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Ameba Pro 2 Sos: Alerts, Maps & Camera

Made by vinayyn / Communication / Security / Wearables / IoT

About the project

Ameba Pro 2 SOS snaps pic & shares location (Telegram & Maps) for fast help!

Project info

Difficulty: Moderate

Platforms: Google, SparkFun

Estimated time: 1 day

License: GNU General Public License, version 3 or later (GPL3+)

Items used in this project

Hardware components

	Flash Memory Card, MicroSDHC Card	x 1
	SparkFun Pushbutton switch 12mm	x 1
	Buzzer	x 1
	Rechargeable Battery, 3.7 V	x 1
	GNSS L89	x 1
	Realtek AMB82-Mini	x 1

Software apps and online services

	Solder Wire, Lead Free
	Telegram
	Arduino IDE
	Google Maps

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Soldering iron (generic)

x 1

Story

If you're looking for a low-power alternative to the Raspberry Pi for camera-based projects, consider the Realtek Ameba Pro 2. It supports programming in C and C++ and can be used within the Arduino IDE.

This project utilizes the Realtek Ameba Pro 2 to create an SOS button with real-time location sharing. When pressed, the Ameba Pro 2:

Captures an image: Snaps a picture of the surroundings.
Shares via Telegram: Sends the image and location data to a designated Telegram bot.
Tracks location on Maps: Allows users to locate the person who pressed the SOS button using Google Maps

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What is Ameba Pro 2

The Realtek Ameba Pro 2 is a powerhouse for tiny devices, especially those focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearables. Here's a deeper dive into its key features:

AI on the Edge: It boasts a built-in processing unit for machine learning tasks directly on the device. This allows for features like real-time object recognition or gesture control without relying on a constant cloud connection.

Wi-Fi Champion: This chip integrates Wi-Fi connectivity, enabling your device to connect wirelessly to the internet for data transfer or cloud interaction.

Low-Power King: Designed for battery-powered applications, the Ameba Pro 2 sips power efficiently, making it ideal for long-lasting wearables or remote IoT devices.

Beyond the Basics: It also packs additional goodies like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for short-range communication, camera support for capturing images, and various interfaces for connecting sensors and displays.

Imagine a fitness tracker that analyzes your movements on-device, a smart lock communicating with your phone, or a wildlife camera capturing images and sending them to the cloud - all powered by the compact and efficient Ameba Pro 2.

Features

MCU Features

Real-M500 (TM9) clock frequency up to 500MHz
I-Cache 32KB/D-Cache 32KB
execute In Place (XIP) on NOR flash
Internal Memory l Supports 768KB ROM
Supports 512KB RAM
Supports external flash interface
Supports MCM-embedded 64MB/128MB DDR2 Memory

ISP Features

Advanced temporal and spatial noise reduction(3DNR)
Support major brands of DOL-HDR or Staggered-HDR sensors
Support Auto Banding, Auto Exposure, Auto White Balance
Black-level compensation and dead pixel cancellation
Advanced contrast adjustment and sharpness enhancement
Programmable color matrix and gamma table
Image enhancement(brightness, contrast, saturation, hue and sharpness)

Graphic Processing

Digital resolution scaling down
Multiple stream outputs and various formats: NV12, RGB888
Each stream has an individual OSD overlay
Support motion detection and private mask

Video Encoding

Max 5-megapixel resolution for H.264/H.265 encoding
H.264 Baseline/Main/High profiles, levels 4.1
JPEG/MJPEG Baseline and Max 5-megapixel resolution for JPEG encoding
Multiple streams real-time H.265/H.264/JPEG encoding

Audio

Built-in Audio Codec
1-way Audio analog output for earphones

WIFI Features

802.11 a/b/g/n compatible 1x1, 2.4GHz/5GHz
Wi-Fi WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA3, WPS. Open, shared key, and pair-wise key authentication services
·Supports low-power Tx/Rx for short-range application

Bluetooth Features

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.1
Supports LE secure connections
Crypto engine: MD5, SHA-1, SHA2-224, SHA2-256, HMAC, AES

Peripheral Interfaces

Support UART、I2C、SPI interface for external device
Support PWM interface with configurable duration and duty cycle from 0 ~ 100%
Support ADC channel with 12-bit mode

Ameba Pro 2 Block Diagram

1 / 2

Ameba Pro Pin Diagram

Great resurces are available for getting started with the AMB82 MINI and Arduino IDE. You can find detailed instructions on the Realtek Ameba website.

Ameba ARDUINO: Getting Started with AMB82 MINI (RTL8735B)

For more details on the Ameba Pro 2, visit the Realtek Ameba website

To function, this project requires a Telegram bot to receive location and image data. A helpful online resource offers detailed instructions on configuring the bot and setting it up to receive data from the Ameba Pro 2 and send requests back.

Note:This project uses an SD card to store the captured image. Since the Ameba Pro 2 has limited internal storage, an SD card is necessary for saving images.

Demo Video

Schematics, diagrams and documents

Sch

Code

CODE

Requires ArduinoJson library version 6.5.12.

#include <TinyGPS++.h> #include <WiFi.h> #include <WiFiClient.h> #include <UniversalTelegramBot.h> #include <ArduinoJson.h> #include "VideoStream.h" #include "AmebaFatFS.h" int button = 17; int button_status ; int buzzer = 20; char ssid[] = "SSID"; // your network SSID (name) char pass[] = "Password"; // your network password (use for WPA, or use as key for WEP) int keyIndex = 0; // your network key Index number (needed only for WEP) int status = WL_IDLE_STATUS; // Indicater of Wifi status unsigned long startMillis = 0; // will store last time LED was updated const long interval = 200; // interval at which to blink (milliseconds) #define BOTtoken "Your Telegram Bot Token" // your Bot Token (Get from Botfather) #define CHAT_ID "Bot chat ID" #define CHANNEL 2 #define FILENAME "image.jpg" VideoSetting config(VIDEO_FHD, CAM_FPS, VIDEO_JPEG, 1); uint32_t img_addr = 0; uint32_t img_len = 0; AmebaFatFS fs; WiFiSSLClient wifiClient; UniversalTelegramBot bot(BOTtoken, wifiClient); const unsigned long BOT_MTBS = 100; // mean time between scan messages unsigned long bot_lasttime; // last time messages' scan has been done float lat, lon; int i; File myFile; bool isMoreDataAvailable(); byte getNextByte(); const int GPSBaud = 9600; String chat_id = "Bot chat ID"; String file_name = FILENAME; char commandbuffer[100] = {0}; // Initialize with zeros to prevent garbage data int z = 0; // Index for command buffer TinyGPSPlus gps; bool isMoreDataAvailable() { return myFile.available(); } byte getNextByte() { return myFile.read(); } void _delay() { startMillis = millis(); while((millis() - startMillis) <= interval) { } } void handleNewMessages(int numNewMessages) { for (int i = 0; i < numNewMessages; i++) { String chat_id = bot.messages[i].chat_id; String text = bot.messages[i].text; String from_name = bot.messages[i].from_name; if (from_name == "") from_name = "Guest"; if (text == "/gps") { String gps_data; gps_data = "https://maps.google.com/maps?q="; gps_data += String(gps.location.lat(), 6); // Format latitude to 6 decimal places gps_data += ","; gps_data += String(gps.location.lng(), 6); // Format longitude to 6 decimal places bot.sendMessage(chat_id, gps_data, ""); } if (text == "/pic") { capture_image(); } }} void send_image() { if (millis() - bot_lasttime > BOT_MTBS) { int numNewMessages = bot.getUpdates(bot.last_message_received + 1); while (numNewMessages) { Serial.println("got response"); handleNewMessages(numNewMessages); numNewMessages = bot.getUpdates(bot.last_message_received + 1); } bot_lasttime = millis(); } } void capture_image() { // digitalWrite(buzzer,HIGH); File file = fs.open(String(fs.getRootPath()) + String(FILENAME)); delay(100); //digitalWrite(buzzer,LOW); Camera.getImage(CHANNEL, &img_addr, &img_len); file.write((uint8_t*)img_addr, img_len); file.close(); delay(100); //digitalWrite(buzzer,HIGH); Serial.print("Image Captured"); myFile = fs.open(file_name); if (myFile) { Serial.print(file_name); Serial.print("...."); //Content type for PNG image/png String sent = bot.sendPhotoByBinary(chat_id, "image/jpeg", myFile.size(), isMoreDataAvailable, getNextByte, nullptr, nullptr); if (sent) { Serial.println("was successfully sent"); for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { digitalWrite(buzzer, HIGH); // Turn buzzer on _delay(); // Beep duration (adjust as needed) digitalWrite(buzzer, LOW); // Turn buzzer off _delay(); // Silence between beeps (adjust as needed) } } else { Serial.println("was not sent"); } myFile.close(); } else { Serial.println("error opening photo"); } send_image(); } void processGPSData() { while (Serial2.available() > 0) { gps.encode(Serial2.read()); if (gps.location.isUpdated()) { Serial.print("Latitude= "); Serial.print(gps.location.lat(), 6); Serial.print(" Longitude= "); Serial.println(gps.location.lng(), 6); } } } void setup() { Serial.begin(115200); pinMode(button, INPUT); pinMode(buzzer,OUTPUT); Serial.println(); Camera.configVideoChannel(CHANNEL, config); Camera.videoInit(); Camera.channelBegin(CHANNEL); fs.begin(); Serial.println("done."); Serial.print("Connecting to Wifi SSID "); WiFi.begin(ssid, pass); while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) { Serial.print("."); delay(500); } Serial.print("\nWiFi connected. IP address: "); Serial.println(WiFi.localIP()); bot.sendMessage(CHAT_ID, "Bot started up", ""); Serial2.begin(9600); for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { digitalWrite(buzzer, HIGH); // Turn buzzer on _delay(); // Beep duration (adjust as needed) digitalWrite(buzzer, LOW); // Turn buzzer off _delay(); // Silence between beeps (adjust as needed) } } void loop() { button_status = digitalRead(button); if (button_status == 1) { for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) { digitalWrite(buzzer, HIGH); // Turn buzzer on _delay(); // Beep duration (adjust as needed) digitalWrite(buzzer, LOW); // Turn buzzer off _delay(); // Silence between beeps (adjust as needed) } Serial.print( "Button Pressed"); String gps_data; gps_data = "https://maps.google.com/maps?q="; gps_data += String(gps.location.lat(), 6); // Format latitude to 6 decimal places gps_data += ","; gps_data += String(gps.location.lng(), 6); // Format longitude to 6 decimal places delay(300); digitalWrite(buzzer,LOW); bot.sendMessage(chat_id, gps_data, ""); //digitalWrite(buzzer,LOW); capture_image(); } processGPSData(); if (millis() - bot_lasttime > BOT_MTBS) { int numNewMessages = bot.getUpdates(bot.last_message_received + 1); while (numNewMessages) { Serial.println("got response"); handleNewMessages(numNewMessages); numNewMessages = bot.getUpdates(bot.last_message_received + 1); } bot_lasttime = millis(); } }

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Ameba Pro 2 Sos: Alerts, Maps & Camera

About the project

Project info