GPS Laps
PointOneNav & DonkeyCar

sudo adduser pi dialout   # Add 'pi' user to the dialout group
sudo reboot now           # Group membership only takes effect after a reboot

git clone https://github.com/UCSD-ECEMAE-148/quectel
cd quectel/p1_runner

# Download the Miniforge installer for the current architecture (ARM64 on a 64-bit Pi)
wget "https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).sh"

# Run the installer — accept the license and confirm all defaults when prompted
bash Miniforge3-Linux-aarch64.sh

# Reboot so that conda is added to your PATH
sudo reboot now

conda --version   # Expected: conda 23.x.x or similar
mamba --version   # Expected: mamba x.x.x
# If both commands print version numbers, Miniforge is installed correctly.

mamba create -n py37 -c conda-forge python=3.7 pip   # Create the sandboxed environment
mamba activate py37                                        # Enter the environment

# Install GPS client libraries inside py37
pip install pyserial fusion_engine_client pynmea ntripstreams websockets

# Deactivate py37 and any other active environment first
conda deactivate   # Repeat until neither (base) nor (py37) appears in the prompt

# Activate the DonkeyCar virtual environment
source ~/env/bin/activate   # Prompt should now show (env)

cd ~/quectel/p1_runner

# Upgrade build tools, then install project requirements
python -m pip install -U pip setuptools wheel
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install the GPS libraries into the DonkeyCar environment
pip install pyserial fusion_engine_client pynmea ntripstreams websockets

# ── GPS HARDWARE CONFIGURATION ────────────────────────────────────────────────
# 1. Reset the GPS to factory defaults to clear any conflicting settings
python3 bin/config_tool.py reset factory

# 2. Configure the GPS to output NMEA GGA sentences over USB (UART2)
python3 bin/config_tool.py apply uart2_message_rate nmea gga on

# 3. Save the settings to non-volatile memory so they persist across power cycles
python3 bin/config_tool.py save

# Start from a clean state
deactivate            # Exits any active virtualenv (e.g., ~/env)
conda deactivate      # Exits any active conda environment

# Activate py37 for the runner
conda activate py37

# Verify — should print Python 3.7.x
python --version

# List available serial ports — the GPS should appear as /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyUSB1
python3 -c "import serial.tools.list_ports; print(list(serial.tools.list_ports.comports()))"

# Example of a successful response:
# [<serial.tools.list_ports_linux.SysfsPort object> - /dev/ttyUSB1 'CP2102 USB to UART Bridge']

# Replace --device-id and --polaris with YOUR robot's credentials from the table below
# Try USB1 first — this is the most common port assignment
python3 bin/runner.py \
  --device-id   YOUR_DEVICE_ID \
  --polaris     YOUR_POLARIS_PASSWORD \
  --device-port /dev/ttyUSB1

# If the above fails with "no such file" or "device busy", try USB0 instead:
python3 bin/runner.py \
  --device-id   YOUR_DEVICE_ID \
  --polaris     YOUR_POLARIS_PASSWORD \
  --device-port /dev/ttyUSB0

# This terminal uses the DonkeyCar venv only — do NOT activate py37 here
conda deactivate   # Repeat until neither (base) nor (py37) appears in the prompt
source ~/env/bin/activate   # Activate the DonkeyCar venv — prompt shows (env)

# Create the GPS car directory using the follow-path template
donkey createcar --template-path follow-path --path ~/gpscar

nano ~/gpscar/myconfig.py

# GPS_SERIAL: The port the PointOneNav uses to stream NMEA GGA data to DonkeyCar.
# This must be the OPPOSITE port from --device-port used in the runner (Terminal 1).
# Example: if the runner uses /dev/ttyUSB1, set this to /dev/ttyUSB0.
GPS_SERIAL = "/dev/ttyUSB0"

# Baud rate for the PointOneNav. Do NOT change this value —
# 460800 is the fixed output rate configured by config_tool.py in §3.
GPS_SERIAL_BAUDRATE = 460800

# Prints GPS coordinate data to the console — useful for debugging.
# Set to False once everything is working to reduce terminal noise.
GPS_DEBUG = True

# Master switch — must be True or DonkeyCar ignores all GPS settings.
HAVE_GPS = True

# Only needed for file-based GPS replay. Leave as None for live GPS operation.
GPS_NMEA_PATH = None

# Selects the VESC motor controller driver.
DRIVE_TRAIN_TYPE = "VESC"

# Caps throttle at 50% of the VESC's maximum to prevent crashes during testing.
# Increase in small increments (0.55, 0.60…) only after several stable autonomous runs.
VESC_MAX_SPEED_PERCENT = 0.5

# The USB-serial port the VESC enumerates as. Usually ttyACM0, sometimes ttyACM1.
VESC_SERIAL_PORT = "/dev/ttyACM0"
VESC_BAUDRATE = 115200

# Steering scale: maps the [-1, 1] steering command to the actual servo PWM range.
# 0.5 means only the middle half of the servo's travel is used, reducing overcorrection.
VESC_STEERING_SCALE = 0.5

# Steering offset: 0.5 corresponds to the mechanical center of the servo.
# Adjust by ±0.02 increments if the car consistently drifts on a straight path.
VESC_STEERING_OFFSET = 0.5

# Enable the joystick as the primary control input (required for recording laps).
USE_JOYSTICK_AS_DEFAULT = True

# Limits manual throttle to 50%. Keep this in sync with VESC_MAX_SPEED_PERCENT.
JOYSTICK_MAX_THROTTLE = 0.5

# Controller type. Change to 'xbox', 'F710', or 'custom' for other gamepads.
CONTROLLER_TYPE = 'ps4'

# Linux input device file for the controller.
# Run: ls /dev/input/js* to confirm the correct device number.
JOYSTICK_DEVICE_FILE = "/dev/input/js0"

# R1: Write the currently recorded waypoints to a CSV file on disk.
SAVE_PATH_BTN = "R1"

# X: Load the saved path from disk into memory — press this before autonomous playback.
LOAD_PATH_BTN = "X"

# B: Set the car's current GPS position as the local coordinate origin (0, 0).
# Press this BEFORE recording a new path and again before each autonomous run.
RESET_ORIGIN_BTN = "B"

# Y: Clear all waypoints from memory without saving — useful for discarding a bad run.
ERASE_PATH_BTN = "Y"

# L1: Toggle waypoint recording on/off. Press once to start, again to stop.
TOGGLE_RECORDING_BTN = "L1"

# PID adjustment buttons — set to None to disable runtime PID changes via controller.
INC_PID_D_BTN = None
DEC_PID_D_BTN = None
INC_PID_P_BTN = None
DEC_PID_P_BTN = None

# MOCK disables the camera pipeline entirely. GPS laps do not require a camera.
# Using MOCK prevents startup errors if no camera is physically attached to the Pi.
CAMERA_TYPE = "MOCK"

cd ~/gpscar
python manage.py drive

# Confirm the file exists and is not empty
ls -lh ~/gpscar/path.csv

# Preview the first few waypoints (columns are x, y or lat/lon depending on config)
head -5 ~/gpscar/path.csv

# Count total waypoints — a typical 100 m loop at the default sample rate produces 200–600 points
wc -l ~/gpscar/path.csv

# Tail the DonkeyCar log and filter for mode-change messages
tail -f ~/gpscar/logs/donkey.log | grep -i "mode\|autopilot\|pilot"

# Expected output when autopilot is engaged:
# INFO:donkeycar.parts.controller:auto_pilot mode

# Suggested starting values for a Warren Mall loop at 50% throttle
PID_P = 0.15   # Increase until the car follows the path but begins to oscillate
PID_D = 0.6    # Increase to dampen oscillations (target ~3–5× the P value)
PID_I = 0.0    # Leave at 0 unless experiencing consistent one-sided drift