LoRa HUD

Inspiration

We wanted to create an innovative solution with problems we already understand. So we took to trying LoRa. When thinking about what to do we thought, whats an issue we know all to well? Instantly I thought back to my days in aerospace when testing and designing model rockets for flight there wasn't a good means of testing our sensors in a long range and safe manner, specially when the only means we could read info from the rocket HAD to be HAM radio, making it less accessible for most people. This project aimed to take that on in a flexible format that can be helpful for anyone in any industry with or without ham radio, or prior experience, targeted at ease of use and availability we targeted low cost hardware and easy to interact with GUI.

What it does

Offers an interactive and highly customizable and dynamic sensor reader that can relay information about longevity of tools under different conditions in real time to offer a versatile, low budget, and fully self contained means of sensor data collection in all industries and home use.

How we built it

We used python to handle the UI with a focus on modularity both in the preformed math and modules. For the hardware end we used ESP32 "Core" boards from microcenter to show communications across wifi protocols (much like LoRa does, tho not as efficiently) while LoRa is cheap and readily available, finding a local vendor carrying LoRa ready boards was not something we where able to do, so we settled for a regular internet protocol to highlight how data sending and mesh networks can work for this.

Challenges we ran into

The first challenge was displaying the power of LoRa, with out LoRa, we figured we can use the ESP32's as proof of concept, while explaining the differences and advantages that can come with LoRa over normal WiFi. We ran into several problems with UI elements, and modularity, specially when cycling sensors on the click of a button making that properly dynamically update based on active listed sensors was not as easy as it sounds, after a full night tho we got it going!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are very proud of the simplicity and modularity of the HUD, as well as the live demo we have drafted, while both seem simple at a glance they both offer some important information and a very unique solutions to a problem thats seemingly been solved, putting our own twist on something that many people assume wouldn't have much room for demonstration given the constraints of both time, and budget.

What we learned

We learned a lot about embedded systems and the WiFi protocol, as well as LoRa's advantages being not just decentralized WiFi but also offering advances where WiFi usually falls short. We also learned A LOT about GUI design in python, as none of us where familiar with designing any form of GUI in python before today.

What's next for LoRa HUD

Open source it, and start implementing it in our own applications allowing us to properly work with LoRa for this application and improve it with real world examples and experience and hopefully help other groups who might be in a similar situation to us before starting this project, unable to get good reads on data in a safe manner, and unsure of the longevity of our parts all while trying to study for our HAM license just to be able to properly and safely read our data.

Built With

• arduino-c
• esp32
• python