LoRa Telemetry System - Receiver (STM32) 📡

This repository contains the firmware for the receiver module of a telemetry system designed for the autonomous research boat FOKA. The system receives sensor data wirelessly via LoRa (SX1278) and forwards it to a Ground Control Station (PC) via USB/UART.

The project was developed as part of the "Robot Drivers" course at Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

🎯 Project Overview

The goal of this project is to establish a reliable, long-range wireless link between a floating unit and a ground station.

• Transmitter (Remote): Raspberry Pi Zero 2W reading sensors (ADC ADS1015, GPS) and sending data via LoRa.
• Receiver (This Repo): STM32 BluePill (STM32F103C8T6) receiving LoRa packets and printing them to a serial terminal.

⚙️ Hardware

• Microcontroller: STM32F103C8T6 "BluePill".

• Communication Module: LoRa SX1278 (433/868 MHz) operating on SPI.

• Programmer: ST-Link v2 (SWD).

• Connection to PC: USB (Virtual COM Port) or UART-to-USB adapter.

• 🔌 Pin Configuration & Peripherals

The project is generated using STM32CubeMX.

• SPI1: Communication with SX1278.
  • NSS (Chip Select): Managed via GPIO.
  • DIO0: External Interrupt (IRQ) for packet reception.
• USART1 / USB: Forwarding received data to the PC.
• LEDs: Status indicators for RX/TX.

Fig 2. Pinout configuration from STM32CubeMX.

📡 Communication Protocol

The system uses a custom text-based protocol to maximize flexibility. Format: VALUE_1;VALUE_2;...;VALUE_N!LOG_MESSAGE\n

Example Frame:

1.1999;25;HIGH;18.2345;-0.456!I am an important log.

📂 Project Structure

This repository contains the STM32CubeIDE project:

• Core/Src/main.c: Main application logic (LoRa initialization, RX loop).
• Core/Src/spi.c: SPI driver configuration.
• Core/Src/gpio.c: GPIO settings for LoRa NSS/Reset/DIO0.
• LoRa_receiver_v2.ioc: STM32CubeMX configuration file.
• doc/: Documentation images.

🚀 Getting Started

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone [https://github.com/antpial/LoRaCommunication.git](https://github.com/antpial/LoRaCommunication.git)

2. Import to IDE: Open the project in STM32CubeIDE.
3. Build: Compile the project for the STM32F103 target.
4. Flash: Connect ST-Link v2 and flash the firmware.
5. Monitor: Open a Serial Terminal (e.g., Putty, RealTerm, Serial Monitor) on the COM port to see incoming telemetry.
   • Baud Rate: 115200 (or as configured in main.c).

📸 Gallery

Fig 3. The complete setup featuring STM32 BluePill and LoRa module.

Fig 4. Received telemetry data visible in the serial terminal.

🔗 Related Projects

The complete FOKA Project ecosystem consists of three main parts:

1. 👉 Onboard Control System (ROS 2 / RPi 4)
   • Main boat control system (Hardware drivers & Autopilot).
2. 👉 Ground Control Station (GUI / Qt)
   • Desktop app for visualizing data received by this STM32 module.
3. 👉 Autonomous USV Navigation & Gazebo Simulation
   • Simulation and theoretical analysis (Engineering Thesis).

📚 Credits & References

• Author: Antoni Piałucha
• Supervisor: dr inż. Wojciech Domski
• Resources: Based on LoRa library and tutorials from blog.domski.pl.

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Project Status: Functional prototype. Data transmission is stable. GPS integration on the transmitter side is in progress.