Chapter 2: Raspberry Pi, Windows 10, and Me

Over the next couple of weeks, as our vacation approached, I scrambled to get my device working. I found a webcam for $4 at the local Goodwill Computer Works store which functioned with Windows 10 IoT (This is actually pretty amazing because there are only about four webcams Windows 10 IoT claims to be compatible with).

$4 is a pretty good deal for one of these. They are quite a bit more on Amazon.

I also purchased a GPS module, a u-blox NEO 6M, from Amazon.com which I wired up to my Pi.

My Raspberry Pi 2 connected to the u-blox NEO 6M

I tested my contraption at home with optimistic results. So, I decide to take it out and try it in my car. I employed a USB battery charging pack to run the Pi.

The inside of my Raspberry Pi box along with the GPS module and the 7" display

The Raspberry Pi along with the USB Battery module.

Unfortunately, it was at this time things started to go wrong. I never determined exactly what the cause was. I think it was either too few amps for the whole contraption or a corrupted SD card. Either way, I started routinely getting the following screen:

The most frustrating screen in the world. Intermittent, even after reinstalling Windows 10 a couple of times, it wouldn't completely go away.

As the time for trip was approaching, I eventually gave up on using the Raspberry Pi in the car for the project. I just didn't have time to get it working robustly. So, I shifted to using my old Dell Venue 11 Pro.

This is a near final version of my UWP (Universal Windows Platform) app running on my Pi before I gave up.

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Chapter 3: Experimentation

My Dell Venue 11 Pro running the latest version of my app

Once I shifted to using the Dell Venue 11 Pro tablet, things started working in the car, but I ran into other difficulties. For starters, I had to purchase another GPS device, one which would work with Windows 10 via USB. I found a u-blox 7 GLONASS/GPS device for a pretty good price on Amazon.

u-blox 7 GLONASS/GPS

I also spent another $4 at Goodwill Computer Works. This time, I bought an HD (720p) capable Logitech C270 Webcam. This camera turned out to be pretty capable. Most of the webcams I bought during the project were limited to 640x480 resolution while this one could handle 720p (1280x720) at 30 fps.

The Logitech C270

 Face detection at home was working okay, but I quickly discovered, in the car, it was never being triggered. So, I decided to add a couple more photo triggers. First, I set up a button on the screen. When clicked, it would cause a photo to be taken (and the corresponding location logged, of course). Also, I set up a timer. Originally, it was set for about two minutes. When it went off, the device would automatically take a photo.

This photo was taken automatically via timer.

This image was captured manually. I had the Dell on the front seat next to me while I was driving, and I could tap a button to quickly snap a photo from the camera.

I even experimented with having the timed photos take a sequential batch. My thinking, at the time, was to turn those batches into animated .gifs. The results were fun, but I ultimately decided not to pursue this option.

An animated GIF based on the sequential photos I was taking from the timer.

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