Hardware - SVBox IoT 1.0

Prepare the SD Card

Install and configure the main OS and the JOD Smart Van distribution on the SD card that will be inserted into the Raspberry Pi.

Currently, the JOD SmartVan Distribution OS image is not yet available. Therefore, after flashing the Raspberry Pi OS (Lite/64bit) onto the SD card, you'll need to configure a few files on the SD card before the first boot of the Raspberry Pi. Once the SmartVanBox is assembled and powered on, you can proceed with the manual installation of the JOD Smart Van Distribution.

Raspberry Pi OS Version = Bullseye

This page is based on the Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye and previous versions. If you are using the Bookworm version or later, please refer to the default Prepare the SD Card page.

Short Steps

1. Install Raspberry Pi Imager
2. Select SD card and Operating System: “Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)”
3. Write the SD Card
4. Configure user via "userconf.txt"
5. Configure WiFi via "wpa_supplicant.conf"
6. Enable SSH by creating the "ssh" file
7. Enable I2C ports
8. Enable extra serial/UART ports via "configs.txt"
9. Enable console on UART2 ("/dev/ttyAMA1") via "cmdline.txt"

Install the Operating System

First, you need to install the operating system, commonly referred to as "flashing the SD card". In short, after inserting the SD card into a PC, you use software like Raspberry Pi Imager to "copy" the operating system onto the SD card.

With Raspberry Pi Imager, after selecting the USB device corresponding to your SD card, choose the operating system from a list. Select “Raspberry Pi OS (Others) > Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)” to have a system without a desktop, which is not necessary for an IoT device.

Once you've selected the SD card and the operating system, proceed by clicking the “Write” or “Apply” button.

Configure the Operating System

After writing the SD card, we need to proceed with some detailed configurations. In this case, reinsert the SD card into the computer and open its "boot" partition. Inside this folder, you'll find the files to configure the operating system of our Raspberry Pi, such as "configs.txt" or "cmdline.txt".

Once these configurations are complete, you can remove the SD card and insert it into the Raspberry Pi of the SmartVanBox.

Creating a User

To connect and manage the Raspberry Pi, you need to configure at least one user, whose credentials will be used for login via serial cable or SSH access. Both methods will be explained later.

To configure a user, create a file named "userconf.txt" in the boot partition of the SD card. This file contains the username and the encrypted password of the user to be configured in the following format: <USERNAME>:<PASSWORD_ENCRYPTED>.

The following example corresponds to the username svbox and password smartvan:

svbox:$6$YkZTSxi8ZG78cKYQ$ZAczHmXlNubuxFg8M7qXfpdAOtDsSZAKddkVwxelRjEokyUkQZAGmFBSB3NkbGdvlkIlekWxOKUvtZX7kUoLh.

To generate the string corresponding to the desired password, you can use the command openssl passwd -6 and type the password when prompted.

Without the "userconf.txt" file, the default username and password are pi and raspberry, respectively.

For more information on configuring a user, refer to the Raspberry Pi documentation.

Configuring WiFi

Initially, we need to configure our SmartVanBox to connect to an existing WiFi network with internet access, such as home WiFi or smartphone hotspot. Later, we will configure the Raspberry Pi as an Access Point with its own dedicated WiFi network.

In the boot partition of the SD card, create a file named "wpa_supplicant.conf" with the configurations to access the chosen WiFi network. Copy and customize the following example:

country={YOUR_COUNTRY_CODE}
update_config=1
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant

network={
  scan_ssid=1
  ssid="{YOUR_WIFI_SSID}"
  psk="{YOUR_WIFI_PASSWORD}"
}

Replace {YOUR_COUNTRY_CODE}, {YOUR_WIFI_SSID}, and {YOUR_WIFI_PASSWORD} with the correct values for your WiFi network.

For more information, visit Raspberry Pi's guide on setting up WiFi or manual WiFi setup tutorial.

Enabling SSH

SSH allows you to access your Raspberry Pi from another computer. This is a privileged access to the Raspberry Pi's shell, where you can perform maintenance on your SmartVanBox, such as initial configuration, accessing files, installing software, and more.

To enable SSH, simply create a file named "ssh" in the boot partition of the SD card.

During SSH connection, you will be prompted for a username and password. Enter the credentials configured in the Creating a User section.

For more details on remote access, see Raspberry Pi's SSH documentation.

Enabling I2C

I2C is a protocol used to communicate with hardware modules that support it. In our case, it allows communication with the Sense Hat and IO Expander modules.

To enable this protocol, add the following line to the "configs.txt" file in the boot partition of the SD card:

dtparam=i2c_arm=on

For more information on I2C configuration, refer to Raspberry Pi's I2C documentation.

Enabling UART Ports

Several hardware modules communicate with the Raspberry Pi using UART ports. In the SmartVanBox, the following 4 ports are used:

• UART0: Bluetooth (miniUART)
• UART1 (/dev/ttyAMA0): SIM7600
• UART2 (/dev/ttyAMA1): Console
• UART3 (/dev/ttyAMA2): UPS Pack

To enable these ports, add the following lines to the "configs.txt" file:

# Raspberry PI OS (BullsEye) and previous versions
# uart0   > Bluetooth > /dev/ttyS0
# uart1   > SIM7600   > /dev/ttyAMA0 - GPIOs 14/15 - Pins 8/10
# uart2   > Console   > /dev/ttyAMA1 - GPIOs 0/1 - Pins 27/28
# uart3   > ---       > /dev/ttyAMA2 - GPIOs 4/5 - Pins 7/29
# uart4   > UPS Pack  > /dev/ttyAMA3 - GPIOs 8/9 - Pins 24/21
# uart5   > ---       > /dev/ttyAMA4 - GPIOs 12/13 - Pins 32/33

enable_uart=1
dtoverlay=uart0
dtoverlay=uart1
dtoverlay=uart2
dtoverlay=uart3
dtoverlay=uart4
dtoverlay=uart5

Here is a summary table of UART ports and their associated pins:

Usage	UART	File	TX GPIO	TX Pin	RX GPIO	RX Pin
Bluetooth	uart0	N/A	?	?	?	?
SIM7600	uart1	ttyAMA0	14	8	15	10
Debug/Console	uart2	ttyAMA1	0	27	1	28
N/A	uart3	ttyAMA2	4	7	5	29
UPS Pack V3	uart4	ttyAMA3	8	24	9	21
N/A	uart5	ttyAMA4	12	32	13	33

For more information on UART configuration, refer to Raspberry Pi's UART documentation or check the following links:

• Pi-4 Activating additional UART ports
• DID YOU KNOW THAT THE RASPBERRY PI 4 HAS MORE SPI, I2C, UART PORTS?
• Raspberry Pi 4 with Multiple UART Interfaces
• Raspberry OS - Configuring UARTs

Enabling Console on UART

The UART2 (/dev/ttyAMA1) port is used as a debug port. By connecting a USB-to-TTL cable from a computer to the pins of this port, you can access the Raspberry Pi's shell. This allows you to perform the initial configuration of the SmartVanBox, access files, install software, and more. Unlike traditional SSH connection, no WiFi network is needed.

To configure the UART2 port as a console, add the parameter console=ttyAMA1,115200 to the first line of the "cmdline.txt" file. The "cmdline.txt" file should look like this:

console=tty1 console=ttyAMA1,115200 root=PARTUUID=556a8c7f-02 rootfstype=ext4 fsck.repair=yes rootwait

For more information on kernel command line, refer to Adafruit's Raspberry Pi Lesson 5.