🚀 Arduino Live System Monitor Using Node.js (jhonny-five)

Arduino Live System Monitor Using Node.js

A small hobby project that connects Node.js with Arduino UNO R3 to display live system statistics on an I2C LCD module.

The entire project is written in pure JavaScript, using Johnny-Five for serial communication and Standard Firmata on the Arduino side.

The goal is to provide a lightweight, hardware-based system monitor that runs independently of any desktop UI.

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Features

• CPU usage (%)
• Memory usage (%)
• Download speed (MB/s)
• Upload speed (MB/s)
• Automatically detects the active network adapter
• Live updates via serial communication

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Screenshot

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Motivation

Most system monitoring tools are software-based and tied to the operating system UI.

This project explores a different approach by moving system metrics to a physical display, controlled entirely through JavaScript.

It also demonstrates:

• Using JavaScript for hardware control
• Real-time serial communication with Arduino
• Practical usage of Johnny-Five beyond basic LEDs and sensors

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Tech Stack

• Node.js (>= 18, LTS recommended)
• Johnny-Five
• Arduino UNO R3
• Standard Firmata
• I2C LCD Module
• PCF8574T I2C Controller (configurable)

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Requirements

• Node.js 18 or higher
• Arduino UNO R3 with Standard Firmata flashed https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-Installing-Standard-Firmata/
• I2C LCD Module
• PCF8574T I2C Controller (Controller address can be changed in index.js)

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Possible Improvements

• GPU usage support
• Temperature and fan speed monitoring
• Support for other boards (Mega, Nano, ESP32)
• Configurable refresh intervals
• Multi-page LCD views

Source Code

Link

Contributions and improvements are welcome.

Running Locally

1. Connect the Arduino to your PC via USB
2. Install dependencies and start the app:

bash
npm install && node index.js