A1 cam updates #178

Jonathan-Woo · 2025-02-28T23:54:26Z

Generally cleaned stuff up. Added logging, autofocus, quality options.

Jonathan-Woo · 2025-03-01T00:07:34Z

So far no. Previously the HF timeout expired too early but that’s about it.

________________________________ From: Sterling G. Baird ***@***.***> Sent: Friday, February 28, 2025 7:06:06 PM To: AccelerationConsortium/ac-training-lab ***@***.***> Cc: Jonathan Woo ***@***.***>; Author ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [AccelerationConsortium/ac-training-lab] A1 cam updates (PR #178) @sgbaird commented on this pull request.

________________________________ In src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py<#178 (comment)>:

+def on_message(client, userdata, message):

+ data = json.loads(message.payload) + command = data["command"] + + if command == "capture_image": + logging.info(f"Received command: {command}") + + # only keeping one local copy at any given time called image.jpg + file_path = "image.jpeg" + + logging.info("Begin autofocus") + try: + picam2.autofocus_cycle() + logging.info("Successfully finished autofocus") + except Exception as e: + logging.error(f"Error autofocusing: {e}") Did you run into errors here at any point? — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#178 (review)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AL3OVBLMKETJLVJZ6PPZJSL2SD2W5AVCNFSM6AAAAABYDMPSFWVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43YUDVNRWFEZLROVSXG5CSMV3GSZLXHMZDMNJRHE4DGMBRGE>. You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

sgbaird

The logic seems sound - overall was easy to follow the script. Few minor points and clarifications listed. Overall, it seems like a lot of logging - I'm guessing because it's operating in a headless state, usually unsupervised, and you want to keep track of it for when you go into the device to check?

I've certainly been one to implement this style at times, but usually I start simple, try to do some stress testing, and then add try-except logic as needed (rather than anticipating). For example, I iterated a lot on https://github.com/sparks-baird/self-driving-lab-demo/blob/main/src/public_mqtt_sdl_demo/main.py because it was pretty fragile and hard to debug without the logging. Some key commits: https://github.com/sparks-baird/self-driving-lab-demo/blob/6dc95458027962a303e93390992c34f7f1b9c262/src/public_mqtt_sdl_demo/main.py --> sparks-baird/self-driving-lab-demo@8103b54

I don't know as well as you what all went wrong or is likely to go wrong (and what is making it easier to maintain) and I know you've done a lot of troubleshooting and debugging with the cameras, so I'll defer to you on this one. Just trying to get a handle on these topics within the training lab.

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:06:07Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+            picam2.capture_file(file_path)
+            logging.info("Successfully capture image")
+        except Exception as e:
+            logging.error(f"Error capturing image: {e}")


Did you run into errors here at any point?

Is the public access setup such that anyone can read files if given the URI, but access is restricted for the upload of files? (i.e., requires authentication)

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:06:21Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+            picam2.autofocus_cycle()
+            logging.info("Successfully finished autofocus")
+        except Exception as e:
+            logging.error(f"Error autofocusing: {e}")


Did you run into errors here at any point?

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:07:14Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+        except Exception as e:
+            logging.error(f"Error capturing image: {e}")
+
+        # make sure to setup S3 bucket with ACL and public access so that the link works publically


Thanks for comments like these!

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:07:22Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+            )
+            logging.info("Successfully uploaded to S3")
+        except Exception as e:
+            logging.error(f"Error uploading to S3: {e}")


Did you run into errors here at any point?

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:07:35Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+            client.publish(CAMERA_WRITE_ENDPOINT, json.dumps({"image_url": file_uri}))
+            logging.info(f"Published {file_uri} to {CAMERA_WRITE_ENDPOINT}")
+        except Exception as e:
+            logging.error(


Did you run into errors here at any point?

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:08:24Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+        picam2.set_controls({"AfMode": "auto"})
+        # JPEG quality level (0 is worst, 95 is best)
+        picam2.options["quality"] = 90
+        config = picam2.create_still_configuration(transform=Transform(vflip=1))


Maybe comment that the vflip is because we use a camera mount that puts the camera upside down

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:21:06Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+        object_name = datetime.utcnow().strftime("%Y-%m-%d-%H:%M:%S") + ".jpeg"
+        logging.info("Begin upload to S3")
+        try:
+            s3.upload_file(


How is s3 being used prior to being defined? If it were a global variable, I'd understand, but I only see it being defined in the if __main__ towards the end. Maybe I'm missing something basic.

Ah, got it - https://chatgpt.com/share/67d2dc20-59fc-8006-a092-5010cac7d62d

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:25:34Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+logger = logging.getLogger("device")
+
+
+def on_message(client, userdata, message):


Any thoughts about queuing in this context? I.e., what will happen if it gets a request while it's still processing another (will it be ignored completely, will it sit in a queue, etc.?). This is more of a fringe case atm, but I wanted to double check what the expected behavior is

I think I designed https://ac-microcourses.readthedocs.io/en/latest/courses/hello-world/1.4-hardware-software-communication.html and the corresponding assignment microcontroller script to handle requests in a FIFO style, but the use-case is somewhat different and that uses MicroPython mqtt_as instead of Python paho-mqtt (see also orchestrator nb).

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:27:50Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+import logging
+import sys
+
+logging.basicConfig(


Could you comment on the reasoning behind the more involved logging setup? (file handler, stream handler, why default basicConfig doesn't suffice, etc.). I imagine something to do with the Pi using a headless OS and having a file in case of unexpected shut-down, while still being able to see the stdout when you're SSH'd into it and debugging/prototyping.

sgbaird · 2025-03-01T00:28:49Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+from libcamera import controls, Transform
+
+from my_secrets import (
+    CAMERA_READ_ENDPOINT,


In this case because it's MQTT, let's call this a topic rather than an endpoint

…script with top-level try-except and mqtt error publish)

…ation instructions

…uirements

…ture

… verification

…thub.com/AccelerationConsortium/ac-training-lab into A1-cam

…tomatically

… clean up temporary files

…e "bucket owner enforced setting" (recommended to not have object ACLs, instead have bucket-wide settings))

sgbaird · 2025-03-17T14:37:59Z

I did a bit of refactoring and modification. In particular, I added a dummy package that can be installed to emulate picamera2 and libcamera.

@Jonathan-Woo What instructions did you follow for installing libcamera? Could you include a link?

I'm assuming picamera2 and paho-mqtt were just via pip.

Jonathan-Woo · 2025-03-17T14:50:25Z

I don't fully remember but I believe libcamera was installed when I installed picamera2 with the --no-install-recommends argument for minimal installation.

…lation via apt

sgbaird · 2025-03-17T18:33:51Z

Great! ~~What I found seems to confirm that, too~~. Thanks! (added some instructions to a README file)

EDIT: Looks like in a venv, there is a special consideration:

python3 -m venv --system-site-packages env

EDIT: However, OS Lite doesn't install pip, which requires it's own install command. Since venv comes with pip, maybe not a big deal (though I still lean somewhat towards using the default Python installation since it's fewer steps once set up).

EDIT: Since this complicates the cron job (e.g., I had installed venv rather than .venv), moving back to use of built-in Python and manual installation of pip:

sudo apt install python3-pip -y

EDIT:

ac@rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera:~/ac-training-lab/src/ac_training_lab/a1_cam $ sudo systemctl status a1-cam.service
● a1-cam.service - Start a1-cam device.py script
     Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/a1-cam.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: activating (auto-restart) (Result: exit-code) since Tue 2025-03-18 21:04:52 EDT; 3s ago
    Process: 1023 ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/ac/ac-training-lab/src/ac_training_lab/a1_cam/device.py (code=exited, status=1/FA>
   Main PID: 1023 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
        CPU: 224ms
ac@rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera:~/ac-training-lab/src/ac_training_lab/a1_cam $ sudo journalctl -u a1-cam.service -f
Mar 18 21:05:02 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera systemd[1]: a1-cam.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Mar 18 21:05:12 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera systemd[1]: a1-cam.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 24.
Mar 18 21:05:12 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera systemd[1]: Stopped a1-cam.service - Start a1-cam device.py script.
Mar 18 21:05:12 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera systemd[1]: Started a1-cam.service - Start a1-cam device.py script.
Mar 18 21:05:12 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera python3[1031]: Traceback (most recent call last):
Mar 18 21:05:12 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera python3[1031]:   File "/home/ac/ac-training-lab/src/ac_training_lab/a1_cam/device.py", line 8, in <module>
Mar 18 21:05:12 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera python3[1031]:     import boto3
Mar 18 21:05:12 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera python3[1031]: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'boto3'
Mar 18 21:05:13 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera systemd[1]: a1-cam.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Mar 18 21:05:13 rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera systemd[1]: a1-cam.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
^C
ac@rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera:~/ac-training-lab/src/ac_training_lab/a1_cam $ ls
bookworm-tailscale-instructions.txt  dummy_pkg              my_secrets.py  requirements.txt
device.py                            my_secrets_example.py  README.md      _scripts
ac@rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera:~/ac-training-lab/src/ac_training_lab/a1_cam $ pip install -r requirements.txt 
error: externally-managed-environment

× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
    python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
    install.
    
    If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
    create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
    Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
    sure you have python3-full installed.
    
    For more information visit http://rptl.io/venv

note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.
ac@rpi-zero2w-a1mini-toolhead-camera:~/ac-training-lab/src/ac_training_lab/a1_cam $

So, back to using venv... planning to just add final instructions to README to avoid having to update the issues over and over again.

…nd libcamera; improve logging in client.py

sgbaird · 2025-03-13T13:22:56Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+        object_name = datetime.utcnow().strftime("%Y-%m-%d-%H:%M:%S") + ".jpeg"
+        logging.info("Begin upload to S3")
+        try:
+            s3.upload_file(


Ah, got it - https://chatgpt.com/share/67d2dc20-59fc-8006-a092-5010cac7d62d

sgbaird · 2025-03-13T13:25:37Z

src/ac_training_lab/A1-cam/device.py

+        s3 = boto3.client("s3", region_name=AWS_REGION)
+        logging.info("Successfully configured AWS S3")
+    except Exception as e:
+        logging.error(f"Error configuring S3: {e}")


Would logging.exception make sense here? https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5191830/how-do-i-log-a-python-error-with-debug-information

A1 cam updates

Jonathan-Woo added 4 commits January 29, 2025 13:33

removed AWS values and fixed autofocus

19bf3a4

updated

e32fd34

added logging. renamed to avoid ambiguity

71594cc

removed S3 values

eb4ca19

Jonathan-Woo requested a review from sgbaird February 28, 2025 23:58

precommit

5f9e4eb

sgbaird requested changes Mar 1, 2025

View reviewed changes

sgbaird and others added 22 commits March 1, 2025 01:48

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into A1-cam

7ba76db

Merge branch 'main' into A1-cam

12ed7cf

add my_secrets.py to ignore

5a13d8f

rename to "TOPIC"

ff8a82b

publish errors to MQTT

458f8b6

refactor device.py relative to error handling and logging (top-level …

d155196

…script with top-level try-except and mqtt error publish)

add example secrets configuration for MQTT and AWS

5431929

add README for A1 Mini Overhead Toolhead Camera with secrets configur…

ca28f9f

…ation instructions

add requirements.txt for A1 Mini Overhead Toolhead Camera dependencies

83c7f04

update README to specify Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and Camera Module 3 req…

37e8e1a

…uirements

mwe scripts

d04d28b

add boto3 dependency for A1 Mini Overhead Toolhead Camera

87b88c1

add script for uploading files to S3 using boto3

43abedd

add MQTT publish script for image capture command

277aa34

add MQTT client script for sending commands and receiving sensor data

37ff187

refactor MQTT client setup and enhance message handling for sensor data

572f2f9

enhance image capture command handling with queue timeout

5156933

refactor MQTT client setup and improve command handling for image cap…

9fb8547

…ture

dummy picamera2

c1bffdf

dummy pkg for picamera2

f8a48f8

update dummy image color to red and adjust test file path for capture…

096dffe

… verification

Merge commit '72b218112c991b71986009c45266e64f098ee4a9' of https://gi…

1705c0e

…thub.com/AccelerationConsortium/ac-training-lab into A1-cam

sgbaird added 14 commits March 15, 2025 16:36

add dummy libcamera module and smoke test for Transform class

6015758

enhance image handling in MQTT client: download and display images au…

ffc867e

…tomatically

add wget dependency to dummy_pkg setup configuration

b464c0d

mv client

3e4e2f4

add wget dependency and improve MQTT client error handling

46a0b56

add image.jpeg to .gitignore

0f548d8

refactor image handling in client.py: extract image_uri from data and…

cf04a19

… clean up temporary files

align with ac-microcourse implementation (1.4.2), add s3 credentials

9e4b8c6

improve on_message logic, remove object-level ACL policy (remove sinc…

4e7c920

…e "bucket owner enforced setting" (recommended to not have object ACLs, instead have bucket-wide settings))

use client.loop_start instead of client.loop_forever

8195418

add disconnect message for MQTT client

1451146

fix: correct key name from image_url to image_uri in message payload

63b1973

only include image_uri (since using requests)

227d770

use requests instead

75e44ec

sgbaird added 3 commits March 17, 2025 12:14

remove libcamera and picamera2 from requirements, add note for instal…

c106a69

…lation via apt

update README with installation instructions for picamera2 and libcamera

f29a00d

clarification

72e1d1c

sgbaird linked an issue Mar 17, 2025 that may be closed by this pull request

Image transfer for A1-mini tool head camera #159

Closed

sgbaird added 3 commits March 18, 2025 19:17

update README with detailed installation instructions for picamera2 a…

d7720e1

…nd libcamera; improve logging in client.py

Merge branch 'main' into A1-cam

98a443f

pre-commit

3c73463

sgbaird approved these changes Mar 19, 2025

View reviewed changes

sgbaird merged commit 85881c3 into main Mar 19, 2025
5 checks passed

sgbaird deleted the A1-cam branch March 19, 2025 00:23

ZZZhaoz pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Jun 17, 2025

Merge pull request #178 from AccelerationConsortium/A1-cam

13578f9

A1 cam updates

		logger = logging.getLogger("device")


		def on_message(client, userdata, message):

A1 cam updates #178

A1 cam updates #178

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sgbaird commented Mar 17, 2025

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