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Video Streaming with the Raspberry Pi 5

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Abstract

Live video streaming from high-altitude balloons has been a challenging but rewarding hurdle for ballooning teams across the nation participating in the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project to overcome over the past eight years. Here, we present our findings on using the Raspberry Pi 5 (RPi5) with dual camera ports as the single-board computer powering the live video payload on the balloon. The video payload's physical design utilizes 3D-printed mounts, a metal ground plane, and various connection hardware in addition to the electronic components. The camera mounts orient the two wide-angle cameras so that the ground and horizon are visible with minimal overlap. The dual RPi5 camera streams require a large amount of processing power and energy. The energy consumption issue was addressed and improved by allocating human resources and investing time into optimizing the video communication between the cameras and the ground station. The software running on the RPi5 was the only significant independent variable that could be configured. Due to the power constraints, the video frame rate was limited to 12 fps. Several long-range tests were conducted before the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, to investigate connectivity between the payload and the ground station. One party climbed a local mountain while the others set up on top of the football bleachers with a visual line of sight of the mountain approximately 11.5 miles away. The video link was established, and an optimal antenna and box orientation were found. Battery life was also tested with the streaming setup, which allowed the batteries to run until they drained, which lasted about three hours and thirty minutes. During the eclipse, the video was successfully streamed from the balloon to the ground station, which had a maximum range of about 24.3 miles. Although the picture quality was clear, with a consistent 2-3 signal bars on the Ubiquiti modem, the video stream was choppy. Initial analysis suggests the dropped frames could be related to suboptimal stream configuration or external signal interference. The batteries powered the video payload for the entire flight. However, the full extent of the battery life was not tested because the balloon burst before a float could be established using the onboard Iridium-controlled vent. Overall, video streaming from the RPi5 with dual camera ports was a success, although further testing is required to determine the cause of the choppy video.

Keywords: Raspberry Pi, Raspberry Pi 5, Video Streaming, Video

How to Cite:

Lambert, N., Bryant, A. & Varghese, K., (2024) “Video Streaming with the Raspberry Pi 5”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2024(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.17994