Picorder 2

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The current 3D Printed Enclosure
The Picorder 2 test platform, March 2020

The TR-109 Picorder 2 project aims to develop and produce a portable, self contained, Raspberry Pi based sensor data acquisition platform.

It is the successor to the original Picorder. Originally the projects goal was to make a single Tricorder replica, but the Picorder 2 project has slowly become more of a set of standards for the Picorder family of devices I want to make.

Latest update: Screen and capacitive buttons tested and completed. Everything works pretty good with the screen and the mpr121 cap button board. Now I just need to modify PicorderOS to use the EnivroPhat I'll be using for testing until I can make my own sensor board.

To Do:

- Finalize Enclosure

- Finalize Components

- Finalize Software


Software

Picorder 2 will use PicorderOS a python library that unifies a number of different modules under a custom user interface.

Hardware

PCBs

Custom PCBs are being designed and will soon begin prototyping stages:

Mainboard

Picorder backplanes ready to ship.jpg On March 4th 2020 I received word the first prototype boards were being shipped out.


TR109mainboard 2020-02-20.png

Connects to the display, supports the button inputs pcb, main indicator LEDs and other items on the main body.


CPU

Raspberry Pi Zero W
My old favourite will return for this model. Power consumption was a MAJOR problem with the first Picorder, I have found a really good article on some ways to reduce power consumption. I am playing with the idea of using something like an arduino or just an ATTINY, but the Pi has so many advantages.

Sensors

Basic ambient environmental; temperature, pressure, humidity and VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). Ranged line-of-sight temperature sensing (very small envelope. 0°c to 80°c). Magnetometer, maybe something like spectroscope if I can find one that works. Electromagnetic interference of a very arbitrary envelope could be displayed using some kind of ADC and an antenna.

Potential Components

Bm860 VOC, Temp, Humidity, Pressure sensor
The BME680 is a basic environmental sensor. VOC is a nice added feature. This sensor will provide ambient environmental information. I've found a good guide for how to connect it to a Pi.
MiCS6814
I was turned onto the idea of an 8 gas sensor by the ODROID-GO Ticorder project where they used this IC to measure carbon minoxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, methane, propane, and iso-butane. I found a great blogpost on some ways to use it. Because it is an analog sensor I would need to use an ADC and some way to connect it to the Pi.
AMG8833 IR Thermal Camera
This is a VERY low resolution and low range thermal camera. It will basically only be useful for detecting dramatic temperature differences. It was relatively cheap so I want to include it. This sensor will provide inaccurate CONTEXTUAL temperature information at range.
MLX90614 Non Contact Thermometer
A cheap and accessible non contact thermometer. This sensor provides accurate specific temperature readings at range. I've managed to find Adafruits own circuitpython implementation and this page looks fruitful too.
An EMF sensor of some kind.
Probably a resistor on an ADC to give me basic environmental electrical readings. I found this site that shows you how you can use at AT tiny as an i2c device, which I could use with this guide to make a small EMF detector to read low frequency interference.

Shell

Picorder 2 will officially support a standardized 3D printed enclosure. This file will likely be included with picorderOS software. The case is designed to be several pieces that fasten together.

Rev1b.png

Picorder2 3d plan.png

Before I decided to use a 3D printed enclosure there were two "off the shelf" options that seemed suitable for the shell

Mark 7 Tricorder Replica
I've acquired a prop replica kit for the mark 7 tricorder from [Stapleton Productions](https://www.facebook.com/Stapleton-Productions-156609151162729/).
1993 Playmates Tricorder Toy
For the prototype, this is easy to get and modify.

And I hope to be able to maintain support for those ideas as I continue developing the P2.

Input

MPR121 Capacitive Touch Buttons
Controller to use small metal pads for capacitive buttons for inputs. I found a good guide and software info for the Pi here.

Display

There are two main display targets for this project.

The premium version is this colour screen:

TFT ST7735.png

Generic ST7735 LCD Display
In applications where power isn't as critical a screen like this can provide full colour rich interface. Use of this screen can be facilitated by specifically pushing data to this screen using the Luma python module (more work but perhaps less processor intensive) or by using FBTFT to use it as a display target (requires additional software modifications, but allows for generic computing functions to be displayed). The display I found (pictured) had no pins listed as MOSI or MISO (for SPI) but I found a pin chart in the Luma docs that helped.


And then a low cost low power monochrome screen:

5110 3310 monochrome LCD.jpg

Nokia 5110 LCD screen
To provide low power information output to the user, and maybe to play some snake. I looked in a number of places to find a good guide on how to connect the Adafruit part I have with various descriptions around the web. I found this guide to have some important information, but the wiring information seemed incorrect. This guide lays out how to connect the screen properly..

LEDS

As with the original picorder I want to make sure that this one has a feel of the actual prop. the TOS tricorder only had 3 indicator lights but the TNG tricorder is lit up like a christmas tree.

I'm going to try and include at the very least:

  • the four green indicator lights (alpha, beta, delta, gamma)
  • the front panel sensor array (the green ripple lights, the various and sundry sensor illuminations)
  • the EMRG button
  • the PWR button.
  • GEO, MET, BIO buttons.

ALPHA BETA DELTA GAMMA

Its always perplexed me that these indicator lights seem to ripple (light up and turn off one after the other) in different directions depending on the season of TNG you're watching.

It makes sense to me that the LEDs on the Tricorder should ripple from top to bottom (alpha to gamma).

I have read (somewhere) that the TNG Tricorder lights were changed by a prop maker to run in the opposite direction only so they could tell when their work was being used on screen.


Controller

I think in the interest of reducing processing load on the Pi I will just use the Pi as a clock and pulse a GPIO pin high and low to a number of decade counters to control the "look and feel" LEDS.

Gallery

MyCorder

This project is a "MyCorder" build and so I'm using this subreddit to solicit advice from the community.