Category Archives: linux

Banana Pro is a Go running PiAware

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So I picked up a new Banana Pro from Ebay last week. Quick feature list:

  • Soc: Allwinner® A20(sun 7i)
  • CPU: ARM® Cortex™-A7 Dual-Core1GHz (ARM v7 instruction set)
  • GPU” Mali400MP2 Complies with OpenGL ES 2.0/1.1 (hardware acceleration support
  • SDRAM: 1GB DDR3 (shared with GPU)
  • Power: 5V @ 2A via MicroUSB (DC in Only) and/or MicroUSB (OTG)
  • PMU:AXP209
  • Low-level perpherials
  • 40 Pins Header
  • 28×GPIO, some of which can be used for specific functions including UART, I2C, SPI, PWM, CAN, I2S, SPDIF, LRADC, ADC, LINE-IN,FM-IN,HP-IN.
  • On board Network10/100/1000Mbps ethernet (Realtek RTL8211E/D)
  • Onboard Wifi Module: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n

All Seems Stable on Lemaker’s Lubuntu image with:

​root@lemaker:~# lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS Release: 14.04 Codename: trusty

Instructions below assume you have previously flashed a MicroSD card with the lubuntu image from Lemaker, booted, and connected to your Banana Pro device with SSH, and have a solid understanding of linux/debian cli/console configuration. The PiAware project pretty much handles everything else for you.

A quick and (very) dirty interfaces template you can edit and use (tested only under lemaker’s lubuntu image!)

/etc/network/interfaces:

# interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
# Include files from /etc/network/interfaces.d:
source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# wireless network interface
auto wlan3
iface wlan3 inet dhcp
wpa-ssid "your_AP_SSID"
wpa-psk "your_wifi_passwd"
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway [your gw ip]
dns-nameservers 8.8.8.8

#Original config, left for reference
#allow-hotplug wlan3
#iface wlan3 inet manual
#wpa-roam /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

Notes:

IMPORTANT: Install raspi-copy-and-fills BEFORE building piaware (resolves missing raspbian packages lubuntu is missing, link below, use latest available)

wget http://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian/pool/main/r/raspi-copies-and-fills/raspi-copies-and-fills_0.4-1_armhf.deb

Then: 

 dpkg -i raspi-copies-and-fills/raspi-copies-and-fills_0.4-1_armhf.deb
  • Then download and follow piaware install from here: http://flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/install (choose the ‘PiAware for Dump1090’ Tab for instruction on the remainder of the install process)
  • Plug in your ads-b antenna to your ads-b dongle, plug to your Banana Pro
  • Reboot the device, for good measure.
  • Once rebooted, browse to your http://YourBananaProIPaddress:8080 and enjoy MOAR PLANES with the Banana pro’s beefier CPU (click to enlarge):

Enjoy!

Screenshot - 01222015 - 02:53:45 PM

Getting there…

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So I ran into a hiccup on the Pi.

Having updated the firmware and running Realtek 8192CU usb dongle for wifi, after I got Motion working, I would put the Pi outside, only to have the connection on it go to sleep, or something.

A day of googling potential power issues (a trend when dealing with the Pi it seems)…installing the LiPo rider board (which compensates for power disruptions from solar power fluctuations) …no dice.

I tested the power supplies and discovered even with appropriate voltage levels indoors the Pi was dropping packets over wifi like crazy. Boot file modifications didn’t help.

So this morning I reflashed the sdcard to a Raspian image from January, explicitly did NOT RPI-Update, and now the same wifi dongle works perfectly. Kernel conflict with the 8192 chipset? Not sure.

It’s stable now, and I’m running the Pi on the solar-fed battery overnight to test before I throw a load on it with motion detection. In the meantime, a few pictures…

wpid-wp-1402968371989.jpegUsing an outdoor outlet cover and backing to protect the Pi from the elements. I tried some otterbox-style cases I had around, but found this location gets too warm for super-tight enclosures that I used in my Humidity-Pi project. Also the thing was like 7 bucks total including the backplate, and it works pretty well.

I have to position the Pi slighly diagonal, but it’s not awkward; I can open the lid with ease, and even with the frosted texture on the cover, I can make out the activity of the LED’s when I need to.

The motorcycle starter battery has been working pretty well as a solar battery.

wpid-img_20140616_184618.jpg
I haven’t yet decided on a permanent housing for the battery and the Li-Po rider and wiring, I’m looking into something that ventilates a little better than what I started with, but something that won’t take in too much moisture as Florida moves into monsoon season…

 

Tomorrow I’ll re-install Motion and see if I can get motion detection going, and snap some hungry Blue Jays in action….

Raspberry Pi Book Hack

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Nothing new here, but I was very inspired  by unusual cases others have put together.  This is one of those ‘book safe’ style books you can get at home decor stores (cough, cough, Old Time Pottery).

I dremel’d a 3 inch by 3/4 inch slot in the long side ‘page-edge’ of the fake book.

I’ll warn you,  this particular “book” was made of  dense particle board material and seriously took a while to saw, drill then gouge out the opening. I’ll look for a lighter material for my next attempt. I couldn’t bring myself to deface a real book for this. :)

This will eventually interface with my SDR-IQ using opensource code from the Ghpsdr3-Alex project.

image

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Edit: Looks like the Pi Won’t be powerful enough for handling the SDR-iq, but I have an RTLSDR on the way to take a gander at that, Wish me luck!

 

Research Without Walls

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Signed as ACM Member: http://www.researchwithoutwalls.org/344

Today, members of the research community must pay for access to read the very papers we peer reviewed, and aspiring researchers of limited means are locked out of knowledge essential to join the research community. In the age of Internet publishing, research that is reviewed by volunteers and often funded by the public should be freely available to all. Make a difference by taking this pledge.

http://www.researchwithoutwalls.org/

I have access both through my University and as an ACM member, and if this petition  opens doors for sound young researchers to get access to academic papers and necessary basis to build  their own research, it’ll be well worthwhile. I’d happily enourage others to do the same.

(Old linux news) NETGEAR Announces RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router

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I’m completely late on the news-front about this, but it’s worth posting just the same. Not only will this device be compatible with openWRT/DD-WRT projects, but offering the usb option allows your mass-storage devices to be networked, and/or making backups easier to run or restore from a central networked location. I’ve been sifting through ebay for compatible routers for open-wrt, but really wanted to hold out for a stablized Wireless-N option, and hopefully the speed enhancements on my home network. I’m intrigued:

SAN JOSE, Calif. — October 5, 2009 — NETGEAR®, Inc. NASDAQGM: NTGR, a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today announced the launch of RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with USB WNR3500L, a full-featured Wireless-N router offering high-performance wireless range and speed along with Gigabit Ethernet ports and ReadyShareTM USB storage access.The RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with USB is also designed to serve as a reliable, high-performance open source Linux® platform supporting a wide variety of applications created by multiple development partners and the dedicated open source community. Some of these partners include BigFoot Networks for boosting network speeds for online gaming, Leaf Networks for easy remote access, Paragon Software for high-speed USB file reads and writes, and Sputnik for hotspot solutions.The most popular free, open source Linux-based firmware — DD-WRT, OpenWRT and Tomato — are also available on the RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router, making it easier for users to develop a wide variety of applications. Customers can download the Linux-based open source firmware from the open source community and development program web site at http://www.myopenrouter.com.

[ More on this, via MyOpenRouter. ]

Canonical and Microsoft: Is Sustaining a Business Better than Turning a Profit Right Now?

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The New York Times ran a piece this Sunday featuring Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth. Though a majority of the piece was biographical, and the rest wasn’t exactly the picture of accuracy in its portrayal of Ubuntu (or Linux in general), there were a few interesting figures.

It gives pause to wonder how, in this economy, and in an ever-changing industry, profit still gets much better press than growth.

The Times reports Canonical is approaching the $30 million a year mark in terms of revenue, and Shuttleworth feels that is the point when the company will become self-sustaining.

The Times also says that that $30 million figure won’t worry Microsoft. Of course it won’t, at least not when it comes to the bottom line, right here, right now. It’s mere pocket change. I agree wholeheartedly with Linux Magazine’s Bryan Richard that it’s the long-term that Microsoft needs to be very, very concerned about.

[ continued, via ostatic ]

Thunderbird IMAP Setup (Works in Ubuntu)

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I’ve been using Ubuntu on a second desktop to do some limited sysadmin stuff at my worksite. If I’m stuck at the one for a task and need to hit up outlook to look for new email I usually switch screens over to my XP desktop.

I have heretofore used Evolution on the linux box and it has worked, but it has quirks I just don’t love. In the meantime, I always assumed Thunderbird wouldn’t be IMAP-friendly. I can happily report that I’m wrong!

Using this how-to, with generous screenshots – (XP screenshots at that!) I can report this works in ubuntu, complete with populated imap folders. Folks who use Thunderbrid for their Gmail accounts probably already knew this, but I’m just happy to discover this at all!

How to and Screenshots found here: OIT Exchange – Thunderbird IMAP Setup.