nature_emulator

Components

• Rasberry Pi
• Real time clock - saves time on power off
• Class-D amplifier
• 2 Speakers
• USB drive - stores config, audiofiles and nature emulator software
• LCD screen - for time display and basic config
• Scrolling buttons - for setting time and basic config
• Error LED - displays basic errors that arn't shown on screen

How it works

The Rasberry Pi runs a basic Linux OS, with a few scripts for basic operation. A USB drive stores a configuration file, audio files, and the nature_emulator software. Software on the USB drive can configure the nature_emulator can be edited manually. Audio files can be added to to the drive, and set in the config. The nature_emulator software runs off the drive. Configuration file, audio files, and the nature_emulator software can be modified added and upgraded by removing the drive.

Detailed operation

1. Rasberry Pi boots
2. init scripts
   • check for errors, display on LED
   • Loads screen
   • Detect USB drive and run nature_emulator
3. nature_emulator
   1. Read config
   2. Detect errors, override if posible or indicate error
   3. Check if init scripts need to be updated
   4. Selected mode
      • Single play mode
      • Fixed time mode
      • Dynamic sunset/sunrise mode
      • Combination Fixed/Dynamic mode
   5. Detect current time
   6. Queue files to play for the day
   7. Wait for midnight
   8. Return to step 4.

USB drive file structure

configure.ini
setup_windows.exe
setup_linux
setup_osx
audiofiles/
nature_emulator/
nature_emulator/nature_emulator.py
nature_emulator/audiofiles/

TODO

• finish nature_emulator soft
• create setup software
• create init scripts
  • LCD display
  • error LED
  • detect USB
• Add RTC hardware
• Add LCD hardware
• Create 3D model of container
• Test, test, test

Sounds of Nature sources

http://justme.land/5-sources-for-fascinating-sounds-of-nature/

The Sounds of Nature Collection by Gaia, https://archive.org/details/Sounds\_of\_Nature\_Collection - Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0

British library – Listen to the sounds of nature - http://www.bl.uk/listentonature/main.html - Copyrighted

Animal sounds

http://macaulaylibrary.org/ - copyrighted (huge library, short clips) US Fish and Wildlife Service - https://archive.org/details/animalsounds1 - Public Domain (short clips)

Bird Calls

http://www.xeno-canto.org/ - various licenses