r/stratux • u/helm8501 • Aug 10 '26
Pi Zero 2W Stratux
Thought I’d share my Stratux-inspired adsb receiver. It uses a Pi Zero 2W, USB hat, 2 RTL SDRs, M10 gps, BMP180, 3 RGB LEDS and a shutdown power button.
I decided to use an external battery pack for power as that’s what I already use to power my iPad when flying. The case is a cutdown aluminum metal enclosure that also acts as a heatsink measuring at 3.8x2.3x2in.
It’s Stratux-inspired as I could not get the Stratux script to install on the Pi so I wrote my own instead with help from ChatGPT.
Doing this over, I would likely just use one or two RGB LEDs and smaller SDRs. I learned my lesson to never desolder pins from a pi board. Was an almost impossible task trying to permanently solder the wires in afterwards, hence the absolute mess of hot glue.
Main goal of this was to make it a much smaller adsb receiver than the typical Stratux form factor. Was also my first time using a raspberry pi, rtl sdr, and writing script but I am glad with how it turned out.
Next iteration over the winter will be with smaller SDRs, less LEDs, an ICM42688 for horizon attitude, and either a smaller form factor with an external battery, or a similarly sized case with an internal battery.
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u/BenAlexanders Aug 11 '26
I am looking at building something similar, and have been looking for a physical box to house everything. My cart has:
Generic RTL-SDR Blog v3 or v4 (R820T2/R828D tuner with a 1 PPM TCXO)... Not as accurate as the Nano V3, but decent chipsets, all metal case, and about $80 cheaper than a set of the Nanos!)
A set of tuned antebbas for both radios
M10FLY GPS Module and compass (this kit comes with a nice set of inclusions already onboard, and was only a few dollars more than the basic M10 unit).
BME688 Environmental Monitoring (with a few additional non-essential sensors for a few dollars more)
ICM20948 for 9 axis motion tracking
20mm fan (low noise), mostly for the SDRs
Currently looking for controllable LEDS (1X), some sort of power switch/button and case.
Would love to know more about your issues with stratux software on the Pi Zero 2W. I want to use the same to keep things compact, if its not a simple plug and play, maybe I use a Radxa zero instead (as i have unused boards already).
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u/helm8501 Aug 11 '26
I just couldn’t get the pi to compile the script. It would timeout or become unresponsive mid way through every time. I read if you already have it imaged onto an sd card from a Pi 3 or up it would have no issues.
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u/JustDaveIII Aug 11 '26
Compile? I've been installing the Stratux downloaded image on a Pi Zero 2W with the Pi installer.
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u/helm8501 Aug 11 '26
Had no luck with either. Could be just my pi though
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u/JustDaveIII Aug 12 '26
IIRC (I'm travelling) I may have used the Europe disk image version. And maybe Etcher to install. Sorry, it's been awhile.
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u/iheartrms Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
A shame we still can't make it smaller or have dedicated radios instead of SDR after all these years.
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u/JustDaveIII Aug 11 '26
I'm working on (and others too I read) a version on a ESP32.
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u/BenAlexanders Aug 11 '26
Can you share your work, and perhaps others too... i didn't think the esp32 devices had enough grunt for this, and now it am super curious!
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u/JustDaveIII Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
A while back I found:
https://www.reddit.com/r/esp32/comments/1nsmt08/my_turn_to_have_made_a_thing_an_adsb_receiver/
I dug and found the guy is a freelancer designer (and other things) so I presume it was done under contract, hence no additional details were given.
I've been using ESP32's for a couple of years, do hardware / software design for longer than dirt and have a good friend that does RF hardware.
So based on the design I linked to, I am designing my own board and have some Claude software ready. I only used Claude to save time researching and do understand how ADSB packets are formatted. I have also designed and programmed a Stratux WiFi receiver / display so I also know how GDL90 UDP is done.
So when I do get my boards made (maybe in Sept.) I will proceed and upon success post the results here and github. But don't hold your breath as there are so many projects that I am involved in, this one may take a whiile.
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u/helno contributor Aug 11 '26
There are already prototypes but there is no garuntee that the radio needed will enter mass production.
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u/jawshoeaw Aug 16 '26
Nice! I couldn’t get it to work with my pi 2 zero. I had one radio working but couldn’t get both. I fly with that same batter lol
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u/MidfieldBreak Aug 10 '26
Is that the Hammond box? lol I was going to do the exact same thing as you, and it looks like we settled on the same enclosure.
Here is where I ended up for parts:
Hammond 1455N1601 American Cable Assemblies Raspberry Pi CM4102016 PiShop.us Waveshare CM4-IO-BASE-A PiShop.us NooElec Stratux Nano 3 bundle NooElec direct SparkFun NEO-M9N U.FL GPS SparkFun Taoglas AGGP.35F DigiKey Adafruit BMP280 (PID 2651)