🚗 Raspberry Pi Remote Control Car Server with Video Streaming

A WiFi-controlled RC car server for Raspberry Pi with live video streaming and real-time motor control. Built with FastAPI and Websockets for low-latency remote operation.

✨ Features

• 🎥 Real-time MJPEG Video Streaming - Smooth 30 FPS camera feed at 640x480
• 🎮 WebSocket Control - Low-latency bidirectional communication
• 🔌 Adafruit Motor HAT Support - Professional-grade motor control with PWM
• 📱 Web Interface - Built-in test interface accessible from any browser
• 🌐 WiFi Access Point Mode - Create standalone network or use existing WiFi
• ⚡ Async Architecture - Built on FastAPI for maximum performance
• 🛡️ Differential Steering - Smooth turning with independent left/right control

📸 Demo

TBD

🔧 Hardware Requirements

Required Components

• Raspberry Pi 3 A+ (or any Raspberry Pi with WiFi)
• Raspberry Pi Camera Module (v1, v2, or HQ camera)
• Adafruit DC & Stepper Motor HAT for Raspberry Pi
• 4x DC Motors (6-12V)
• Power Supply for motors (6-12V, 3A+ recommended)
• Chassis with wheels
• Battery Pack (for mobile operation)

Wiring Diagram

Motor HAT Connections:
├─ M1: Front Right Motor
├─ M2: Rear Right Motor
├─ M3: Front Left Motor
├─ M4: Rear Right Motor
└─ Power: 6-12V Battery (3A+)

Camera: Connect to CSI port on Raspberry Pi

🚀 Quick Start

1. System Setup

# Update system
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y

# Enable I2C for Motor HAT
sudo raspi-config
# Navigate to: Interface Options → I2C → Enable

# Enable Camera
sudo raspi-config
# Navigate to: Interface Options → Camera → Enable

# Reboot
sudo reboot

2. Install Dependencies

# Install Python packages
pip3 install fastapi uvicorn websockets
pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-motorkit
pip3 install picamera2 pillow

# Install I2C tools (optional, for debugging)
sudo apt-get install -y i2c-tools

3. Verify Hardware

# Check Motor HAT is detected (should show 0x60)
sudo i2cdetect -y 1

# Test camera
libcamera-hello

4. Clone and Run

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/depasca/raspacar.git
cd raspacar/server

# Run server
sudo python3 raspacar_server.py

The server will start on http://0.0.0.0:5000

5. Connect and Control

On your local network:

1. Find your Raspberry Pi's IP address: hostname -I
2. Connect your phone/computer to the same WiFi network
3. Open browser: http://RASPBERRY_PI_IP:5000
4. Use the virtual joystick to control the car!

📁 Project Structure

server/
├── raspacar_server.py                      # FastAPI server with video streaming and WebSocket control
├── motor_controller.py # Motor control using Adafruit Motor HAT
├── cam_streamer.py              # Camera capture and MJPEG streaming
├── html_template.py             # Web interface template
├── requirements.txt             # Python dependencies
└── README.md                    # This file

🌐 WiFi Access Point Setup (Optional)

To make your car completely standalone, configure it as a WiFi Access Point:

# Install required packages
sudo apt-get install -y hostapd dnsmasq

# Configure static IP for wlan0
sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf
# Add at the end:
interface wlan0
    static ip_address=192.168.4.1/24
    nohook wpa_supplicant

# Configure dnsmasq
sudo nano /etc/dnsmasq.conf
# Add:
interface=wlan0
dhcp-range=192.168.4.2,192.168.4.20,255.255.255.0,24h

# Configure hostapd
sudo nano /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf
# Add:
interface=wlan0
ssid=Raspacar
wpa_passphrase=rpicar123
hw_mode=g
channel=7
wpa=2
wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK

# Enable services
sudo systemctl unmask hostapd
sudo systemctl enable hostapd
sudo systemctl enable dnsmasq

# Reboot
sudo reboot

After reboot, your Raspberry Pi will broadcast "RPi-Car" WiFi network (password: rpicar123).

Connect to it and access the interface at: http://192.168.4.1:5000

🎮 API Endpoints

Video Stream

GET /video_feed
Returns: MJPEG stream (multipart/x-mixed-replace)

Control WebSocket

WS /ws
Send: {"x": 0.5, "y": 1.0}
  x: -1.0 (left) to 1.0 (right)
  y: -1.0 (backward) to 1.0 (forward)

Web Interface

GET /
Returns: HTML control interface

🔧 Configuration

Motor Speed Adjustment

Edit adafruit_motor_controller.py:

def move(self, x, y):
    # Adjust these multipliers for speed control
    forward_speed = y * 100  # 0-100% motor power
    turn_speed = x * 100     # 0-100% turning intensity

Camera Settings

Edit cam_streamer.py:

config = self.camera.create_preview_configuration(
    main={"size": (640, 480), "format": "RGB888"},  # Change resolution
            transform=Transform(hflip=1, vflip=1)   # if you need to rotate the image
)

# Adjust frame rate
time.sleep(0.033)  # ~30 FPS (decrease for higher FPS)

Server Port

Edit raspacar_server.py or run with custom port:

uvicorn raspacar_server:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

🐛 Troubleshooting

Motor HAT Not Detected

# Check I2C is enabled
sudo raspi-config

# Verify device at 0x60
sudo i2cdetect -y 1

# Check connections - HAT should be firmly seated

🔋 Power Considerations

• Raspberry Pi: 5V 2.5A USB power supply
• Motors: Separate 6-12V 3-4A power supply
• Never power motors from Raspberry Pi's GPIO
• For mobile operation, use:
  • USB power bank (10,000mAh+) for Raspberry Pi
  • Separate battery pack for motors

📊 Performance

• Video Latency: ~100-200ms on local network
• Control Latency: ~50ms via WebSocket
• Frame Rate: 30 FPS @ 640x480
• Range: ~30-50 meters (WiFi dependent)

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with FastAPI
• Motor control via Adafruit CircuitPython
• Camera support using Picamera2

📧 Contact

Paolo De Pascalis Project Link: https://github.com/depasca/raspacar

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