Van Monitoring System

A comprehensive MicroPython application for real-time vehicle monitoring using the M5Stack CoreS3 SE.

Features

🚗 Vehicle Monitoring

• GPS Tracking: Real-time location with satellite count and speed
• Battery Management: Voltage monitoring with percentage calculation
• Engine Detection: USB power detection for engine status
• Home Proximity: Automatic detection when within configurable radius

📱 Display & Interface

• Smooth LCD Updates: Flicker-free display with state tracking
• Real-time Data: GPS coordinates, battery status, WiFi connectivity
• Visual Status: Color-coded indicators (green/yellow/red)

🌐 Connectivity

• WiFi Auto-Connect: Automatic connection when close to home
• Secure Credentials: Local secrets management (not committed to git)

Hardware Requirements

• M5Stack CoreS3 SE with ESP32-S3
• GPS Module connected to UART1 (TX=17, RX=18)
• AXP2101 battery management unit (I2C pins 11,12)
• ST7789 LCD (via M5 library)

Quick Start

1. Hardware Setup

Connect your GPS module to pins 17 (TX) and 18 (RX) at 115200 baud.

2. Credentials Setup

Create a local_secrets.py file (this file is gitignored):

# WiFi configuration
WIFI_SSID = "your_wifi_ssid"
WIFI_PASS = "your_wifi_password"

# Home location coordinates
HOME_LAT = 40.7128  # Your home latitude
HOME_LON = -74.0060  # Your home longitude

3. Installation

# Copy files to your M5Stack CoreS3
mpremote cp main.py :
mpremote cp local_secrets.py :

# Run the application
mpremote run main.py

4. Configuration

• Update HOME_LAT and HOME_LON in local_secrets.py with your actual coordinates
• Adjust HOME_RADIUS_FT in main.py if needed (default: 2000 feet)

System Architecture

Sensor Collection (5-second intervals)

• GPS position and satellite data via NMEA parsing
• Battery voltage and charging status
• USB power detection
• WiFi connectivity management

Display Updates (250ms intervals)

• Smart rendering that only updates changed values
• Prevents flicker with state tracking
• Smooth, responsive interface

Data Processing

• GPRMC sentences: Position, speed, time data
• GPGGA sentences: Satellite count and altitude
• Haversine formula: Distance calculation for home proximity
• Voltage-based: Battery percentage calculation

Display Layout

VAN MONITOR
─────────────────────────────────
GPS: FIX SAT:8          HOME: YES
LAT: 40.7128
LON: -74.0060
SPEED: 0.0 km/h

BATTERY: 65%
Status: not-charging

USB: CONNECTED
ENGINE: ON
WIFI: CONNECTED

TIME: 14:30:25

Technical Details

GPS Configuration

• Baudrate: 115200
• Pins: TX=17, RX=18
• Sentences: GPRMC (position), GPGGA (satellites)
• Timeout: 3 seconds per reading

Battery Monitoring

• I2C Address: 0x34 (AXP2101)
• Voltage Range: 3.0V - 4.2V (Li-ion)
• Percentage: Calculated from voltage readings
• Pins: SCL=11, SDA=12

WiFi Management

• Auto-retry: Every 30 seconds when close to home
• Connection timeout: 10 seconds
• Power-aware: Manages connection based on location

File Structure

├── main.py              # Main application
├── local_secrets.py     # Credentials (gitignored)
├── .gitignore          # Git ignore rules
├── README.md           # This file
└── CLAUDE.md           # Development notes

Development

Adding Features

The modular design makes it easy to extend:

• Sensor data is collected in update_sensors()
• Display updates in draw_status_screen()
• Hardware interfaces are clearly separated

Debugging

Enable debug output by monitoring the serial console:

mpremote run main.py

Testing Components

Individual hardware components can be tested separately by importing specific functions.

Security

• No credentials in git: All sensitive data in local_secrets.py
• Gitignored secrets: Prevents accidental commits
• Clean history: Repository contains no sensitive information

Troubleshooting

GPS Issues

• Verify wiring: TX=17, RX=18
• Check baudrate: 115200
• Ensure antenna has clear sky view
• Monitor NMEA sentences in debug output

Battery Reading Issues

• Verify I2C connection: SCL=11, SDA=12
• Check AXP2101 address: 0x34
• Ensure battery is connected

Display Problems

• Verify M5 library import: from M5 import *
• Check display initialization
• Monitor for error messages

WiFi Connection Issues

• Verify credentials in local_secrets.py
• Check signal strength
• Ensure proximity to home location

License

This project was developed with assistance from Claude Code.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch
3. Make changes (ensure local_secrets.py is not committed)
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code