Hardware issue: Make and test another RFID antenna that fits around the inside cylinder of the 3D-printed cap, and fit the cover behind this antenna. Includes winding the antenna, testing inductance, soldering the magnetic wire to leads, crimping the leads to a connector that fits into the RFID reader, and testing with Main.sh with all other devices.

Hardware issue:

I made a new RFID antenna on the 3D-printed bobbin and a piece of cardboard, then transferred this over to the 3D-printed antenna cap. The cover fits over the back of the cap and the antenna inductance is ~828 uH (in the expected range of 770 +/- uH, this was ~120 turns of magnetic wire). Next steps are to solder the antenna ends to lead wires, crimp the ends of the leads to a connector and test whether this antenna setup can pick up PIT tags. Also do some tests about maximum range at which the antenna detects PIT tags.

$ screen -r video There is no screen to be resumed matching video.

Update IR beam breaker code to create a function that will return the values of interest (sensor ID, event, timestamp)

Update Readme

Run script to install all the required packages and configure the raspberry pi
Set:

1. Set Box ID
2. Download/install python packages
3. Download/install OS packages (screen, smtp, git...)
4. Enable OS ssh
5. Raspberry pi name, hostname
6. Email configuration
7. Use regex to update files locally
8. Instructions to setup RFID files manually

• Cover should be able to be inserted in the inner tube of the nest entrance
• Cover should protect the antenna

Add instructions to readme

Set up headless access to RPi

We're running software testing with devices connected to the RPi through jumper cables on a breadboard. I'd like to solder jumper wires to a proto-PCB board to make the jumper cable connections more stable. Jumper cable connections and software need to be tested again after soldering.

Clean staging from confidential data, use run_install to setup instead

Hardware issue: Test which tupperware fits both the RPi and external hard drive on top of a recording chamber. May need Velcro or something to fasten the container, and also may need to cut holes to feed through the jumper cables and power cord.

Continuing with integration of all 4 devices but with a different directory / script structure

Hardware issue: Use the Dremel to sand down rough edges (fine grit) after drilling holes and cutting PVC. Sand the inside of the tunnel and the wall below the tunnel inside the main chamber with a rougher grip so that the birds have more grip to climb up to and through the tunnel.

Hardware issue: Make a shield to protect the tunnel (including RFID cap and beam breakers) from perching birds. I think it will be easiest to cut paper that will cover these devices and the tunnel, laminate this, and punch holes to fasten the shield to the nest container with a few screws.

• Prepare master bash file to start and monitor all modules using screen
• Implement logging and csv writting
• Prepare email service to send error alerts

• Backup was supposed to happen at 8:15pm
• No errors logged, no emails

I need to make an RFID antenna using materials that Mason Younblood used for a RFID perch antenna. The antenna that I make will be circular, and needs to be the same diameter as the nest container entrance.

Testing the inductance of the loop antenna once wound to ensure it's in the correct range for detecting PIT-tags. I also need to connect this to leads and a connector that fit into the CognioT RFID reader.

Hardware issue: Connect camera to the longest ribbon cable, and check setup in recording chamber. Order a longer cable if needed and one exists.

Request more documentation about specific functionality: Modify information about IMAP email setup

Request more documentation about specific functionality: Update RFID antenna documentation after making and testing an antenna that fits inside the 3D-printed cap and cover.

Add code to run camera and save videos. This code will eventually need to be changed to use the infrared beam breakers or RFID antenna as a trigger

Handle exceptions for all functions so that the email service can be used to send error alerts.

The prototype will consist of the nest container and the devices connected to the nest container and RPi. Once these parts are ready it'll be time to work on some important details (add more as needed):

• Check the camera iso and resolution given the height of the camera placement, and also the level of light expected in recording chambers

• Also decide which camera ribbon cable will work best, such that the RPi doesn't have to sit inside the recording chamber

• The nest chamber itself should have small holes drilled along the sides for airflow

• Scrape or grind lines or a hatched pattern on the wall of the nest chamber directly below the tunnel. This will facilitate grip as parents or offspring leave the nest

• Consider whether or not to stain the inside and outside of the nest container. Either way, will need to adjust the camera iso setting accordingly

• Check the stability of the entrance tunnel connected to the nest chamber

• The RPi and external hard drive should be placed in a tupperware with a lid for protection. The proto-PCB board could be placed in the same container or a different one (will need a large hole opened for jumper cables)

• Container(s) holding the RPi, external hard drive, and proto PCB should be fastened securely to the top of each recording chamber. Velcro?

• Raspberry Pi board should have a unique box_id labelled physically

• External drives should be labelled and renamed accordingly too

I'd like the nest container to have a shield that serves to 1) fasten the camera to a lid on top of the main chamber, and 2) protect the camera, infrared beam breakers, RFID antenna and associated wires from perching and feces.

The shield could look something like this:

The back of the shield should remain open so that the camera can be easily accessed for troubleshooting. The platform with the hole for the camera should sit just inside the top of the nest chamber, and it would be great if there could also be 4 small holes for fastening the camera board with small screws. A semicircular wall could sit on top of this platform with a peaked roof over the camera. The roof could slope down in a steep incline (to discourage perching) and cover the top and sides of the entrance tunnel (where the infrared beam breakers and RFID antenna will be attached). Cables for the different devices can be fed to the outside of the cage underneath the shield.

I drew the shield ending in a circular piece that sits inside the tunnel entrance. But I think it would be better to remove this to make the shield easier to put on / take off.

Another important thing to consider is that the birds will probably try to explore any open spaces they can see. We should avoid leaving gaps in the undersides of the shield.

Hardware issue: Cut or grind down the screws used to fasten the beam breakers to the tunnel entrance. These should be flush with the inner surface of the tunnel, and it might be necessary to grind off sharp edges.

Few updates

Monitor functionality and send email alerts

After testing is complete, all TODOs should be resolved.

Develop code to move data from RPi to external hard drive, ideally at night when camera is not recording

Design and print a model to help creating the antennas for RFID.

Inner tube diameter: 40.3098mm
Print Duration: 2 hours 31 minutes

Branch name would be PCT-10
Commits should start with [PCT-10]

If any packages/external libraries are needed, please add them to the corresponding folder under Lib directory (pull latest code from main first to see it)

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Long logs take too much space.

Logs from the day before should be backed up as well.

Staging branch to run tests before sending to main branch

• Raspberry Pi board should have a unique box_id labelled physically
• External drives should be labelled and renamed accordingly too

When looking for external drives in the pi, it will look for the name of the USB, therefore it should be the box_id

Add code tested to get temperature sensor running and also save output

It would be great if we can figure out how to concatenate the pre-trigger and post-trigger videos. This should probably be done as a post-processing step to avoid overloading each Pi.

We have some time to figure this out, but we need to make sure that the videos are being encoded in a format compatible with downstream processing.

@lastralab I sent you two videos in .mp4 format by email. Let me know if you're able to concatenate these in some software other than ffmpeg.

1. Video time range was set to run between 6 and 19 hours.
2. No errors logged, no emails
3. Screen was closed
4. Last video recorded at 21hrs
5. Attached info.log for troubleshooting
   info19.log

Hardware issue: Make long jumper cables with stranded wire and Dupont connectors so that the Pi can sit outside the recording chamber.

Add tutorial images/gifs for each step of the setup
Wiki section

The devices needs to be physically connected to the nest container, which might involve some updates to the container design.

• The RFID antenna needs to be fixed to the opening of the nest entrance tunnel

• The infrared beam breakers need to be connected to the tunnel behind the RFID antenna

• The temperature sensor should be fed through a hole in the top, side, or bottom of the nest container to measure temperature inside the chamber without obstacles (.e.g this shouldn't be placed in the nest area since birds may just keep building up material)

• The camera needs to be fastened to the top of the nest container, possibly with a clear protective barrier that can be easily removed for cleaning

All devices should be stably connected to the nest container, but also not too difficult to remove for troubleshooting.

Email notifications should alert about system errors and performance

• Python exceptions
• Modules not working
• Memory issues
• Space issues

Start recording seconds before the event.

Remove unused files

Add CognIot code to Lib, add code to save RFID antenna output

Directory structure

• Folders and files