restat

restat is controlled relay-interface station for automatization.

The README is used to introduce the tool and provide instructions on how to install the tool, any machine dependencies it may have and any other information that should be provided before the tool is installed.

Table of Contents

• System Components
  • 1. restat Firmware (restat_base)
  • 2. restatdesk GUI Application (restatdesk)
• Command Interface (restat Protocol)
• Installation
  • 1. Firmware (restat_base)
  • 2. Desktop Application (restatdesk)
• Usage
  • 1. GUI Panel
  • 2. Test Commands
• Dependencies
  • Firmware (restat_base)
  • Desktop GUI (restatdesk)
• Project Structure
• Docs
• Copyright and licence

System Components

restat consists of two primary components:

1. restat Firmware (restat_base)

A low-level C firmware designed for Pico RP2040 microcontrollers to actuate, time, and persist relay outputs.

• Role: Actuates 8 mechanical relay channels using high-precision timers and persists configurations directly to onboard Flash memory.
• Features:
  • Multi-interface Command Dispatcher (Serial, TCP/IP, BLE).
  • Variable Execution Plan Parser: Processes complex execution strings concurrently to set states and schedules.
  • Flash-Based Plan Persistence: Automatically stores execution plans at a 1.5 MB flash offset (0x180000) and restores configurations upon reboot.
  • Precise Timing Engine: Millisecond-level accuracy for Timed modes.
  • Safety Watchdog & Sound Indicators: Recovery loops coupled with active buzzer signaling.

2. restatdesk GUI Application (restatdesk)

A responsive, cross-platform C++ application built on gtkmm 4 and GTK 4.

• Role: Configures, controls, and monitors the relay station in real-time.
• Features:
  • Real-Time LED Indicators: High-visibility green status lights showing live channel states.
  • Configurable Relay Modes:
    • Toggle Mode: Activates or deactivates relays on click.
    • Timer Mode: Executes timed sequences with flexible starting states (Active = ON on Start, Deactive = OFF on Start).
  • Dynamic Plan Builder: Serializes only active relay states into a single, variable-length plan command to protect relay lifespans.
  • Sleek Green-on-Black Dark Mode: Custom CSS styles compiled directly into the binary as GResource packages.
  • Multithreaded System Logs: Visualized console output and persistent file logging.

---

Command Interface (restat Protocol)

All commands sent to the restat_base firmware must be wrapped in start/end markers: <rs#TARGET#ACTION#PARAMS#end>.

Command	Action	Description
<rs#sys#id#end>	Identify	Returns board identification (e.g. <rs#sys#rs:333:2023:0#end>)
<rs#sys#version#end>	Get Version	Returns firmware version (e.g. <rs#sys#restat v1.0.0#end>)
<rs#ch#X#on#end>	Channel ON	Sets channel X (1-8) to ON (active) state
<rs#ch#X#off#end>	Channel OFF	Sets channel X (1-8) to OFF (deactive) state
<rs#ch#X#tmr#MS#end>	Timed Channel	Starts timer on channel X for MS milliseconds starting ON
<rs#all#on#end>	All ON	Turns all channels ON concurrently
<rs#all#off#end>	All OFF	Turns all channels OFF concurrently
<rs#all#mask#MASK#end>	Binary Mask	Sets all 8 channels to binary state MASK (e.g. 10101010)
<rs#all#plan#[plan_string]#end>	Execute Plan	Sends a variable-length configuration plan containing relay states and saves it to Flash
<rs#ch#X#stat#end>	Channel Status	Returns the status string of channel X
<rs#all#stat#end>	All Status	Returns status dump for all channels
<rs#sys#reset#end>	Reset	Performs soft system reset using watchdog

---

Installation

1. Firmware (restat_base)

1. Setup the Raspberry Pi Pico SDK on your host system.
2. Navigate to the firmware workspace and build the project:

   cd sw/restat_base
   mkdir -p build && cd build
   cmake ..
   make -j$(nproc)

3. Boot the RP2040 board in BOOTSEL mode by holding the boot button while connecting USB, and copy restat_base.uf2 to the mounted mass storage device.

2. Desktop Application (restatdesk)

Ensure all compiler tools and GTK 4 libraries are installed (see dependencies), then run:

cd sw/restatdesk/build
make all

The executable restatdesk will be compiled and ready to run inside the build/ directory.

---

Usage

1. GUI Panel

Launch the compiled desktop client:

./sw/restatdesk/build/restatdesk

Configure your connection type (Serial Port path, TCP IP/Port, or Bluetooth address) inside the Settings window, toggle active relay options in the UI, and click Execute Plan in the main window or under the Command menu to apply changes.

2. Test Commands

You can also connect to the station via raw serial console or socket connection (e.g., using minicom or nc) and issue raw protocol packages:

# Set channel 1 to ON
<rs#ch#1#on#end>

---

Dependencies

Firmware (restat_base)

• Raspberry Pi Pico SDK (v1.5.0+)
• GCC ARM Embedded Toolchain (arm-none-eabi-gcc)
• CMake & GNU Make

Desktop GUI (restatdesk)

• C++23 compatible compiler (GCC 13+)
• gtkmm-4.0 & libgtk-4-dev
• libserial-dev
• pkg-config
• GNU Make

---

Project Structure

The codebase is organized as follows:

• sw/restat_base/ - Core Pico firmware:
  • src/command/ - Dispatcher and frame parser.
  • src/device/ - Watchdog, buzzer, relay, and flash persistence drivers.
• sw/restat_base_tests/ - C++ GoogleTest suite for host-based firmware logic validation.
• sw/restatdesk/ - GTK 4 client:
  • com/ - Serial, TCP, and BLE client layers.
  • config/ - File configuration load/store manager.
  • model/ - Relay delegates, channel states, and business logic.
  • view/ - GUI window tabs, widgets, and GResource styled assets.
• sw/restatdesk_tests/ - C++ GoogleTest suite for desktop client controllers and helpers.
• docs/ - Documentation source files.

Docs

More documentation and info at

• https://restat.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Copyright and licence

Copyright (C) 2020 - 2024 by electux.github.io/restat

Lets help and support Raspberry PI && GNOME.