw on a load circuit. When current stays below the idle threshold for a configurable hold time, the relay opens to cut power — eliminating phantom loads and overnight energy waste. Automatically re-arms when current rises again. Suited to server rooms, commercial kitchens, and factory floors after shift end. Parts: CT clamp current sensor, SM-BAS HAT, relay HAT.

Home Energy / Solar Monitor Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $80 Home energy monitoring with smart load shedding. CT clamp sensors on grid, solar, and load circuits track production and consumption. Hysteresis controllers manage load switching when solar production drops or grid consumption exceeds configured thresholds. Parts: CT clamp current sensors (three instances), relay HAT, hysteresis controller.

Pool / Hot Tub Controller Difficulty: Intermediate | Estimated cost: around $450 Pool and hot tub water quality automation. Atlas Scientific EZO sensors monitor pH, ORP (oxidation-reduction potential for sanitizer effectiveness), and water temperature. A PID holds water temperature via heater relay. A hysteresis controller manages pH via chemical dosing pump. Filter pump runs on a configurable schedule. Float switch monitors water level. Parts: EZO-pH, EZO-ORP, EZO-RTD, float switch, relay HAT, dosing pump, PID controller, hysteresis controller.

Server Room / Data Center Monitor Difficulty: Beginner | Estimated cost: around $45 Multi-point environmental monitoring for server rooms and data centers. Three DS18B20 probes provide thermal mapping across the room. A DHT22 tracks humidity. A float switch detects water leaks. A limit switch monitors the door. A hysteresis controller triggers a backup cooling relay when temperature exceeds threshold. A relay HAT controls the backup cooling unit and alert beacon. Parts: Three DS18B20 probes, DHT22, float switch, limit switch, relay HAT, hysteresis controller.

Customizing After Loading a Template

Once you have created a project from a template, every part of the configuration is editable. Templates do not lock anything.

Adding and removing parts. Click the plus button in any room to add a part from the library. To remove a part, open its settings and choose Remove from the options menu. Removing a part automatically removes any connections attached to it.

Adding rooms. Use the Add Room button at the bottom of the Configurator. Rooms are purely organizational — you can move parts between rooms at any time using the part's context menu.

Changing the control strategy. Open the controller part (PID, hysteresis, or timer) in any room and change its type or settings. If you need a completely different control approach, remove the existing controller and add a new one from the library.

Swapping sensors. If you have different hardware than what the template assumes, remove the sensor it added and add the correct part. Then reconnect the wire from the new sensor to the controller. If the new sensor outputs the same signal type (for example, both are temperature sensors), the connection will validate correctly.

Adjusting setpoints and thresholds. Default setpoints are starting values only. Update them in the controller settings before deploying. Fine-tune further from the dashboard after your first deployment once you can see live readings.

Saving as a new draft. All changes are auto-saved to your draft. If you want to keep the original template configuration as a separate reference, save a copy first using the Export option before making changes.

What you cannot currently do with templates

LoopString does not yet support user-created template sharing through the Configurator. If you have built a configuration you want to share with others, export it using the device backup feature and share the file through the LoopString community forums. Community members can then import your configuration as a new draft.

Troubleshooting

The template I loaded has parts I do not own. This is expected. Templates are designed around a suggested hardware set. Remove any parts you do not have (and will not acquire) from the project. If the removed part was a sensor connected to a controller, the controller will show an unconnected input warning. Either connect a different sensor or remove the controller as well if you do not need that control loop.

The Configurator shows validation warnings after loading a template. Templates load with placeholder settings. Most warnings after template load are about unfilled required fields such as GPIO pin numbers, I2C addresses, or IP addresses. Open each part showing a warning and fill in the values for your hardware. The deploy button will remain disabled until all required fields are valid.

My hardware uses a different sensor than the template assumes. Swap the part. Remove the template's sensor, add yours from the library, and reconnect the wire to the controller. If your sensor measures the same physical quantity (for example, both are temperature sensors), the connection will validate. If your sensor measures something different, the connection will show a signal type mismatch warning — in that case, the controller choice may also need to change.

The template set a PID setpoint that does not match my environment. Default PID setpoints in templates are representative values, not recommendations. Change the setpoint in the controller settings before deploying, or adjust it from the dashboard setpoint input after your first deployment. PID gain values (Kp, Ki, Kd) are also starting values and will likely need tuning once you see how your specific hardware and environment responds.

I cannot find the template I am looking for. The gallery is filtered by industry category. Use the category tabs (Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Manufacturing, Facilities) to narrow the list. If no template matches your use case, start from a blank project and add parts from the library individually. The parts library contains all the same parts the templates use.

After deploying a template-based project, a sensor shows no data. The most common cause is an incorrect GPIO pin number, I2C address, or network address in the part settings. Open the Configurator, verify each sensor's hardware settings match your wiring, and redeploy. Check the Node-RED editor on your Pi for error messages in the debug panel if the issue persists.

Known Issues and Limitations

No user-created template sharing through the UI. The Configurator does not currently support saving your own projects as templates for others to browse. Share configurations by exporting from the device backup screen and posting the file to community forums.

Templates with Atlas Scientific EZO sensors require sensor calibration before deployment. EZO sensors (pH, EC, DO, ORP, RTD) are probe-based lab sensors that require calibration against reference solutions before readings are accurate. The template wires them correctly, but calibration is a physical process you must perform on the actual sensor hardware using the LoopString sensor calibration wizard or Atlas Scientific's protocol before trusting the readings.

The Quality Inspection Gate template requires a community Node-RED node that is not pre-installed. The computer vision classification step depends on node-red-contrib-tensorflow or a compatible CV package. Install it via the Node-RED palette manager on your Pi before deploying. Until then, the camera-to-classification portion of the flow will not run.

The Pick-and-Place Robotic Arm template has Pi GPIO timing limitations for high-speed motion. Stepper axis speeds above approximately 5 kHz (which limits you to slow, deliberate moves) require a real-time co-controller such as a Raspberry Pi Pico running Klipper alongside the Pi. The template notes this limitation in its description. Do not expect CNC-grade motion control using Pi GPIO alone.

Estimated costs shown in templates cover electronics only. The hardware cost estimates in each template card reflect the approximate cost of the electronic components (sensors, HATs, actuators). They do not include enclosures, wiring, power supplies, mounting hardware, or the Raspberry Pi itself.

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