RCSIM RPi5 Deployment Tool

Deployment utility for the RCSIM (Race Ready Autonomous System) software stack targeting Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computers equipped with Hailo-8L accelerators. The application provides a modern web browser interface (Web GUI) powered by Flask, alongside a legacy Tkinter-based fallback interface.

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📋 Table of Contents

1. Key Features
2. Requirements & Dependencies
3. Project Structure
4. Build Process
5. Configuration
   • deployment_settings.json Structure
   • Connection & SSH Settings
   • RTK & NTRIP Configuration
   • Hardware Configuration
   • Communication & MAVLink
6. Usage Instructions

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🚀 Key Features

• Automated Deployment: Automatically archives local source code, securely uploads it via SFTP to the Raspberry Pi 5, triggers remote Docker image builds, and spawns system containers/services.
• SSH Credentials Management: Supports both simple password authentication and private SSH key authentication (including keys protected by a passphrase).
• Advanced Hardware Tuning: Configure IMU drivers, interfaces, and baudrates for GPS, LiDAR, and ExpressLRS receiver directly from the Web GUI.
• RTK / NTRIP Integration: Full parameterization of NTRIP base stations and RTK correction feeds for high-precision GPS coordinates.
• Remote Diagnostics: Real-time monitoring of RPi 5 CPU load, temperature, memory usage, and the status of system docker containers/services.
• Flexible Communication: Set communication protocols (e.g., NATIVE, MAVLINK) and customize system IDs and telemetry frequency (Hz).

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🛠️ Requirements & Dependencies

Before running the deployment tool, ensure the following dependencies are installed:

• Python 3.8+ (Python 3.10+ recommended on Windows)
• Required Python Packages:

  pip install flask paramiko requests cryptography

• For packaging the application into a standalone executable (.exe):

  pip install pyinstaller pyinstaller-hooks-contrib

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📂 Project Structure

RCSIM_deployment_tool/
├── core/
│   ├── build_deployment.py       # PyInstaller invocation script
│   ├── config_manager.py         # Handles settings management and localization
│   ├── deployment_logic.py       # Core SSH/SFTP transfer and remote command logic
│   ├── deployment_settings.json  # Saved local settings
│   └── service_monitor.py        # Background thread tracking Raspberry Pi status
├── ui/
│   ├── locales/                  # Localized translation catalogs (pl, en)
│   └── ui_components.py          # Legacy Tkinter UI components (fallback)
├── web/                          # Static Web GUI assets and templates (HTML/CSS/JS)
├── RCsimDeployment.spec          # PyInstaller spec file for compiling the EXE
├── RCsimRPi5deploymentapp.py     # Main application launcher entrypoint
├── build_deployment.bat          # Windows batch script to build the executable
├── README.md                     # Polish documentation (PL)
└── README_EN.md                  # This documentation file (EN)

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🏗️ Build Process

The RCSIM deployment utility can be compiled into a single, standalone .exe executable for Windows. This lets operators run the tool without needing a Python interpreter installed on the host machine.

Step-by-step Packaging:

1. Run the batch script build_deployment.bat (optionally as Administrator).
2. The script will automatically:
   • Verify that PyInstaller, paramiko, and cryptography are installed, fetching them via pip if missing.
   • Execute core/build_deployment.py to initiate the packaging.
   • PyInstaller parses the configuration from RCsimDeployment.spec to correctly bundle the static Web UI files, localization files, and libraries (like paramiko, cryptography, and nacl).
3. Once completed successfully, the built binary is located at:

   RCSIM_deployment_tool/dist/RCsimDeployment.exe
   

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⚙️ Configuration

All deployment configurations and hardware preferences are saved locally inside core/deployment_settings.json (or next to the .exe file once compiled).

deployment_settings.json Structure

Below is the template containing all available configuration fields:

{
    "rpi_host": "192.168.1.100",
    "rpi_user": "rcsim",
    "rpi_pass": "ssh_password_here",
    "project_source": "C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\RCSIMDEPLOY",
    "pc_tailscale_ip": "100.x.y.z",
    "use_rtk": true,
    "ntrip_user": "ntrip_username",
    "ntrip_pass": "ntrip_password",
    "ntrip_host": "rtk2go.com",
    "ntrip_port": "2101",
    "ntrip_mount": "BaseStationMountpoint",
    "imu_driver": "native_bmx160_bmp388",
    "gps_enabled": true,
    "gps_port": "/dev/ttyAMA0",
    "gps_baudrate": "115200",
    "camera_port": "cam0",
    "camera_resolution": "1920x1080",
    "camera_fps": "30",
    "camera_bitrate": "10 Mbps",
    "camera_type": "imx219",
    "lidar_enabled": true,
    "lidar_port": "/dev/ttyUSB0",
    "lidar_baudrate": "115200",
    "elrs_enabled": true,
    "elrs_port": "/dev/ttyAMA3",
    "elrs_baudrate": "57600",
    "language": "English",
    "rpi_use_key": false,
    "rpi_key_path": "",
    "rpi_key_passphrase": "",
    "pc_udp_port": "12347",
    "rpi_udp_port": "12346",
    "comm_mode": "AUTO",
    "comm_protocol": "NATIVE",
    "mavlink_system_id": "1",
    "mavlink_throttle_hz": "50",
    "fast_mode": false,
    "app_type": "RCSIM_DOCKER"
}

Connection & SSH Settings

• rpi_host: Target Raspberry Pi 5 IP address or hostname.
• rpi_user: SSH login username (e.g., rcsim or pi).
• rpi_pass: SSH login password.
• rpi_use_key: Whether to log in using an SSH private key (true/false).
• rpi_key_path: Absolute or relative path to the private key file.
• rpi_key_passphrase: Optional passphrase to decrypt the private key.

RTK & NTRIP Configuration

• use_rtk: Toggles GPS RTK corrections.
• ntrip_host / ntrip_port: URL and port of the NTRIP correction service provider.
• ntrip_user / ntrip_pass: Credentials to authenticate against the NTRIP caster.
• ntrip_mount: The specific mountpoint of the correction station.

Hardware Configuration

• imu_driver: Selected IMU sensor driver (e.g., native_bmx160_bmp388 or native_mpu9250).
• gps_enabled / gps_port / gps_baudrate: Hardware status and UART parameters of the GPS module.
• lidar_enabled / lidar_port / lidar_baudrate: LiDAR status and serial communication speed.
• elrs_enabled / elrs_port / elrs_baudrate: Configuration for the ExpressLRS remote control receiver.
• camera_type / camera_resolution / camera_fps / camera_bitrate: CSI/USB camera module type and target stream parameters.

Communication & MAVLink

• comm_mode: Physical connection mode (e.g., AUTO, UDP, SERIAL).
• comm_protocol: Telemetry stream format (NATIVE or MAVLINK).
• mavlink_system_id: MAVLink system identifier for the vehicle.
• mavlink_throttle_hz: Telemetry publishing frequency (e.g. 50 Hz).
• pc_udp_port / rpi_udp_port: Networking UDP ports used for telemetries and command streams.

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💻 Usage Instructions

Running from source (locally):

1. Install requirements:

   pip install -r requirements.txt  # Or install manually: flask, paramiko, requests

2. Start the launcher:

   python RCsimRPi5deploymentapp.py

3. Open your favorite web browser and go to:

   http://127.0.0.1:5000
   

Running the standalone executable:

1. Locate RCsimDeployment.exe inside the dist/ directory and execute it.
2. The tool automatically boots the web server and opens the browser interface.
3. Configure the connection, path, and hardware fields, then click "Start Deployment".