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I decided to create a mobile ADS-B receiver station so I could do plane spotting where ever I go. I needed to be battery operated and fit into a compact easy to transport package. So I did extensive research into the principals of ADS-B operation, available hardware and software, then started building into a Pelican Case.
Inside the Pelican Case is a 6x6 project box. Contained in the project box is a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B as a Main Computer. A USB GPS Receiver for location aquisition. The Radio chain is a follows: SDR -> BandPass Filter -> DC Blocking Filter -> LNA -> Antenna
I added a 433Mhz RF receiver so I could interact with the Arduino while keeping it entirely inside the project box. The RF Interface allows me to tell the arudino to set, clear and check the battery status, as well as resetting the arudino seperate from the raspberry pi power.
I added a 7 inch LG tablet for use as the access point to the aircraft monitoring software, as well as to manage the raspberry pi. The System runs for a total of 6hrs on 1 battery. It is able to detect aircraft at a range of 100km
The System was also going to need a way to give me a indication of remaining battery percentage. So I used an Arduino Nano coupled with the 7 Segment Display Board salvaged from the Wifi Scanner Project. The 7 Segment Display is used to show the battery level in the form of a percentage. The LEDs on the Display Board now indicate battery percentage 100% - 75% - 50% - 25%.
The code used on the Arduino can be downloaded Here
