FLUX-Sensors collects and combines positioning and illuminance data. It is running on the Raspberry Pi and forwards all data to an http server.
- Python 3.5
- Pip3
Install virtualenv:
pip3 install virtualenv
Start virtualenv to create an isolated Python environment:
cd flux-sensors
virtualenv -p <path/to/python3> venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip3 install --editable .
The cli command flux should be available now inside the virtual environment.
Stop virtualenv when finished: deactivate
cd flux-sensors
pip3 install .
The cli command flux should be available now.
If the command is not found, ~/.local/bin/ has to be added to the $PATH:
- add the line
export PATH=~/.local/bin:$PATHto~/.bash_profile:echo 'export PATH=~/.local/bin:$PATH' >>~/.bash_profile - then run
source ~/.bash_profileto reload the profile
Create a systemd unit file called flux.service:
sudo nano /lib/systemd/system/flux.service
Add the following content:
[Unit]
Description=FluxSensors
After=multi-user.target
[Service]
Type=idle
User=pi
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3.5 -u /home/pi/flux-sensors/flux_sensors/__main__.py
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Note that the paths are absolute and fully define the location of the installed Python and the cloned Flux-sensors repository.
Then the permission on the unit file needs to be set to 644:
sudo chmod 644 /lib/systemd/system/flux.service
Now configure systemd to start the service during the boot sequence:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable flux.service
After a reboot the service will start automatically.
The status of the service can be checked using:
sudo systemctl status flux.service
To view the logs use journalctl:
journalctl -u flux.service --follow
This project is tested with the TCS3430 light sensor from AMS. Connect the sensor according to the following mapping scheme:
| Raspberry GPIO | Light Sensor |
|---|---|
| Pin 1: 3.3V | Pin 2 3V0 |
| Pin 3: SDA | Pin 4 SDA |
| Pin 5: SCL | Pin 5 SCL |
| Pin 6: GND | Pin 3 GND |
Check the setup by printing a list of all available I2C-devices:
i2cdetect -y 1
The I2C-address of this sensor should be 0x39.
Crete a config file called flux-config.ini at /home/pi/.config:
sudo nano /home/pi/.config/flux-config.ini
Add the following content:
[Flux Server Credentials]
username=user
password=secret
[Flux Server URLs]
LAN=http://192.168.1.104:9000
CLOUD=https://flux-server-staging.herokuapp.com
LOCAL=http://localhost:9000
[Flux Server Connection Settings]
timeout=5
To apply changes in the config file the Flux-Sensor service needs to be restarted:
sudo systemctl restart flux.service
The username and password need to match the config of the connected Flux-Server instance.
The names of the server urls can be chosen freely. The script will go through the urls from top to bottom until it gets an answer.
The timeout defines the maximum time to wait for a response from Flux-Server while polling or sending new readings. It is set in whole seconds.