Remote Controlled and Live Stream Christmas Tree Lighting

Story

Due to social distancing requirements, PHYTEC held an end of year celebration virtually this year. Therefore our Christmas tree lighting had to some how go virtual as well. So, our team created a remote controlled system based utilizing our phyBOARD-i.MX 8M dev kit.

Wanna know how we did it? Keep on reading.

How we did it

We used the PHYTEC phyCORE-i.MX8M development kit with lighttpd as a webserver. Our web interface allows for users to remotely turn on/off lights and live stream the tree at the office.

Software

We used Yocto to include special packages for this project (lightpd, x264) in addition to the base BSP. To replicate this project you just need to make an SD card. We recommend a 16 GB micro SD card.

• Download the file from here:
• Write the.sdcard file to your SD card. You can use a tool like balena etcher on a Windows PC or the following command using a Linux PC. Note that you will need to change of=/dev/<name_of_your_device> to the applicable Linux device (ex. /dev/sdc).

sudo dd if=phytec-vision-image-phyboard-polaris-imx8m-3.sdcard of=/dev/<name_of_your_device > bs=1MB conv=fsync

Setup the Hardware

• Setup the phyCORE-i.MX8M dev kit and plug in the following interfaces (SD card, Ethernet, VM-016 MIPI camera).

Decorate your tree with a string of LED lights!

Connectto the Site

• The server will start up automatically on boot. Connect to it using a browser. https://192.168.3.11 (you must be on the same network to see the site)
• Pressing the button will turn on/off the lights
• A live stream of the tree is show in the window

Light 'er Up!

Time to shine! Click on the "Light 'er Up!" button on your website and watch your creation do it's thing.

Future Improvements

• The power adapter has a remote control feature. Ideally we could communicate via RF instead of the physical wires.
• Coordinate lights and music for a spectacular show