Sensor board

High-Speed Sensor Telemetry & Observer System Validation Board

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Project Overview

This repository contains the full hardware, firmware, and software stack for a custom sensor data acquisition board designed around the STM32F407VGT microcontroller. The system is engineered to capture, process, and stream multi-sensor data to validate a high-speed observer system framework.

The architecture bridges custom PCB design, non-blocking C++ embedded firmware, and a modular Python dashboard to provide real-time telemetry, enabling precise tracking of stable motor rotation and load variables at high velocities.

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System Architecture

1. Hardware Integration (/hardware)

The custom-designed PCB acts as the central node for sensor fusion and motor state estimation. The board integrates the following components:

• MCU: STM32F407VGT (ARM Cortex-M4).
• IMU: MPU6050 (6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope) for inertial tracking.
• Magnetometer: HMC5883L for heading reference.
• Time-of-Flight: VL53L0X for precise distance measurements.
• Mechanical Sensors: Direct interfaces for load cells and quadrature/optical encoders to track torque and rotation.
• Design Files: KiCAD schematics, BOM, and mechanical CAD models are included.

2. Embedded Firmware (/firmware)

Written in C++, the firmware focuses on deterministic execution and high-speed data throughput:

• Non-Blocking I/O: Ensures the sensor polling loop is not bottlenecked by communication delays.
• Telemetry Pipeline: Constructs and streams an 84-byte binary payload containing timestamped sensor data and state variables.
• Virtual COM Port (VCP): Utilizes USB CDC to achieve a stable 200Hz data transmission rate to the host PC.

3. Telemetry Dashboard (/software)

A custom graphical interface developed in Python (PySide/PyQt) to visualize the observer system's performance in real-time.

• Serial Parsing (comms.py): Efficiently unpacks the 84-byte binary stream at 200Hz.
• Real-Time Visualization (gauges.py / ui/): Dynamic plotting of motor rotation, current readings, IMU data, and load metrics.
• Architecture: Highly modular layout utilizing custom .qss stylesheets for a clean, industrial UI.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Hardware: STM32 ST-LINK Utility or OpenOCD.
• Firmware: ARM GCC Toolchain and CMake (or your preferred STM32 IDE like STM32CubeIDE).
• Software: Python 3.8+ with pyserial, PySide6 (or PyQt6), and pyqtgraph.

Installation & Execution

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone [https://github.com/yourusername/stm32-telemetry-board.git](https://github.com/yourusername/stm32-telemetry-board.git)
   cd stm32-telemetry-board

2. Flash the Firmware: Compile the C++ source in the /firmware directory and flash the STM32F407 via ST-LINK.
3. Launch the Dashboard:

   cd software
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   python main.py

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Current Development Status

• Custom PCB schematic and layout finalized.
• Virtual COM port pipeline validated (84-byte payload @ 200Hz).
• Python GUI rendering stable high-speed sensor plots.
• Full observer system implementation in firmware (In Progress).

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.