Welcome

This is the developer guide for RISER. It is written in plain language. You do not need to be an expert to read it. If you can write a little code, you can follow along.

What is RISER?

RISER keeps big buildings warm. Think of an apartment building with one large boiler in the basement. The boiler makes heat for everyone. If it breaks or runs badly, people get cold.

RISER puts a small computer, called a controller, on that boiler. The controller:

• reads the temperatures and pressure,
• can turn the boiler on or off,
• and keeps people warm even when the internet goes down.

The controller also sends data to the cloud. The cloud is just other computers on the internet. People who manage the buildings log in to a website to see how every boiler is doing.

The one big idea

Here is the most important rule in the whole project:

The thinking about heat happens on the controller, not in the cloud.

So if the internet breaks, the building stays warm. The cloud is only for watching, history, settings, and sending commands. The cloud can never put a building in danger. We will say this again later, because it matters a lot.

What is in this guide

• How RISER works — the big picture, drawn simply.
• Get your computer ready — the tools you need.
• Run it on your computer — see it work without any real hardware.
• The parts of the project — what each folder does.
• Talking to the API — how programs send and ask for data.
• The safety rules — the rules that keep buildings warm.
• Put it on the internet — how we deploy it.
• Everyday tasks — small jobs you will do often.
• Words to know — a list of tech words, explained.

Let’s go. Start with How RISER works.