Smart Station
An ambient-aware music controller built on Raspberry Pi Pico W using embedded Rust.
Author: Daria Gladkykh
GitHub Project Link: Smart Station on GitHub
Description
Smart Station is an IoT music controller that adjusts playback based on ambient light, offers a touchscreen interface, and includes clock and alarm features.
Motivation
This project was chosen to explore embedded Rust for IoT applications, combining sensor-driven automation with an interactive user interface to create a practical, engaging device.
Architecture
The Smart Station consists of the following main components:
- Sensor Processing: Handles input from the light sensor (LDR) to detect ambient brightness and trigger playback.
- User Interface: Manages the OLED touchscreen for music controls, clock display, and alarm settings.
- Playback Control: Coordinates music playback logic, integrating sensor data and user inputs.
- Visual Feedback: Drives the RGB LED to indicate system status and provide music-synced visuals.
- Time Management: Uses the RTC module for clock display and alarm scheduling.
Connections:
- The Sensor Processing component feeds brightness data to the Playback Control.
- The User Interface sends user commands (play, pause, etc.) to the Playback Control and queries the Time Management for clock/alarm data.
- The Playback Control updates the Visual Feedback component to reflect playback status.
- The Time Management component triggers the Playback Control for scheduled alarms.
Log
Week 5 - 11 May
What was already done:
- Set up Raspberry Pi Pico W with Rust toolchain.
- Configured GPIO for light sensor and RGB LED.
- Initial testing of LDR sensor for ambient light detection.
Week 12 - 18 May
What I plan to do :
- Integrated SSD1306 OLED touchscreen with
embedded-graphicsfor UI rendering. - Implemented basic music controls (play, pause, next, previous).
- Added RTC module (DS3231) for timekeeping and tested clock display.
Week 19 - 25 May
What I plan to do :
- Finalized playback logic based on light thresholds.
- Added alarm functionality with RTC scheduling.
- Optimized RGB LED pulsing for music feedback and completed system testing.
Hardware
The Smart Station uses a Raspberry Pi Pico W, OLED touchscreen, light sensor, RGB LED, and RTC module for a responsive music control system.
Schematics
Bill of Materials
| Device | Quantity | Price (RON) |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Pico W | 3 | 120 |
| TFT SPI Display ST7789V | 1 | 70 |
| Light sensor (LDR) | 1 | 10 |
| Kit with LEDs, buttons, etc. | 1 | 60 |
| RGB LED | 1 | 5 |
| Jumper wires (various sets) | 1 | 40 |
| Breadboards | 3 | 35 |
| Total | 340 RON |
Software
| Library | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| embedded-hal | Hardware abstraction layer | Interfaces for GPIO, ADC, I2C, SPI |
| rp2040-hal | RP2040-specific HAL | Low-level Pico W peripheral access |
| ssd1306 | OLED display driver | Renders UI on SSD1306 OLED |
| ds3231 | RTC module driver | Timekeeping and alarm functionality |
| fugit | Time-keeping utility | Precise timing for RTC and alarms |
| embedded-graphics | 2D graphics library | Draws UI elements on OLED |
| rppal | Raspberry Pi Peripheral Access | GPIO and sensor communication |
| cortex-m-rt | ARM Cortex-M runtime | Interrupt handling and scheduling |
Links
- Rust Embedded Book - Guide for embedded Rust development.
- Raspberry Pi Pico W Documentation - Official Pico W reference.
- Embedded Graphics Documentation - Resource for UI rendering.
- Probe-rs - Tooling for flashing and debugging Rust firmware.